CHAPTER-3

JAKE'S POV

LATER-

 After our gym session, Alex and I headed to the gaming arcade, and let me tell you, it was a total blast! The lights, the games, the laughter....everything worked wonders in diverting my thoughts from that haunting nightmare.

 But as we strolled back home from the arcade, out of the blue, Alex hit me with a question: "tell me, is something bothering you, man?" I was taken aback for a moment, but then, like a dam bursting, I let it all spill—the nightmares that have been robbing me of sleep for what feels like ages. Every eerie detail just tumbled out.

Alex, ever the patient listener, offered some advice, suggesting I restart my meditation therapy and be cautious around strangers...I Listened to him carefully...hugged him tight....as to thank him for always being there for me.... I never say these things to him...But he is really precious to me... these nightmares i am having are from an incident which happened with me in my childhood.. Back in my room, the evening wind whispered it's lullabies through the slightly ajar window as I prepared for my bed, My gaze drifted, landing upon the glasses which were adorning my nightstand, they sent butterflies to my stomach making me forget all about those nightmares...A smile crept on my face as I thought of her.

In the midst of a whirlwind week packed with basketball practices and a heap of responsibilities,she still lingered in my thoughts.

As the tournament approached my plans of getting to know her and much more were getting delayed. Another reason for it was they're classes getting canceled because of some mishap which took place in they're building due to which I was not even able to see much of her.

LILY'S POV

This week was a rollercoaster of surprises! Ohhh myyy goddd!!!

Can you imagine our classes getting canceled out of the blue? Apparently, there was some mouse situation in the Literature building, and it led to a whole shutdown for a week. Ava and I took this unexpected downtime as an opportunity to shift into our brand-new apartment. From packing to unpacking, arranging things, and adding those little touches to make it feel like home, it's been a whirlwind of a week!

And, finally now we're lounging on our couch, catching our breath.

 Picture this: a cozy three-bedroom apartment, a stone's throw away from our university. It's so convenient! But let me tell you, it's not been all smooth sailing. Moving to a new place is no joke, and in between all the boxes and chaos, there were moments of stress, laughter, and maybe a bit of frustration.

But you know what? Despite the exhaustion, i have this strange sense of excitement bubbling inside me. I feel like maybe it's the feeling of a new beginning or the satisfaction of setting up our own space. Sitting here now, with Ava beside me, it's like a little slice of accomplishment...

Lost in thoughts about the week's happenings, Ava's sudden excited shriek gets me back to reality. She wasn't scared; she was elated about something. Finally she had gotten two passes to the men's basketball tournament as it was taking place at Franklin's auditorium court. We had to get the passes , after that we each spent sometime scrolling through are phones , i was checking on the new updates and sales of my fav series when Ava practically just shoved her phone right into my face as i moved it a lil back and took a glance at it I realized she was looking at Jake's story it was from today's practice match and damnn he looked like a demi god , He was every bit of what i would love to have in my boyfriend , tall, commanding figure standing at 6'3", a smile that could charm anyone, and eyes that sparkled with a captivating allure.

As I looked at the story and my gaze met his , time seemed to stand still. I seriously don't know why but my heart skipped a beat,my breathing went heavy and a rush of emotions flooded me.

The picture he uploaded was a sizzling inferno, it was justt too hotttt...as if the flames were dancing with an irresistible allure that was drawing me in like a moth to a flame. The sight of his front , bare and vulnerable, were sending shivers down my spine.

 As i was busy staring at the picture a sudden click of camera brought me back,AVA this bishhh she snapped a picture of me while i was looking at his story, she got up in a hurry and spoke "ooooooo my myy someone's droooling over that picture" as she started to make a run and i chased behind her....she being an athletic student and me being a person with zero energy I got tired easily as i raised my hands to surrender and she stopped, I was coated in sweat and breathing heavily while she was standing on the 1st foor laughing like hyena....THIS BITCH i cursed under my breath to which She snapped a finger at my head which stinggg "AAhouchh" "why would you do that ?" i spoke moving towards her ..she replied that i should start doing some exercises as my physical health was not at all good and how i was not even able to chase her around for 2 minutes..and blah! blah ! blah!!.....she spoke as i started mimicking her and scrolling through my phone...after she finished she told me that we will be having a girl's night today which means...... A lot of night skin care... A lot of funnnn......anddd.......smuttyyyy moviesssss withhhh lotsss offf junkkk foooooddddddddddd.....I looked at her with such doe eyes.....i just lept forward and took her into a bear hug....Aaahhhhhh........i was so happy , when she finished talking i suggested that we should bake a pizza at home… to which she said "YES"

We are gonna have so much fun..applying face masks, watching netflix ,baking pizza ,having wine, gossiping and what not i was very excited.

The next morning

Oh my god we had so much fun last night… i spoke as i woke up and was met with an instant headache, i held my head in my hands..my head was spinning really bad i guess that's due too too much wine we had ...aaahhh oh god it does hurt really bad …. this headache is too strong i might stay away from drinks from now onwards.....I looked up and found Ava holding a glass of raw mixed eggs..handing it over to me"drink it up in one sip or else you'll throw up" was all she said....i took the glass from her and drank the slimy mixture in one go...Ewwww that was nasty….after that she told me that she had filled the bath tub with warm water already and asked me to go and take a bath so that i would feel refreshed…after i took a bath we had our meals which she had already ordered and looked at the pictures from last night of us applying face masks … baking a pizza, and watching netflix... 

While we were busy scrolling through the picture I received a reminder on my phone that Ethans flight will land today at 6 pm…oh god i had totally forgotten it in yesterday's excitement..now I would have to think of a way to take Ava there and surprise her with it.