Chapter 7 - Hill family (3) (2/2)

”Aiden, who is that?”, JoAnna asked while peeking at Sarah's phone over her shoulder. ”Is that your new friend who does not have friends?”

Sarah thought to avoid topic but ended up getting herself deeper into trouble. ”It's really not what you are insinuating. Can we talk about something else, please?”

”So, it is him? Why is he texting you this late?” JoAnna was enjoying this and didn't want to drop the topic.

”We are just collaborating. I'm not interested in him.”, Sarah was getting desperate. This was her first time being teased in a such way, and she was very uncomfortable.

”You are not interested? Seeing how you are refusing this idea, he must be ugly and fat...”, Sophia analyzed, like she found a definite conclusion.

”Not really. He is actually good looking.” Sarah blurted.

At this point all three of her present family members just looked at Sarah with their eyebrows raised. Her sisters had smiles on their faces, like they caught onto something big and entertaining. Edward was serious, but still very curious to find out more.

Sarah realized she got herself into danger of being teased until crying, and quickly excused herself ”It seems I'm still tired from the trip, since I'm full I suddenly feel very sleepy. Have a good night”. Sarah dashed into her room. She calmed herself quickly by taking a shower. Sarah made a mental note to be more careful, and not to give any materials to her sisters to tease her in the future.

Before heading to bed, Sarah checked messages from Aiden and started responding.

[Aiden]: ”You delayed so much with responses. I thought you went to sleep for the night.”

[Sarah]: ”Dinner with family.”

[Aiden]: ”Fun?”

[Sarah]: ”For them, yes.”

[Aiden]: ”How about you?”

Sarah thought how to respond to this… Was she having fun at dinner? If he knows that they teased her because of him, how would he react? She hesitated for some time before responding.

[Sarah]: ”Yes.”

[Aiden]: ”Are you lying now?”

'Oh, he probably guessed because I delayed this much with a response.' Sarah reminded herself to respond faster, and not to get distracted.

[Sarah]: ”Half-half”

[Aiden]: ”Details, please?”

[Sarah]: ”No.”, Sarah wanted to say, 'no way', but thought that might be too revealing.

[Aiden]: ”Please?”

[Sarah]: ”Maybe, someday.”

[Aiden]: ”I will remember this.”

Sarah thought how he is interesting. What kind of a chat is this, anyway? She just needs to chat about the document. 'What's with these personal topics? And why can't I stop smiling?' Sarah patted herself on the cheeks lightly.

[Sarah]: ”Good night, Aiden.”

[Aiden]: ”Good night, Sarah.”

Next few days passed quickly. Sarah enjoyed time with her family, and when they were busy, she would relax. Her favorite entertainment was playing ”Age of Legends” on her PC. ”Age of Legends” is a multiplayer online game. Sara is a skillful player, and many wanted to join her party whenever she came online. This is a realm where she has many who want to be her friends. In a way, it filled up a void she felt in her heart due to lack of friends in her real life. But then she thought how all those players want to be with her just because she is a strong player, so they can benefit by being in a party with her. 'How is that different from reality?'

Several times a day she would chat with Aiden. First few message exchanges were about the project, but then the chat drifted to other topics. Sarah didn't want to admit that she really looked forward to these chat sessions. Whenever they ended, she would read it few times, looking for some hidden meaning and wishing that the chat lasted longer.

Before she realized, it was Sunday and she was packing to go back to University. New semester starts tomorrow, and she looks forward to being back on campus with a hope to meet those dark eyes.