Elena and Julian — Part 3
The holidays were finally over.
It was the first day back at school, and Julian arrived much earlier than usual. He sat at his desk, waiting for Elena.
After all those days of wondering about her, he was finally going to see her again.
A little while later, Elena arrived.
The moment she walked into the classroom, Julian looked at her.
She looked beautiful to him.
Perhaps she looked the same as always, but the days of longing to see her had made this moment feel special.
Elena walked straight to her seat and sat beside him. After all, he was her benchmate.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Julian wanted to tell her, I missed you so much.
But he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Instead, he reached into his pocket, took out a chocolate, and quietly placed it on her desk. Then he moved his hand away, pretending it was nothing special.
Elena looked at the chocolate.
Then she looked at him.
Slowly, she picked it up and placed it inside her bag.
It was different from the last time.
She hadn’t grabbed it excitedly or opened it right away like a little kid receiving her favorite treat.
This time, she was shy.
And Julian noticed.
But he liked this version of her, too.
He smiled to himself.
The classes began, and everything seemed to return to normal.
At least, on the outside.
Inside, both of them had so much they wanted to say.
When lunchtime arrived, Elena thought about asking Julian what he had wanted to tell her that day before the holidays.
She wanted to ask him.
She really did.
But the words never came out.
Instead, Julian broke the silence.
“Did you like the chocolate I gave you on the last day of the exam?”
Elena looked at him.
“Yes,” she replied softly.
There was a brief pause.
Then Julian asked, “Did you like the flowers, too?”
Elena froze.
For a moment, she didn’t know where to look.
Her cheeks slowly grew warm.
She hesitated before finally nodding.
Julian watched her reaction, trying to hide his smile.
That little nod was enough to make him feel a little more hopeful.
Perhaps things weren’t as bad as he had imagined.
And perhaps, just perhaps, she liked him a little, too.
That evening, Elena returned home.
After finishing her usual routine, she took the chocolate out of her bag and opened it.
As she ate it, she found herself smiling.
She was genuinely happy.
It almost felt as though she had said yes to Julian’s confession, even though neither of them had actually spoken those words.
She wondered what would happen the next day.
Should she ask him what he had wanted to say before the holidays?
Should she tell him how she felt?
Or should she simply wait and see what happens?
Her thoughts wandered back to the flowers.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
It was a message from Julian.
Julian: I hope you ate the chocolate and liked it. 😊
Elena smiled at her phone.
Elena: Yes, I did.
A few moments later, another message appeared.
Julian: Whatever I ask you, will you say “YES” only?
Elena stared at the message.
She understood what he meant.
He was talking about the question he had wanted to ask her before the holidays.
Her cheeks turned pink.
She could almost imagine him sitting somewhere, waiting eagerly for her answer.
She didn’t want to give him the chance to ask that question just yet.
So she typed a reply.
Elena: NO.
She sent the message and stared at the screen, wondering how he would react.
For a moment, she felt a little mischievous.
Then she smiled to herself.
Perhaps she wasn’t as innocent as Julian thought.
After putting her phone aside, Elena remembered Clara’s dramatic imitation of Julian.
“Will you be my girlfriend, my dear sunshine? I fell for your eyes!”
Elena covered her face with her hands.
“Oh, Clara!”
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She laughed softly to herself.
But soon, her smile faded into a thoughtful expression.
What if she hadn’t run away that day?
What if she had stayed in the classroom and listened to what Julian wanted to say?
What if she had accepted the flowers without panicking?
Perhaps everything would have been different.
She wondered what that moment might have been like.
She might have heard his confession.
She might have told him how she felt.
And perhaps they would already have been together.
For the first time, she felt a little sad that she had run away.
She might have ruined one of the most beautiful moments of her life.
Meanwhile, Julian felt a little more relaxed.
Seeing Elena at school, watching her accept the chocolate, and receiving her reply to his message had made him feel more positive.
He knew she hadn’t given him a clear answer yet.
But at least she was talking to him.
And that was enough for now.
He decided he would take things slowly and wait for the right moment.
The next morning, Julian didn’t come to school.
Elena arrived at the classroom and instinctively looked toward his seat.
He wasn’t there.
She sat down, thinking he might arrive a little later.
But the classes began, and Julian still hadn’t appeared.
He was absent that day.
Elena tried to concentrate on her lessons, but something felt different.
The seat beside her seemed strangely empty.
She hadn’t realized how much she had grown used to seeing him until he wasn’t there.
She missed him.
And that realization disappointed her more than she expected.
During the day, she asked Clara to sit beside her.
After a little while, Elena finally admitted what was on her mind.
“Clara, I missed him so much today. I wanted to see him.”
Clara turned toward her with a knowing smile.
“Elena, do you like him?”
Elena looked down at her desk.
“I think I do.”
Clara’s smile widened.
“And?”
“I want to tell him, but I don’t know how!” Elena whispered. “I don’t even know how to ask him what he wanted to tell me that day.”
She let out a small sigh.
“I know nothing. I’m such a fool.”
Clara gently nudged her shoulder.
“You’re so in love, my girl!”
“Clara! Stop it!” Elena said, her face turning red.
Clara laughed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you.”
She paused for a moment, thinking.
“Let’s wait until he comes back to school. We’ll figure something out.”
Elena looked at her hopefully.
“Really?”
“Really.”
For the first time that day, Elena smiled.
That evening, Elena took out her phone and opened Julian’s chat.
She stared at his name for a few seconds, wondering whether she should message him again.
She wanted to know why he had been absent.
She wanted to talk to him.
More than anything, she wanted to see him.
Finally, she typed a message.
Elena: Why were you absent today?
She sent it and waited.
A few minutes passed.
Then a few more.
There was no reply.
She checked her phone again, hoping to see a notification.
Nothing.
Perhaps he was busy.
Perhaps he hadn’t seen her message.
Or perhaps he simply didn’t want to reply.
The last thought made her feel a little uneasy.
She waited a little longer, but the screen remained silent.
Eventually, she put her phone aside and lay down.
Her mind was still full of questions.
She wondered when Julian would come back to school.
She wondered whether he would reply to her message.
And, more than anything, she wondered what he would say when she finally found the courage to tell him how she felt.
With those thoughts filling her mind, Elena slowly drifted off to sleep.
To be continued…..
