Chapter 50 Yes.
"Oh my God! Are you okay?" Steph asks and Chris answers by groaning, which makes her burst into laughter.
"I... I can't believe you fell," Steph begins in between laughter. "A professional like you landed on his butt. Isn't that just great?"
Chris sighs. "The tables have turned and you're to be blamed for this."
"How am I to be blamed? It's not like I pushed you," Steph retorts.
"You shocked me with your question. Or did I hear wrong?" Chris asks as he stands up.
"What did you hear?"
"It sounds crazy but I think you asked me to be your Boyfriend," Chris says skeptically.
The look she gives him makes him begin to believe he was hallucinating; he had somehow conjured up the image of her saying those words to him.
Damn, I've just made things awkward, he thinks.
So he forces himself to laugh dryly. "That was obviously not what you said."
"It's exactly what I said," Steph deadpans. Honestly, how Chris is reacting to her question is more surprising to her than her asking him out.
"Really?"
"Remembering how cocky and confident you are about your charm and the way girls can't resist it; your reaction right now is surprising me." Steph voices out.
"You're different, Hazel. You're obviously not other girls."
Steph slightly shakes her head and smiles. "So what's your answer? Christopher Hayes, will you be my boyfriend?"
Before Chris who's staring at Steph in disbelief can answer, they're interrupted.
"Stephanie?" A voice calls behind her.
She turns around to see the owner of the familiar voice and a grin appears on her face.
"Adaeze!" Steph exclaims in excitement as she hugs her.
Adaeze smiles. "I knew it was you."
"It's so nice to see you again. What are you doing here? Wait, don't answer that dumb question." Steph says.
This makes Adaeze to laugh and Steph joins her.
"You look different," Adaeze comments after her bout of laughter.
"Good different or bad different?"
"Good different," Adaeze replies.
"I can say the same about you," Steph comments. The first time they met, Adaeze's hair was in its natural kinkiness but now it's in braids and somehow, her ebony skin seems to be glowing.
Someone clears their throat when Adaeze is about to say something. The source of the sound turns out to be the guy Adaeze is here with; that Steph hadn't even noticed before.
He's wearing gold-rimmed glasses and has dirty blonde hair.
"Oh, this is Nathan. Nathan, meet Stephanie," Adaeze introduces.
"Nice to meet you, Stephanie." Nathan smiles politely.
Steph replies with a smile of her own. "You too, Nathan. And you can call me Steph."
Adaeze leans forward, closer to Steph -- as if she wants to share a secret -- and whispers, "Won't you introduce me to the handsome guy behind you?"
Steph turns to look at Chris who has been awkwardly standing there. She had almost forgotten that he was there.
"Well, Chris, this is Adaeze. Ada, this is Chris, my..." Steph doesn't know what to call him. Are they still friends? Yes, she just asked him to be her boyfriend but he hasn't answered yet.
"Boyfriend," Chris completes her introduction, noticing her struggle. "I'm Chris -- her boyfriend."
Steph stares at him with a raised brow and he nods at her.
"Boyfriend, huh? You're on a date then." Adaeze wiggles her eyebrows at Steph and she blushes.
"Yes, are you guys on a date too?" Chris asks with curiosity.
Adaeze chuckles and replies to both of them. "No, it's not like that. We're just friends."
"Yeah," Nathan agrees with a smile but Chris can see right through it.
"I'm so happy for you, Steph." Adaeze gushes. "And at the same time jealous."
"Why?" Chris is the one to ask.
"I'm a single pringle and only God knows how long I'll be single for."
"I'm sure the right guy will have the courage to tell you soon," Chris comments, his gaze on Nathan as he does.
"Whatever you say." Adaeze chuckles. "Hey, wanna hang out sometime? You could invite Brooke also. It'd be fun."
"Sure, that'd be great. I'm in."
Adaeze grins. They exchange phone numbers before Ada announces their departure.
"I'm afraid we have to go now. We were heading out when I saw you and decided to say hi."
"Oh, okay. No problem. We'll talk later. I'll text you," Steph replies.
"I'll be waiting. It was nice meeting you, Chris."
"You too, Ada."
"Bye," Adaeze cold as they begin to skate away. Steph gives Nathan a little wave and they watch them go.
"He likes her," Chris tells Steph.
She turns to face him with a raised questioning eyebrow. "How do you know?"
"He's a guy like me so I can tell," Chris replies.
