Jump In The Water (Christian Romance)

Chapter 7: His Pride

11 HOURS BEFORE THE PARTY

James 4:6 "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"

Sandro's perspective:

I've been sitting outside of Jasmine's apartment complex for thirty minutes now. I would be lying if I said I wasn't overcome with anxiety. I'm not some creepy stalker, but I really like this girl and she's been ignoring me for three days! I just want to let her know that I'm serious about pursuing her and prove to her that I'm a good man. I'm worth her time. So, I got out of my car and walked into the building, immediately being met by a kind female receptionist. 

"Hello! How can I help you today?" she said to me in a squeaky voice, smiling brightly. 

"Oh..." I said, clasping my hands together in front of my torso. "I'm here for Jasmine. I spoke to her a few days ago and we had made plans, so, I'm just here to pick her up," I explained. Technically it wasn't a lie... We did make plans... sort of. The woman made an unreadable expression that said "Can I trust you?" and "He seems trustworthy," so, finally she checked her watch. "Well, Ms. Peterson is usually awake and on her way out around this time. I'll buzz you up," she said in her perky tone. 

I grinned and nodded thankfully to her. "Thank you so much, ma'am! What's your name?" I inquired. 

The young woman's cheeks seemed to flush a bit and she responded saying her name was "Carsen." These women these days are so easy... "It was nice to meet you, Carsen," I said before going to the elevator and following the same directions I did three days ago to her apartment. Soon, I was standing at her door, brushing my hand through my hair and checking if my breath smelled good. "Okay," I whispered to myself and raised my hand to knock when her door swung open at that moment. 

"Sandro-!" she squealed. 

I stepped back a few steps, a bit shocked myself. "Oh- Hi, Jasmine," I responded nervously. I didn't like being caught off guard... "Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you..." I explained, but she looked at me with a bit of an awkward smile. This was not how I wanted things to go. This was not supposed to happen like this. I could feel myself getting agitated. 

"Haha... well, I am on my way to an important meeting right now," she replied. 

So, did she have any intention of reaching out to me? I thought to myself. Selfish. 

"Okay, I understand. I'm sorry, you just-" took my kindness for granted? Is what I wanted to say, but I decided against that. "You never called," I finished. 

She looked at me like some weirdo. Like some creepy geek who never had a female. "I'm sorry, I've just been a bit busy, Sandro," she said in a tone that made me sound like a child. I stopped listening to what she was saying as she shut the door behind her. I stuck my fists into my pockets and looked at the ceiling to cool off. Play it cool, Sandro. Play it cool. Finally, she whipped around to face me. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude, or to leave you hanging by not calling you..." she apologized. 

I actually appreciated her apology. It was much deserved, but I needed more than that. Jasmine appeared to have a lot of thoughts going through her mind before she spoke again. "I still have some time before my meeting. How about we grab some coffee from that cafe downstairs?" I stared at her for sincerity. She could be doing this out of pure pity... that made me feel a bit hurt, but I decided to trust her. "Thank you, Jasmine," I smiled.

I stepped aside to allow her to walk beside me and we began walking. I apologized again for showing up at her door so suddenly so that she could know I was sorry. 

"It's okay, I forgave you. I'm sorry, too, for being rude to you. I was just having a rough morning," she explained. That peaked my interest. I'll ask her about that later when she's calmer. 

Soon enough, we were walking through the door of the cafe. It was nice. Jasmine seemed caught up looking around, maybe a little too caught up. Her expression seemed sad. "Jasmine...?" I said, tapping her shoulder. Her eyes flickered to mine with a glint of disappointment. "It's pretty in here, isn't it?" She said, looking to her right and mumbling something I didn't really care to ask about. Something's bothering her. I grabbed her hand and took her to the front counter. I'll get on her good side today. 

The man at the front counter seemed busy with something before we walked up. He glanced up at us, his eyes focusing on Jasmine for a moment. Here we go... I rolled my eyes internally. "Good morning, how are you two doing today?" He asked. I wasn't really paying him any mind, just looking at the menu. "It's a good morning indeed. How're you doing, man?" I said to break the ice, eyeing the cakes displayed on the counter. I noticed Jasmine slipped her hand from mine...

"I'm doing well. Another day to praise God," he said. This caused me to glance at him. "Amen!" Jasmine responded all happy. Is God all that makes her happy?  "Yeah, praise God," I scoffed. Who is this dude anyway?  "Anyways, what do you wanna get Jasmine?" Her and the man seemed to have a common thought going through their heads as they glanced at each other in slight shock. Do they not think I noticed that? How about they go on a date, then?

After she and I were seated by ourselves, Jasmine asked me the question I know was plaguing her mind, but these Christian women ask this question every time and still fall. "So, Sandro, are you religious?" I hung my head and chuckled to myself. I knew it. "Hmmm, I wouldn't say I'm religious, but I do love God," I responded. "But who exactly is God to you?" she asked, trying to pry about it. Is she serious? "The only God there is, Jasmine..." I said, but something in her seemed resistant still. This is pissing me off...