His Secret Admirer

CHAPTER 3

Elijah POV

What was I thinking? I shouldn’t agree to that stupid bet. Now that I was hiding behind the shelves in the library, watching at her reading in that corner. I am starting to regret this.

I had no intention of hurting Judith. To be honest, I wanted to know her more. She seemed like a nice person. Not to mention smart and funny. I felt bad for using her.

Now the big problem is. How can I make Judith Jones fall for me? I am not even half as bright as her. She’s not the type of woman who would easily fall on looks. In conclusion, I was doomed.

I raked my hair in frustration, pacing back and forth in that empty row between the bookshelves.

Screw this! I am just going to say hi to her and see her response first. Judith wouldn’t fall for me miraculously if I did nothing. I took a deep breath before I walked towards her.

She unexpectedly got up from the chair and was about to reach for the other book on the shelf. I stood behind her, my hand quickly reaching for the same book. She was startled as our hand touched.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while.” I said, smiling awkwardly at her. Damn it.

I could feel my heart beating incredibly fast. What’s wrong with me? I was right. She is beautiful. Her skin was fair and flawless. Her eyes were the brightest shades of blue that I’ve ever seen. And that’s not all.

My eyes stopped at her lips. She was saying something to me, but I couldn’t focus on what she was saying.

“Hello?.. Are you listening to me?” she waved her hand in front of my face. “Uh, yes? What did you say?” I replied dumbly. She let out a small chuckle. I just realized that she had a small dimple on her right cheek. It only appeared when she smiled.

“I say, do you want to borrow this book first?” She said, repeating her question.

I was stunned. This is the first time we spoke to each other while holding eye contact. “Oh, that’s really not necessary. You’re the one who saw it first.” I replied, scratching the back of my head. I didn’t want to read the book. I am just trying to get her attention, and it seems to be working well as planned.

“Please, I insist. I have read this book twice before.” She said, insisted. She’s cute while doing that. She thinks that she is doing me a big favor by letting me have the book. I reluctantly took it from her hands.

“Thanks... I owe you once.” I told her. Her face blushed, and she looked down to hide it from me. “I’ll see you around, Judith,” I said, giving her my most charming smile before I left. She was stoned at her place but didn’t say anything. I think this could be a great start for us. At least she noticed me now.

************

Judith POV

This must be my lucky day. Did I just hear Elijah Penn call me by my name? How crazy was that? He knows my name! I guessed I was not as invisible as I thought. It never crossed my mind a boy like him would be interested in a Sherlock Holmes novel. Now that we had something in common. I felt even more drawn to him. Maybe this is the sign from the universe. What if Elijah is my true soulmate?

That night I couldn’t sleep in my bed, thinking about our little encounter at the library. I still want to savor the moment because this might only happen once in my life. If that’s the case, then I think I am happy enough just with this little piece of memory with him.

The next morning, my alarm rang loudly to wake me up. I groaned and put them off before I continued to sleep.

Just another five more minutes. I told myself.

I was still wide awake until two am last night. I could use a few more minutes of sleep.

“Judith…Judith...Wake up!” mom nudges me to wake me up. “Don’t you have class today?” she said, sounding concerned. I sat up in bed and looked at the clock. It was ten am already.

“Mom, why didn’t you wake me up earlier? I had a test today.” I said in panic, running towards the bathroom to wash my face. I grabbed the first pair of T-shirts and jeans that I saw, then quickly put them on. I just tied my hair in a ponytail because I didn’t have time to brush it.

I scurried out of the house with a piece of bread in my mouth. “Be careful, Judith!” Mom shook her head, seeing my behavior. “I will, mom! Love you.” I said, running towards the bus stop.

After I got there, the bus had already taken off first before I could get in. I was fighting for air to breathe. My chest nearly burst because I was running all the way here.

What should I do now? I can’t afford a taxi, and I would be late if I had to wait for the next bus. I sat there at the bus stop, feeling miserable because I would miss the test today. Tears started to fill my eyes.

“Judith, is that you?” I looked up and saw Elijah on his sportbike. I could swear I saw him shining like an angel just now. “What are you doing here?” I asked him in disbelief.

“I was just passing by. Aren’t you going to school? We’re going to be late for the test.” He replied with a puzzled look. “I missed the bus,” I admitted. He then took out another helmet for me.

“Get on the bike with me.” He patted the empty space behind him. “What?” I asked him back in disbelief. Would it be okay for me to go to school with him?

“You heard me. Come, get on the bike. We’ll be late.” he ordered.

“But I don’t think it was a good idea. People would say bad things about you if they saw you with me.” I said, lowering my face. It’s true. I don’t want to hurt his reputation at school. He’s the most popular boy at school. I couldn’t stand the pressure from the other girls who were after him.

He sighed deeply before he got off the bike and walked towards me. “I don’t give a damn about what they say.” He lifted my face until our eyes met. I could see that he truly meant it.

“Now come with me. I know you’re going to ace that history test today.” He smiled at me, wiping the tears from my cheek. I finally nodded at him and smiled back.

He took my hand and led me onto his bike.