"Oh, really?"
"Yes."
"They would make a really cute interracial couple." Steph gushes and Chris rolls his eyes.
Then there's this awkward silence as they both remember their conversation before the interruption.
"So..." She drawls, dragging it a little longer than necessary.
"I believe we were onto something before the interruption," Chris says in a fake British accent.
Steph begins to laugh and Chris finds himself laughing too.
"On a more serious note though, where were we?"
"Oh," Steph feels like all the confidence she had before has disappeared. "Uhm... I asked you to be my boyfriend."
"And have I answered your question?" Chris asks monotonously, trying his best to hide how excited he is.
"Yes... And no."
"Hmm. I think I'll need some time to think about it," Chris says with fake seriousness.
Steph chuckles. "To think about what?"
"You know, I need to know exactly how I'm feeling. How exactly I feel about you before giving you an answer." Chris smirks.
"Now I know you're just messing with me. I asked you if you still like me a moment ago; you said and I quote, 'Yes, very much.'"
"I can't recall saying that," Chris lies.
A scowl appears on Steph's face. "You're impossible."
Chris grins. "And you're adorable." He touches both her cheeks softly. "I can't believe I get to be your boyfriend."
"So that's a yes?"
"I already answered when Adaeze and Nathan were here. I'd be stupid not to agree. I'm honored to be offered this opportunity and I'll try my best not to let you down."
"Stop it! You're making it sound like I just offered you a job," Steph huffs.
Chris chuckles. "How did this happen though? I never would have imagined you doing it, even in a million years."
"Honestly, I didn't imagine me doing it too. When I realized I had feelings for you, I kept waiting for you to bring it up. A month later, you hadn't said anything so I became frustrated and anxious. I kept wondering if your feelings had changed; so I decided to do something about it. And here we are."
"Wow. I'm glad you took the reins."
"Yeah," Steph says absentmindedly.
Wait, since he's her boyfriend now, she's free to kiss him whenever she wants, right?
She glances at his lips and looks away before he can notice.
"Chris?"
"Yeah?"
"Close your eyes," she instructs.
He can't stop himself from grinning. "Uhhh... You have a surprise for me?"
"Just close your eyes."
Chris does and Steph stares for a moment. She starts from his eyelids that are hiding his beautiful green eyes; to his soft pink lips that she so badly wants to kiss. She has always wanted the opportunity to present itself ever since it first happened. But now that she has every right to, why's she feeling nervous?
Then, they were strangers and now they're dating but she's feeling even more nervous than she was when they kissed then. She told him to close his eyes so she can kiss him but now she's beginning to think it's a bad idea.
Before she can chicken out, Steph quickly pecks him on the lips. Chris opens his eyes, surprised, and stares at her. They stare at each other -- the way Kdrama main leads stare at each other. They both begin to lean forward with their heads tilted at an annoyingly slow pace. When their lips meet, they both feel it -- the tingles, the incredible sensation. They kiss each other slowly but passionately. When they pull apart, they're both smiling.
"I've wanted to do that for a long time," Chris confesses.
"Me too!"
They both laugh and stare at each other lovingly.
Steph takes both his hands in hers and says, "Happy Birthday, Christopher."
"You remembered." Chris points out in surprise.
"Yes. That's why I brought you here."
"Wow. This is my favorite birthday so far. You becoming my girlfriend is the best gift ever. And that kiss. Oh, and the fact that I get to spend it with you."
Steph chuckles at his excitement. "I got you a present."
"Really? You didn't have to."
"It's only been a few minutes into our relationship and I already feel like you deserve the Girlfriend of the Year award."
Steph chuckles.
"Do you want to come in?" Steph asks Chris.
"Really?" Chris' surprise is evident on his face. They're both in his car, parked on her driveway.
"Yeah, it's about time you met the whole family. Are you ready for this though?"
Chris nods. "I think I am."
Steph smiles. "Okay then, let's go." They both get out of the car and she leads the way. It's not the first time Chris is entering her house, it's just the first time he's meeting her entire family. She opens the front door and they cross the threshold into the house. Steph leads him down the little hallway into the living room
"I'm home," she yells, alerting everyone of her presence.
"You left in a hurry in the morning without breakfast because of someone's birthday. Did they also tie you down the whole day that you're just getting back when it's almost time for dinner?" Steph's mum, Karen voices from the kitchen.
Steph looks at Chris who raises an amused eyebrow. She smiles awkwardly.
