Romance in Kitalo City Book 1
Nella isn't looking for love. She's had a taste of it and is convinced it's not as glamorous as the world portrays it to be. She's pretty sure romance isn't for her, until she meets a charming basketball player who seem...
A certain section of Hasani's part in this chapter might be triggering for some. I'm trying to write the mental health parts of this story as gently as possible but also trying to keep things realistic. I'm sorry if this causes some discomfort.
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Memories of the night at the arcade swam into my conscience as soon as I woke up, making me wish I stayed asleep.
What is wrong with me?
I kissed Hasani, and agreeing to never speak of it again didn't take away the fact that it actually had happened. I really wished merely saying it didn't happen would make it disappear, but if I closed my eyes and thought back to it with enough concentration, I was pretty sure I could still feel his lips on mine.
I groaned in frustration and willed myself to get up. I could hear the sound of a sermon on TV downstairs. Some things never changed. When we were younger and still living at home, my mom would always blast sermons through the sound system to wake us up for church.
My eyes adjusted to the grey walls of my highschool bedroom, covered in 90s R&B posters and awards I got throughout my highschool career.
I thought back to the night before. Shortly after my alone time spent with Hasani, we'd met up with the group again to wrap things up and head home. The guys dropped us off at my place, since our cars were there. After we each took a shower and got ourselves ready, we left for my mom's house. Namiko and I's moms were as close as we were, and had both been looking forward to this Sunday when they would spend quality time with all their daughters under one roof.
I checked the time on my phone. 06:45. I had about two hours to get ready in time to join everyone for breakfast, so I pushed the covers off me and made my bed before grabbing my toiletry bag and making my way into the bathroom.
An hour later, I was putting on my make-up when my phone buzzed with a text from Hasani.
Good morning. Did you guys get home safe? ~ Hasani K
Morning. Yes. Thanks. ~ Nella Lola
Awesome. Am I still getting the book from you tomorrow? ~ Hasani K
I shook my head as if he could see me through our chat. Tomorrow was too soon for me to see him again, what with the embarrassment I still felt from what I'd done the night before. Plus, I was pretty sure if he was an honest guy, he'd eventually admit that I have good taste in romance novels and would therefore let me win the bet. I was no longer sure if I actually wanted to win the bet.
I groaned again. How could I be so stupid? For someone who was hell-bent on avoiding romance unless it was fictional, kissing someone I'd only known for a few weeks wasn't a very smart move. Still, after he'd promised never to mention the kiss again, he'd done a good job of helping me keep my mind off it. He was truly moving on like that little moment last night didn't happen, so I couldn't be rude and just block him like I wanted to.
