Chapter {6} Antonio

She walked in the whole room seemed to come to a standstill. Her hair was in a beautifully styled donut, well that's what I think the hair is called, her dark curls were dangling from either side of her face, she wore a long sleeved woolen bodycon, which expressed modesty with a touch of fashion and made sense for the semi-sunny day, the dress made me take a second glance at her hourglass shape which it undeniably showcased.

She seemed unaware of the attention she was drawing from gawking boys and jealous girls but I'm sure she loved the attention but wanted to seem all innocent in front of everyone.

Mark, my IT technician and the exceptionally intellectual of all of us, did some digging after I asked him to do so because not even a single bone in my body trusted this girl, she could've been an undercover cop just waiting for a slip up for all I care and that would cost me and the mafia a lot.

So, the digging gave me peace of mind and some knowledge on the new girl. There were twenty pages filled with all her information from, her name, parents, country of origin, relationship status, all her friends, her favourite colour and the list went on...

Looking at Destiny as she edged closer to our table I saw a different light, she was perfect for my stepmom, the exact opposite of what she wanted. Which was perfect for my ploy, if I could get her to be my girlfriend then my stepmom would always be boiling in anger while I got satisfaction from her misery.

Finally, she got to our table, toke off her backpack and elegantly sat down and looked at me as if she was contemplating whether to ask me something.

"How do you know my name?" This must really bothered her but I mean who wouldn't?

Let's have a little fun,

"Hello to you too, amore mia," I smirked as I saw honey brown eyes swarming with confusion before they returned to their soft look.

"Uhm, hello?" It came out more like a question.

"How is this beautiful day been treating you so far?" Playfulness could be detected from my tone a mile away.

"Not very good as for one I do not know you but you know my name." For the first time Destiny rolled her eyes.

"Amore, do not roll your eyes at me." Rolling eyes is something I hate with my every being, closely followed by lying and betrayal.

"Sorry," She muttered, that was a suprise. I had atleast expected a sassy remark.

"It's fine, let's be friends okay?" I smiled as I saw a blush cover her brown cheeks.

"I do not know you," Destiny furrowed her brows.

"Oh, that's the problem? Well, I am Antonio but you can can call me Nio. Is that all you wanted to know?" I flashed her a dashing smile that would make a girl melt as I deliberately left out my infamous last name.

Samantha then walked into the class, prancing with her sky high heels, greeting all the boys and girls not noticing us, I turned my head and smiled at Destiny as from my side eye as I watched Samantha's smile quickly evaporate.

D.E.S.T.I.N.Y

Nio and I walked side to side, getting to know each other. He was proving my assumptions wrong and seemed like a great guy who could make a great friend.

"See you tomorrow?" He asked with a breathtaking smile, not that we were not going to see each other tomorrow.

"Of course, have a wonderful day." I said with a smile.

"Can I get a hug?" He asked, now he was pushing the limits. We did not know each other much.

"No."

"Pretty please." He pouted his lips and gave me puppy eyes, which made my resolve dissolve pretty quickly. Who could say no to that?

"...Okay," I sighed.

I was pulled into a warm hug and evolved into warm, electrifying arms that made tingles fly all over my body in what I would call the best hug I had ever had in my life and the butterflies in my stomach made the hug even more enchanting. I felt like kissing him as well, the pull I felt towards him was that strong.

I knew that hugging someone of the opposite gender who was not family with evil thoughts was a sin in my belief as 1 Corinthians 7:1-2 said;

1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

A small voice in my heart said,

Don't allow yourself to fall, my daughter.

And that was enough for me to pull away from the hug and be filled with immense regret for the sin I had just commited.

"Uhm... I will see you tomorrow." I mindlessly said and didn't wait for his reply as my legs moved on their own accord looking for an escape from the dangerous situation. My thoughts were all over the place, what if we were together alone in a room what would have happened?

"DESTINY!" I turned around at the sound of my name from my best friend who was jogging thorough the corridors over to me.

"I've been calling for a long time. Couldn't you hear me?" She panted for air.

"Sorry."

"Darling, are you fine?" I could hear the worry in her voice.

"N-not really." I felt like bursting into tears because of the disgraceful temptation I had almost fell into.

"Let's go somewhere more secluded, okay?" She said as she put her hand on my lower back and guided me toward the entryway of the lobby, which was usually quiet and isolated as I wordlessly nodded.

A few minutes later we were sitting on green manicured lawns overlooking the boisterous city under a shady tree. Hedges shaped into different animals lined along the 'park' and only a handful of people and couples also sat there for some tranquility.

"Spill it, what is bothering you?" Thato gave me her full attention.

"I... I did something that was really bad." I said, avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment.

"What is this thing that you of all people could have possibly done?"

I gave no response.

"Destiny." When she says my name I know that she is serious and wants nothing but the truth.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, "I- I hugged Nio and eventually I had evil thoughts until the Holy spirit condemned me."

"That's all? And who is Nio?" She furrowed her brows.

"Nio is my Business Management classmate." And friend, I wanted to add but we weren't exactly friends.

"And you hugged him?" I could not hear judgement in her voice, just suprise.

"...Yeah he just was just so persistent when I said no."

"Okay, I get that you did something that was deemed bad as the Holy spirit actually spoke to you but what matters is that you didn't give into temptation. You listened to the voice of God and I know that you must feel like you commited the biggest sin in your life but," She smiled. " Surprisingly yesternight I read a verse about forgiveness, First John chapter one verse nine says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I know that you are truly repentant so God will forgive you, not only that but he will cleanse you and give you peace.

By the time she was finish

ed speaking tears were streaming down my face, I knew that God forgave all sins, he was a loving father but sometimes it felt great to be reminded of his loving and forgiving nature.

Lord, please forgive me for the sin I commited today.

Thato pulled me into a comforting hug and whispered, "Sometimes you have to stand your ground because people will take advantage of your kindness."

We pulled away and I wiped away my tears as I felt peace engulf me like a blanket.

"When did you become so wise?" My voice came out hoarse.

"When I decided to give my life to God and read the Bible," She grinned, her eyes twinkling.

"Hey, remember the waiter from Mario's Pizzeria? " She changed the subject.

"Yeah?"

"He is in my Food Science class. I thought I would be alone but we quickly became friends," She excitedly said and just like that my mind and heart departed from the situation in the corridor as we conversed until we had class.

****

" -Father, God Almighty, I bow before your throne as I ask for forgiveness for all of the sins I have commited- knowing and unknowingly. You know my thoughts and heart, and you know what I did today, please forgive me and be make me to be Christ-like as I can never be perfect. I need you Lord for I am only clay, which can be crushed at any moment, I need your guidance, protection and love. Thank you Lord, thank you. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen."

I opened my eyes as a tear rolled down, I had been praising him for hours that now my throat felt painfull but my soul felt rejuvenated.

After switching off the light, I climbed into bed and my thoughts were clearer as I realised that my prayer had been answered and I now knew that my mysterious classmate was Antonio and Sienna's granny was doing much better.

God really does want us to have peace.

With a smile on my face, I fell into a blissful slumber.

_______

Amore Mio- My love

Amore- Love