Conflict between heart and mind

My family and I went to a restaurant for dinner. While we waited for the food to arrive, my mom suddenly asked,

“You like that boy, right, Arbu?”

(Arbu—that’s the nickname my parents have called me since childhood.)

Timidly, I replied, “No, Mom. He’s just a friend. I only talked to him for the first time today.”

But she raised an eyebrow. “Arbu, you’re lying.”

She leaned in with a knowing look. “Ever since you were a child, you’ve never been good at lying. You always touch your ear when you’re not telling the truth—and I saw you do it when your dad asked about him.”

I knew my mom too well—she wouldn’t stop asking until she got a satisfactory answer. But the truth was, I wasn’t sure about what I was feeling yet. So, to dodge the conversation, I quickly changed the topic.

“Mom, what’s going on back in the village? I miss home a lot.”

Thankfully, she switched gears and started talking about recent happenings in our village. We chatted for a while—her stories were comforting and familiar.

After some time, Dad interrupted.

“Arbu, yesterday you mentioned that you were starting a job, and that your workplace is a bit far from your university. Is that true?”

“Yes, Dad,” I said. “I’m going to work as an intern in the Human Resources department at Goodwill Corporation. After a few months, they’ll decide whether to offer me a permanent position.”

“If the commute becomes difficult,” he said, “why don’t you rent a place somewhere between the office and your university?”

“It’s okay, Dad. I’ll manage,” I replied. “But if it becomes too much, I’ll let you know.”

After dinner, they told me they had a night bus to catch. I dropped them off at the station, hugged them goodbye, and headed back to the university.

To my surprise, Eric and James were standing in front of the girls’ hostel.

At first, I thought they were probably waiting for someone and figured it wouldn’t be polite to interrupt. But my stupid curiosity wouldn’t leave me alone—especially because Eric was there.

Before I could stop myself, I found my feet moving in their direction.

As I got closer, I saw Lucy standing with them. Just as I reached, Lucy exclaimed,

“Thank God you’re back, Daisy! I don’t know how much longer we were going to wait for you.”

“Wait for me?” I asked, confused. “Is there something you guys wanted to talk to me about?”

“It’s Eric,” she said. “I don’t know what exactly he wanted to say to you. I told him I could pass along the message, but he said he wanted to talk to you himself.”

Eric then stepped forward and asked if we could talk in private. I followed him a few steps away.

He looked slightly nervous but composed.

“If it’s okay with you,” he said, “I’d like to add you on social media. And… maybe we could exchange phone numbers too?”

“You were waiting just to ask me this?” I asked, a little surprised.

He nodded. “Yeah. I thought if I just sent a request, you might ignore it. And for your phone number… well, I could’ve asked Lucy, but that didn’t feel right. So I wanted to ask you directly.”

We exchanged numbers, wished each other good night, and went our separate ways.

As I walked back to my room, I felt a strange mix of emotions.

I was touched by how respectful he had been—asking for my consent before taking even a small step forward. That gesture made something stir deeper in my heart. It made the feelings I had for him grow stronger, more real.

But at the same time, a part of me felt unsettled.

Why would he wait so long just to ask that?

Is it something more… or is he just playing some dare game?

What if it’s not serious?

Questions swirled in my head, pulling me in opposite directions.

With an uneasy mind and a happy heart, I lay down and closed my eyes.

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