Online Dating

Chapter six

...

Raven crossed her arms, her usual stoicism evident. "Even you have to admit that was a bad joke."

However, her unamused expression shifted swiftly to confusion as she stared at Garfield's flushed face and anxious demeanor. Before she could react, he promptly leaned forward and kissed her. The unexpectedness of the gesture caught Raven off guard, and her immediate response was to shove him away with a force that reverberated through the corridor, causing a nearby window to shatter into pieces.

"What are you doing!" She yelled, her voice laced with a potent blend of anger and confusion.

Garfield, undeterred by the shattered glass and the intensity of Raven's reaction, took a step closer to her, his expression earnest. "The reason why I'm criticizing every date, nitpicking every girl, and everything they do is because they aren't you." He explained, his words hanging in the air with a vulnerability that contradicted his typically carefree demeanor.

"You're insane." Raven stated bluntly, disbelief and irritation still evident in her eyes.

"Victor even said that when I described my dream girl, it sounded like you." Garfield continued, his earnest gaze locked onto her, a desperation in his eyes as he sought to make her understand.

Raven couldn't help but roll her eyes at the absurdity of the situation. "I am not your 'Dream Girl.'" She said sternly, her voice filled with frustration, dismissing the notion with a decisive tone.

"I love your sarcastic quips." He rapidly confessed, a torrent of words spilling from him as he attempted to articulate the realizations that had unfolded over the course of the day. "That you don't care about anyone's opinion. That despite not liking any of our games, you still participate just to hang out with your friends. That no matter how mad you are at me, you don't hesitate to fight crime by my side. You're smart, and honest, and empathetic, and humble. And undeniably hot."

Another window began to crack, the tension in the hallway escalating with each passing moment. "Okay, stop." Raven said sternly, her patience wearing thin as Garfield's rapid confession overwhelmed her. "In what world do you think we would ever work? We don't even share the same interests. I don't like comic books, I don't like video games, I don't like comedies. I don't find you funny!"

Unfazed by her objections, he pressed on with unwavering determination. "Do you find me attractive?" He asked simply, his gaze intensifying, causing the window to crack further.

Her face flushed with a mixture of anger and embarrassment, caught off guard by the directness of his question. Before she could form a response, he unexpectedly grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her again. The action caused the already damaged window to shatter into tiny pieces, the sound of breaking glass echoing through the tower.

Raven shoved him away, her agitation evident in her expression. "Kiss me again, and I will hit you." She threatened angrily, her voice tinged with exasperation.

"I love you." Garfield repeated once more, his voice filled with a potent mix of longing and determination, the weight of his emotions palpable in the air.

"No, you don't!" Raven yelled back, her frustration mounting as she struggled to comprehend the whirlwind of emotions that he had unleashed upon her.

"I can't stop thinking about you." He confessed, his eyes searching her face for any sign of reciprocation. "I want to hang out with you. I want to impress you. I want to be close to you. I want to kiss you."

"Don't you dare." She said sternly, pointing a finger at him in a futile attempt to halt the cascade of emotions pouring from him. "Look, you clearly are experiencing some sort of hysteria, or possibly a stroke." She said, attempting to rationalize his actions, though deep down, she knew that wasn't the case.