Take Me Away novel Chapter 32

The dazzling moonlight lit up Ryan's perfect face. Surprised, Fiona asked in a low voice, "So what did you want to tell me?"

He slowly stood up and gazed at her face, his heart was beating so hard he was afraid it might jump out of his chest.

"Well, there is a post about you on our school forum, Fiona. I don't know if you've seen it yet," Ryan began tentatively watching her reaction.

"You've seen it, too?" Fiona was a little embarrassed. "I don't know who has taken those photos."

"Well, are you really dating the drillmaster?" he asked anxiously.

"No!" Fiona replied shaking her head. "We just know each other. That's all."

"Phew! Thank God!" Ryan said happily, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Is that all that you wanted to ask?" Fiona asked feeling amused at the look of relief on his face.

"No, actually there is one more thing," he said nervously. "Haven't you noticed that many people want to get to know you better?"

"Me? Why?" Fiona frowned and shook her head. "I saw the post, but I didn't notice that. Who wants to know me better?"

"A lot of people! Mostly boys," Ryan said. "They want to date you."

Fiona was very embarrassed. She stammered, "Ryan, I... Let's not talk about this. The post has been deleted. It's pointless..."

"Yes, of course!" Ryan said hurriedly. "I just found the post to be very interesting because now I understand how lucky I am."

Fiona was stumped. It was easier for her to crack a math problem than figure out Ryan.

Seeing that she was confused, he laughed and confessed, "I love you, Fiona."

His words fell softly in her ears

like a gentle breeze.

She was too stunned to react. Looking into his eyes, she felt so warm and fuzzy inside. She felt like she was floating on a cloud.

"But I'm not sure how you feel about me," he continued, running a hand through his hair. "You're an amazing girl and many boys want to be with you, myself included. I don't know if the odds are in my favor. But at the same time, I feel I'm lucky to have met you before the others. I'm confessing my feelings to you because I'm afraid that it would be too late if I waited too long."

Fiona had often received such proposals and she had refused many times.

But tonight was different. She had always wondered why Ryan treated her so well, but she had never expected him to confess his love to her. His confession had caught her off guard.

"You know, the first time I saw see you wasn't near the lake in our campus," he said sheepishly. He opened up to her slowly in an attempt to find a way into Fiona's heart. "The first time I saw you, you were standing in front of an advertisement at a bus station with a sketchpad in your hand. You took my breath away. I thought how could a girl be so beautiful and serene? I fell in love with you at first sight!"

Fiona's loud heartbeat

echoed in her ears. It was the first time he had admitted his true feelings to her.

"Ryan." Fiona didn't realize that her face was as red as an apple. After a long pause, she tried to say something but she fumbled, "I... Uh, this is..."

"I know, I know. This is all too sudden for you!" Ryan said to put her at ease. He was equally nervous. Proposing to Fiona made him realize how brave those girls, who had expressed their love to him, had been. "You don't have to answer me right away. I just want you to know that I love you."

The atmosphere changed between them. Both of them were breathing slowly and gazing at each other silently.

A long moment passed before Fiona said anything. When her heart rate returned to normal, she said, "I understand. But I..."

"Fiona, please don't refuse. At least, not so soon!" he cut in.

When he heard her say the word "but," his heart broke. "Please give me one chance. At least think about it for some days?"

Looking at the desperation on his face, Fiona kept bit back her protest and nodded.

"Great! Thank you!" Ryan was thrilled. His smile was as bright as fireworks in the night sky.

"I will try my best to win your heart, Fiona!" he said excitedly. Ryan panicked and didn't know whether he should make a move or just leave it at that. Eventually, he said hoarsely, "I will definitely convince you to be my girlfriend!"

'Girlfriend?'

Fiona blushed and lowered her head. She stared at her feet and mumbled, "I...I need to leave."

"Okay." Ryan nodded. "It's getting late. You'd better go back and get some rest."

"Bye!" Fiona nodded, turned around and rushed to her dormitory building.

Watching her disappear into her dorm, Ryan turned around and walked back to his own dormitory. He started walking faster and faster as a bubble of excitement grew in his heart making him grin from ear to ear.

He was nervous when he went to meet her, but thrilled when he returned.

The wind was whistling in his ears. He felt like a man who was chasing after a dream and had finally fulfilled a small part of it.

When Ryan and Fiona both left the scene, a slender figure emerged from the shadows near the dormitory building. She gazed at him with a crazy obsession in her watery eyes.