When Love Dies | 1 ✔

Chapter 11

Ana and I didn't get the chance to talk until after dinner, when we had showered and were in her room.

"Cassie, you sly vixen, one minute I left you to talk to someone, the next you went out of the party with him." I knew she was only teasing so I laughed hard.

"I thought you were preoccupied with someone else. Jason said you were dancing with a guy." I replied after I got tired of laughing.

"Jason huh? So that's his name? Girl, you are so smitten!" She touched my nose with the tip of her fingers to emphasize her point.

"You would never believe what I'm about to tell you. It's Jason, Gemma's son. The one who came to play with us when we were kids." I didn't counter what she said about being smitten because I am, actually.

"Holy smokes! Jason, the one who left and broke your heart?" She really was shocked as I was when I found out.

"He didn't break my heart Ana. He just left." Really? How did she know anyway?

"Cassie, I know you more than you think. When Jason left, I heard you cry at night and in the morning, before going to school and when you came back home,  you'd ask Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Matt about him everyday. I could see you really liked him and still do. The good news is, I knew he liked you as well."

"You knew? But how?" I asked. I always thought she was oblivious to it all. As a child, Ana never played with him so much. She was always into cartoons whenever he was around.

"Are you kidding me? That guy liked you so much as a kid. He never played with me and I wasn't bothered at all, as long as I had my cartoons, I was okay being alone. But you should have seen the way he looked at you all the time. It was irritating and repulsive to me and I used to tease him a lot about it. One day, while you were asleep on the sofa in the living room, Jason and I were watching Tom and Jerry. Then I said to him, 'Cassie is going to grow up and get married to a Prince', I was expecting him to stamp his feet and act grumpily like every typical child, but he surprised me by being calm, he just looked at you so adorably and whispered so I wouldn't hear, but trust me, the nosy girl, I heard it. He said, 'Yes, she will and that would be me because I'm her Prince,'  I respected him from that day on."

Woah! Someone pinch me because I don't think I heard correctly. My mind was probably playing tricks on me. Jason said that? Am I the only one with a palpitating heart right now?

"Don't look stunned Cassie, I'm telling the truth. Now tell me what happened with you both at the party. Don't forget to add the juicy parts as well." Did she smirk? Hard to tell.

I narrated everything to her, from the beginning when he came to talk to me, to when he dropped me off at the door. She oohed and Ahed when necessary like she was listening to a bed time fairytale.

"I'm so happy for you two. I always had a feeling that whenever we talked about relationships and how you should try to open up your heart to someone, when your mind went into space, you were thinking about Jason, weren't you?"

It just surprised me how well Ana knew me. I just nodded, still short of words.

"I wish to fall in love like you both." She sounded dreamy and I had an inkling she was hiding something from me.

"So what happened to you at the party. Jason mentioned you dancing with someone. Who was it? Don't forget to add the juicy parts as well." I threw her words back at her.

But she didn't reply, instead she sighed and I knew she was daydreaming.

"Someone has a crush and she's frightened about it." I held her cheeks and this time, it was my turn to smirk.

"Yeah, you can say that again." She replied.

"You wanna talk about it?" I asked. I wanted in on whatever problem she had but I wanted her to tell me on her own free will.

"There's nothing much to tell. It's just that after I danced with Mark, I got exhausted and needed a drink. After getting a drink, a girl accidentally pushed me and I stumbled, spilling all my drinks but before I could fall, someone held me from behind. I mumbled a thank you and turned to see who it was. Believe me, he was the most handsome man I'd ever seen. Words got stuck in my throat and when he asked me if I was alright, I just kept staring at him like a creep. He left much later, since I wasn't responding. I thought he was gone but he returned with his jacket and placed it on me, stating that I was cold and shivering. He asked me to take a walk with him and I agreed. We talked for hours and Cassie, that was my best conversation with any man. He just graduated from UCLA and came to the party with some of his friends in NYU. We exchanged numbers and we've been texting each other ever since. I know it's too soon, but I really like him."

When she ended her speech, I felt the strong part of her. Normally, what she just said would make anyone listening feel her weakness, but I felt her strength. To be honest, I used to think Ana wasn't capable of love. She always gave advice on love but when it came to her, she talked about just meeting someone and having fun, perhaps no strings attached. This time, I felt her walls breaking and the real her unfolding. Whoever this guy is, he deserves an award.

"Ana, love is never too soon or too late. All that matters is what you feel and what you do about it. I want you to go with the flow, see where it leads. Mind you, that doesn't mean you should rush into anything, especially what you aren't comfortable with. Just follow your heart and take your brain along with you. You'll be fine."

I rubbed her arms to offer her comfort and then she leaned on me.

"Thanks Cassie. These are the moments when I feel you're more than my cousin or best friend. I feel like you're my sister."

I felt on top of the world by her words. All the time, I felt she was closer to me in every sisterly way possible. I was so glad she felt the same.

"I love you Ana." I whispered, genuinely. She hugged me tight, offering her love as well.

"I love you too Cassie."

For the second time in two days,   I felt content.

If you're reading this right now, I want you to turn to your family, best friend or relative, anyone close by and say these three words "I love you".
You'd see how happy they'd be.

Love conquers all and the more you say it to one another, the more it changes and improves your relationship.

If you've done this, you can share what happens after, how they reacted to your words in the comments section.

Let me tell you first though:

I love you!

Osaro.