III : SHOUT OUT

I've never seen him like this, and I like it. I like how he's happy and smiley. I've never realized he has the same feelings as me.

It's like a dream that came true, but is it really true this time?

A: No, it's not true, Ally. We're just living in our imaginations in our own stories; we don't end up in those kinds of moments in real life.

"Hey, ready to go?" Cyra asked with excitement, peeping through the reading room door.

"Yeah, I think so," I replied, a smile playing on my lips as I held onto the book I was writing.

Cyra observed my sudden change in mood and asked, concern evident in her voice, "Is something wrong? You seemed unhappy just a moment ago."

I let out a sigh before responding, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I feel happier in my own book than in real life, Cyra."

Patting my shoulder reassuringly, Cyra spoke, "You know why you're happy when creating your own story? It's because you can escape reality and be the protagonist in your own world, where everything goes your way. That's why we often find solace in those fictional worlds."

I nodded, understanding her point. "But, Cyra, I'm not trying to escape reality. I just want my real life to be as fulfilling as the one I've created."

Instead of giving a direct response, Cyra pointed across the hall to a guy who was smiling and waving at us. "Instead of being stuck in our own world, why don't you venture out and see who's waiting for you in the real world?" she suggested with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Blushing, I lightly smacked her shoulder and playfully whined, "Cyra, why are you doing this?"

Laughing, Cyra shrugged innocently. "What? I didn't do anything. Oh, look, here comes the pretty boy," she teased, pushing me gently in his direction.

My heart fluttered at the sight of him approaching, and with a mix of nervousness and excitement, I took a step forward, ready to embrace this unexpected chapter in my life.

"Hi, sorry to bother you. I noticed you across the hall, and I just want to say you looked cute in that outfit. If you're free this afternoon, I would like to take you out and get to know each other. If that's okay with you, of course," He explained. "I'm Munch Kingston, by the way," He added as he kissed the back of my hand.

"I'm Ally Lee, nice to meet you, Munch," I said as I shook his hand while adding, "Sure, that's fine. Let's meet each other at the entrance of the school by 5 p.m., okay?"

"Sure, okay. Thank you, Ally. It was also nice meeting you. Bye." He seemed thrilled when I said yes, and he then left while waving at us.

Cyra squealed while shaking me and said, "Yieeee, that's my bestie right there. See, everything can come to life. You just need a little push to make it a reality."

"Stop, it's not that big of a deal, and besides, this was all just a coincidence," I said.

"What do you mean coincidence? I mean, hello, a guy literally asked you out, and you're just saying this as a coincidence. I'd say this is a big achievement," She said while locking her arms around me and squealing with excitement.

"It's like you're more excited than me, and you're not even the one whom he asked out," I added with a laugh.

"I'm excited because finally you're going out with someone, now come on, let's go for a quick trip to the mall and pick you a stunning outfit to wear," She said as she tried to drag me out of school.

I paused and said, "Are you forgetting that we have a class to attend?"

"Oh, come on. Don't ruin this moment for me, I just want you to look hot for your very first date with a real guy and not a book," Cyra complained with arms crossed.

"Wow, Cyra, you really seem excited about this! Okay, let's go for a quick trip to the mall. We can find a stunning outfit for me to wear on my first date with Munch. But we should make sure not to miss too much of our class. How about we spend a little time shopping and then head back to school? That way, we can have the best of both worlds!" I explained.

Cyra's eyes lit up at my suggestion. "Oh, Ally, you're the best! Let's make this quick and find you something amazing. We'll be the best-looking duo on campus!"

As we headed out to the mall, I couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nerves. This date was unexpected, but I was willing to give it a shot. Cyra kept buzzing with excitement, offering suggestions on what would look best on me.

"Ally, let's try that cute dress in the store window! It'll show Munch how fantastic you look," Cyra gushed as she pointed excitedly in the direction of a boutique.

I laughed and nodded, following her lead. We spent the next hour trying on different outfits, seeking the perfect combination of casual and stylish. With Cyra's help, I eventually found a chic, yet comfortable, outfit that made me feel confident.

As we made our way back to school, I couldn't help but reflect on how spontaneity had brought this unexpected opportunity into my life. It was a reminder to embrace new experiences and step out of my comfort zone.

At 5 pm, I found myself waiting at the entrance of the school, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Munch appeared, flashing a warm smile, and my nerves instantly eased.

"Hey, Ally. You look amazing," Munch complimented, a touch of excitement in his voice.

"Thank you, Munch. You're not looking too bad yourself," I replied with a shy smile.

As we began our date, my mind wandered back to Cyra's excitement and how this unexpected turn of events had unfolded. Sometimes, it takes a little push from a friend to make us realize that life can surprise us in the most wonderful ways.