Her mum appears from the kitchen, awaiting her daughter's answer. She halts her steps as she sets her eyes on Chris. She stares for a moment before speaking. And when she opens her mouth, she yells, "Honey, come to the living room."
"Why?"
"Steph brought a boy home."
"Mum..." Steph groans.
They all hear her father's footsteps almost immediately and in the twinkle of an eye, he's standing with authority beside his wife, having a no-nonsense look on his face.
"Won't you introduce this young man to us?" Her dad asks.
"Dad, mum, this is Christopher - my classmate; and Christopher, these are my parents."
Chris slightly bows. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mr and Mrs Valentine. I've heard so much about you," he smiles.
"Oh really?" Her mum asks. "I don't think I've heard anything about you before but you're welcome. Let's all sit, shall we?"
They all settle down on couches and Steph looks at Chris to see if he's uncomfortable with the way her dad's scrutinizing him but he doesn't look the least bit affected. Her mum, on the other hand, can't seem to wipe the smile off her face though. She's probably been waiting for this to happen for a while.
"So you guys are classmates, eh?" Her dad asks.
"Yeah."
"Just classmates?" Her dad probes further.
"Dad, you remember the "friend" I was always hanging out with?"
Her dad nods.
"It's him. You've finally gotten to meet him like you've always wanted. And to satisfy your curiosity, he's my boyfriend," Steph avers confidently.
Her mum squeals in excitement. "Yes, finally!"
Steph looks at Chris in embarrassment and he looks amused. And her mother hasn't even started.
"This is great news. I've been waiting for this moment for a while. I thought it'd never happen honestly."
"Mum!" Steph exclaims.
While her mum is excited, her dad isn't. He just has a blank look on his face as he studies Chris.
"So you're my daughter's boyfriend?"
"Yes, sir."
"When did this happen?"
"Some hours ago."
As her dad opens his mouth to ask more questions, her mum cuts in.
"Why don't you join us for dinner dear?"
"I'm so sorry but I can't ma'am. I need to have dinner with my family tonight because it's my birthday. Maybe another time."
"Oh sure, no problem. Happy birthday to you."
Chris smiles. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Oh, enough of that. Just call me Karen." Then she refers to Steph. "Have you heard from your brother?"
"No."
"Why isn't he back yet?"
Her dad answers, "He should be here any minute from now."
As if on cue, they all hear the front door open and Brody yells, "I'm home."
"Oh, Brody! You came just in time." Her mum coos, grinning.
Brody narrows his eyes with a suspicious look on his face as he hangs his coat on the coat rack in the hallway.
He walks into the living room to see: his grinning mum, his expressionless dad, an embarrassed Steph, and a familiar good-looking guy.
"Uhm... What's going on?" He questions. Then he focuses on Chris. "I feel like I've seen you before."
"This is Christopher Hayes, Stephanie's boyfriend," their mum announces.
"Aha! Christopher Hayes from Steph's grade. He's Stephanie's... What?" His eyes widen as the information sinks in.
"I'm Chris, her boyfriend. It's nice to finally meet you." Chris says.
"Wow, wow. This is unbelievable," Brody's shock is very evident.
"Well, don't just stand there. Come and join us," their mum instructs him.
As he makes his way to a couch, Brody remembers what Steph told him some months ago about how she had kissed Christopher during the game of Spin the Bottle.
So that was the beginning of their own love story? He wonders.
"What can I offer you, Chris?" Karen asks.
"I'm okay."
"Don't be silly," their mum rises and heads into the kitchen.
"So, you're dating my sister?"
"Yes."
"Steph, go help, Mum, in the kitchen," Brody tells her.
"But she doesn't need my help," Steph replies.
"Go," her dad says in a chiding tone. "We need to have a word with your 'boyfriend'."
Steph mouths a sorry to Chris as she leaves him in the lion's den.
After the talk with the men of the family, Chris stays a little longer and the rest of the Valentines get to know him a little better and they find out that he calls Steph Hazel.
When he's ready to leave, Steph and Brody follow him out.
"I forgot to ask how this happened. How did you ask her out?"
Chris smirks. "Actually, I didn't. Hazel took me ice skating and asked me to be her boyfriend. Very romantic, right?"
"What?" Brody stares at both of them in disbelief but Steph doesn't deny it. In fact, she's blushing.
"Who are you and what have you done to my sister?"