The Wrong Bride

Chapter 26

I blinked open my eyelids and the first thing I felt was a sharp pain that pierced through the sides of my temple.

I winced as I slowly lifted my head up and realized I slept in the study, on the table to be exact. I removed the pen that got stuck to my cheek and rubbed the ache away. I wiped my glasses and placed them back on the bridge of my nose to see Hannah walking in with two mugs of hot chocolate, I assumed.

"Morning." She smiled. "Looks like you did stay up all night." She placed a mug down beside me.

I streched and rubbed my eyes, squinting at the sunlight that flooded the room.

"Are you done with them? Where are they?" She looked around the desk.

I nodded and stiffled a yawn. "They're here." I pointed to stack of letters that were sitting under the pen holder.

She placed her mug down and picked up the letters, flipping through them one by one. Her eyebrows raised appraisingly. "This is really good. Damn you can write." She squinted at a particular word and her lips curled into a smile, glancing at me. "What's a Liam-a-bean?"

"Nickname. You know, like lima bean. His dad gave me that idea and now I can't stop calling him that."

She laughed. "I love it."

I picked up my mug and slowly sipped, leaning back on the chair. "You think he'd like them?"

"Oh, no doubt. You really did pour your heart out on these." She ran her eyes down the last letter before placing it behind the pile.

Then she arranged them neatly and folded them in half. "Liam and I have biology together today. I'll give them to him then."

I choked on my drink and spent a good few seconds in a coughing fit. "You're gonna give them to him today?" I blurted.

She frowned and tilted her head to a side, looking puzzled. "Yeah. Why not? It's a school day today and-"

"No its not that." I cut her off and reached forward, grabbing the letters from her hands. "I am not emotionally prepared for this yet. Let's just do it another day." I waved my hand to dismiss the idea.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed them back. "Trust me, you will never be emotionally prepared for this. We might as well do it now and get it over and done with."

"I don't know about this." I muttered.

She hopped off the desk. "It'll be fine. Now go get dressed, the school bus would be here in fifteen minutes."

"I don't want to make things awkward between us."

She sighed loudly and she placed her hands on the desk, leaning in towards me. "Look, would you rather spend your entire life wondering what his answer would be if you actually confessed or just know the answer and safe a life long mind torture?"

I shrugged. "The second one I guess."

"Exactly." She walked around the table and pulled me out of the chair by my arm. "Now get your bum out and hit the showers, we're gonna be late."

~

I spent the entire hour in history, just tapping the table with my pencil, shifting in my seat and staring at the wall clock. Ms Penny called me out twice even for looking 'pale' and 'sick'. My nerves were in a bundle and my stomach was in knots. I wouldn't be surprised if I actually had a nervous breakdown and passed out in the middle of class.

The bell finally rang and it sounded more like a judgement day call. I quickly shoved my books down my backpack and hurried out the classroom, squeezing through other students and nearly being shoved down by one. I made it out and walked towards the little exercise park in the field, to see Hannah waiting there for me.