As Cyra and Chris sat in their disguises, peering across the room at their friend Ally on her date, they couldn't help but comment on how well things were going.

"Their date seems to be going pretty well, don't you think?" Cyra whispered to Chris.

"Yeah, it looks like they're really hitting it off," Chris agreed. "But, do you think we should be doing this? It feels a little invasive."

Cyra sighed. "I know, but we're just looking out for our friend. She's been single for so long, and I just wanted to give her a little nudge in the right direction."

Chris nodded. "I get that, but isn't this taking it a bit too far? Pushing her into dating someone and now secretly spying on them?"

Cyra looked at Chris with a mischievous smile. "Come on, you dummy. I just want to make sure she doesn't get hurt. Even if it means I've pushed her into dating someone, at least we can keep an eye on things from here."

Chris shook his head, unable to hide his amusement. "Well, I guess it's what friends do, right? We'll just have to keep our spying mission a secret."

As they continued observing Ally and her date from their covert positions, they couldn't help but hope that their efforts would ultimately lead to a successful and happy ending for their friend.

"Hahaha, wow, your brother must really like pranking you and he really did that on your birthday too" I laughed as I took a sip on my drink.

"Yeah, haha. His the prankster in the family and he mostly does it to me" Munch said as he laughed.

"And your not mad about it?'' I asked.

"I'm not mad because why would I when I can get him back with pranks as well" He said.

"I see you do pranks as well" I said.

"Yeah, but harmless pranks and don't worry, I won't do it to you" He said reassuring me.

"That's good to hear because I usually get scared that easily and I have a heart condition that can easily get me out of breath if things go far" I was happy as I explained to him about my health.

"Oh, no. I'm so sorry to hear that. I make sure to take note of that" He said.

That's very sweet of him, I'm glad I've meet him and I'm also glad for cyra for helping me.

While we are having fun talking and laughing, all of sudden Jiyon came and starts talking to my date.

"Hey, Munch, fancy seeing you here!" Jiyon said in a bold tone, leaning in a little too close to Munch.

Munch looked startled at Jiyon's sudden appearance but managed to regain his composure. "Oh, hey Jiyon. Long time no see."

I could tell there was some tension between them, but I decided to stay out of it for now and continued sipping my drink, pretending not to notice.

Jiyon smirked, clearly enjoying the discomfort he was causing. "So, Munch, I heard you're quite the prankster. Is that true?"

Munch hesitated for a moment, clearly hesitant to reveal too much. "Well, I do enjoy a good harmless prank every now and then. Keeps life interesting, you know?"

Jiyon leaned back, crossing his arms. "Interesting, huh? Well, let me tell you, Munch, I'm not a big fan of pranks. Especially not when they involve my friends."

Munch's eyes widened slightly, and I could see the realization sinking in. "Wait, you're friends with Ally?"

Jiyon chuckled, his tone smug. "Oh, more than friends, Munch. We're actually dating."

I could feel myself getting uncomfortable as the tension escalated. It didn't seem fair for Jiyon to come and confront Munch like this on our date.

Munch took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "I had no idea. Look, Jiyon, I promise you, I would never do anything to harm Ally. Our pranks are all in good fun, harmless, remember?"

Jiyon studied Munch for a moment before smirking again. "Well, we'll see about that. Just remember, I'll be keeping an eye on you."

With that, Jiyon turned on his heel and walked away, leaving a heavy tension hanging in the air. Munch and I exchanged a glance, both unsure of what had just happened.

"I'm sorry," Munch said, genuine concern in his eyes. "I didn't know Jiyon had a problem with pranks. I hope this doesn't ruin our night."

I smiled, appreciating his understanding. "Don't worry about it. We'll just have to show him that our pranks are harmless and all in good fun."

And with that, we continued our night, determined to enjoy ourselves despite the unexpected interruption. Little did we know, this encounter was just the beginning of a series of challenges we would face together.

"What was that?!" Cyra shouted at Jiyon as she smacked him on the arms. "You and Ally aren't even dating, why would you say that"

"What? I was just looking out for our friend here, and when I found out she was going on a date, I came here as fast as I could," Jiyon explained.

Cyra smacked her head and said, "You idiot! You ruined their date. Everything was going well between them. Why are you like this?"

"Because I like Ally, okay? And I don't want her to be dating some random guy she found," he said in a low voice.

"Hold on, you like her?" Cyra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. I've had a crush on her since the beginning of the school year," he explained.

"All this time, Ally's been trying to find a guy just like the one in her book who will confess his love to her, and you're here not confessing your love to her? Come on, man," Cyra complained as she kept smacking him.

