Today, Tomorrow, Forever

Chapter 18

Love, guys, it was something incredible. If I were to spill the beans about the amount of joy that filled my days, and it had been a little while since Trez and I made it official, you might just have thought I was making it up. But I promise, it was no fairy tale—it was my reality. It had been a little while since Trez and I made it official, and let me tell you, it was like walking on air. Officially official, even though not much changed in how we behaved around each other. We still met up, we still chatted for hours, and strangely enough, it was as if everyone could tell we were officially a couple now. I'm not sure how, but the vibes were out there, and it felt fantastic.

But besides this shiny new love in my life, everything else had pretty much stayed the same. Mornings were still a bit of a drag, classes were still a thing, and the highlight of my day was still meeting up with my babe, Trez.

"Hey, are you even with us? Earth to Rissa!" Henrie called out, breaking through my daydreams. I chuckled, replying, "I'm here, promise." Maybe I'd been getting lost in my thoughts a bit more lately, but who could blame me? Life had been seriously good.

"So, are you daydreaming about him, too?" Henrie teased, and I flashed a shy smile before confessing, "Well, if you found a guy like mine, you'd have been daydreaming too." The other girls joined our conversation, but I was lost in my own little world.

Later that day, I couldn't wait to talk to Trez. "Hey, babe," I texted, and almost immediately, he replied with a cheerful, "Hii, how are you?" My heart swelled, and I replied with a grin, "I'm fineee," adding a smiling emoji for extra effect. Trez, always one to play along, wrote back, "So, there's this dude in the dorms who told me to tell you, I LOVE YOU," complete with a grinning emoji.

"Oooh, and?" I replied, keeping my grin intact. He seemed to hesitate, and I wondered if he was feeling a little shy about saying those three magical words. But finally, I decided to be brave and typed, "Well, I love you," hitting send with bated breath.

His response warmed my heart: "I love you too." It was our first "I love you" exchange, and the butterflies in my stomach did a little dance. I couldn't help but beam at my laptop screen as we continued chatting. Eventually, we made plans to meet later that night at our favorite spot. You remember that place where I gave him his Valentine's gift, right? Yep, same place. It had become special to us, our little haven.

As we arrived at our special spot, we talked and talked some more. Trez was just amazing, and every second spent with him felt like a blessing. Then, as we were about to call it a night, something unexpected happened. He looked deep into my eyes, and for a moment, I remembered how he'd once teased me about closing my eyes. But then, out of the blue, he leaned in for a kiss. My heart raced, a mix of happiness and nervousness bubbling inside me. He flashed a warm smile afterward and wordlessly opened the door for me, and we left hand in hand.

Saturday, my favorite day of the week. I kicked things off with my usual morning routine: a quick shower and off to class. Today, there was a wild party planned, and honestly, I wasn't too keen on going. But let me tell you, everyone else was thrilled, like they'd just won the lottery or something. So, my day was filled with hanging out with my friends, having a laugh or two .

The only downside to this day was that I hadn't heard from Trez the entire day, which was pretty annoying, to be honest. I couldn't help but feel a little ticked off. How could he just go radio silent on me all day long?

The evening rolled around, and since I wasn't originally planning on going to the party, I figured I'd have an early night in with my trusty pillow and blanket, maybe catch a cute movie. But then, something interesting happened. I discovered how to access the school's security cameras, which was surprisingly cool, trust me. I may or may not have done a little dance in front of those cameras.

So, there I was, heading to the dorms, ready for my cozy movie night, when I spotted Trez near the party venue.

"Hey," he greeted me, trying to lock eyes with me. "Hi," I replied, glancing at him and then at my laptop, which I had in my hands. He broke the silence, saying, "I'm sorry I was MIA all day, but please, come to the party and let me make it up to you." Despite being a little mad, I couldn't resist a dash of romance.

"Okay, but first, let me drop my bag off at the dorms, and then I'll join you," I replied. He nodded, looking rather eager. But just as I was about to turn away, someone called out to him, "Hey, Trez, they need you here. Don't worry, she won't disappear on you," they teased before he left.

Once I'd stashed my bag away, I headed to the party, grabbed a seat, and, to my surprise, Trez turned out to be the MC. It was a bit of a surprise, but I rolled with it. The party was a blast, and as it drew to a close, they decided to give the crowd a few minutes to dance. I couldn't believe it—I was actually dancing. Yep, you heard that right, Rissa was dancing!

Then, out of the blue, a girl from my class approached me and dropped a bombshell. "Trez wants to see you," she whispered, pointing somewhere behind the crowd. I followed her gesture and found Trez looking cute in his casual outfit. We made our way to a dimly lit corner to chat, and chat we did. We talked and talked and talked some more. And then, as if on cue, a flashlight beam suddenly hit us, revealing the school's discipline director. In that moment, my world came crashing down. "Both of you, right now, in my office."

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Hey loves, Chapter 18 is here for your reading pleasure! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let's dive right in and continue this journey together. Your support and feedback mean the world to me, so please feel free to share your thoughts below. Happy reading! 💕