"I want to confess my love to her, but it seems like I'm already late for that," he said in a disappointed voice.

"Yeah, you're really late, not to mention you ruined her date with the guy who seems to like her," Cyra added, arms crossed.

"Ah, you guys~! I hate to burst your bubble, but they left the restaurant like an hour ago," Chris said, his tone signaling a sense of adventure.

"What!" Both Cyra and Jiyon exclaimed in shock, their voices filled with a mix of surprise and curiosity.

"Where did they go?" Cyra asked, her voice tinged with anticipation.

Chris nonchalantly shrugged and replied, "How should I know? Maybe they went to a park nearby. There are a lot of fun things to do at night."

"Yes, the park! Let's go!" Jiyon shouted, his voice brimming with excitement as he swiftly left before us.

"Should we follow-" Chris began speaking, but Cyra had already left, determination evident in her voice. She was all in.

"Okay, it seems we're following them. Again," Chris sighed, a touch of resignation in his tone, knowing that this adventure would take them to unexpected places. But he followed nonetheless, ready to embrace the thrill and excitement that lay ahead.

Conversation continuation:

"I know that we just meet, Ally. But, I want this date to be one of your most memorable moments" He said as he held my hand while adding, "So, I've prepared something for you. I would like you to wear this blindfold and hold on to me so that I can lead you the way, okay"

I nodded saying, "Oh, alright then" I then let him blindfold me while adding, "Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm sure that's why you need to hold my hand the entire time" He explained.

"Okay, I trust you on this one. Lead the way" I said.

I didn't know where were going but I'm okay to trust him.

Munch: She has no one idea that I'm going to surprise her with a lovely picnic date on the beach just across the street from here. I hope she likes it, I really like her.

As he led me forward, I could feel the excitement bubbling up inside me. I trusted him, and I knew he wanted this date to be special. The anticipation of not knowing where we were going only added to the thrill.

After a short walk, I could hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore, and I could feel the sand beneath my feet. It seemed like we had arrived at our destination.

"Okay, we're here," he whispered in my ear.

Carefully, he guided me to sit down on a soft blanket. I could sense the warmth of the sun on my skin, the cool breeze blowing through my hair. It was such a beautiful day.

"Ally, you can take off your blindfold now," he said eagerly.

As I removed the blindfold, my eyes were greeted by a breathtaking sight. A spread of delicious food lay in front of me, complete with colorful fruits, finger foods, and a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket.

"Oh, wow," I exclaimed, completely amazed. "You really went all out!"

He grinned from ear to ear, clearly pleased with my reaction.

"I wanted this day to be something you would remember," he said softly. "I wanted us to have a special moment together."

I couldn't help but feel touched by his thoughtfulness. It was clear that he had put a lot of effort into planning this surprise. I felt lucky to be here, experiencing such a magical moment.

We spent the afternoon talking, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. As we watched the waves crashing onto the shore, I could feel a connection starting to form between us. It was a moment of serenity and happiness, etched into my memory forever.

As the sun began to set, casting a golden hue over the beach, he reached over and gently took my hand in his.

"Ally, I'm so glad you trusted me today. I hope this date has been as memorable for you as it has been for me," he said, his voice filled with sincerity.

"It's been beyond anything I could have imagined," I replied, a smile spreading across my face. "Thank you for this incredible experience. I won't forget it."

And in that moment, I realized that sometimes the most memorable moments are not the grand gestures or extravagant plans, but the genuine moments of connection and thoughtfulness shared between two people. And that's exactly what this date had been – a beautiful moment shared between two people who were beginning to fall for each other.

"Before anything else, Ally," he exclaimed, excitement dancing in his eyes. "I also wanted to give this to you, if you don't mind?" With a flick of his hand, he revealed a delicate necklace adorned with a unique pendant that instantly captured my attention.

Surprised and curious, I nodded eagerly. "Sure, I don't mind," I replied, craning my neck so he could gently secure the necklace around me.

As the pendant settled against my skin, a radiant smile spread across his face. "There, you look absolutely lovely with it," he whispered, his voice full of admiration. "Promise me you'll wear it every day."

My heart swelled with happiness, and I nodded, my own smile widening. "I promise," I replied, my voice filled with sincerity. "This is such a beautiful gift. Thank you."

"You're very much welcome, Ally," he replied, his eyes sparkling with affection.

With the necklace now adorning my neck, I leaned into his comforting presence, resting my head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around me. Pulsating with joy, we both watched as the sun painted the sky in shades of gold and orange, cherishing the moment and the love that enveloped us.

Thanks for reading this far, I hoped you liked chapter III. Now, stay tuned for chapter IV.