Is this destiny?

~ Texas, the White Rock Lake ~

About three hours earlier, in the villa owned by Sarah and Aiden...

Most of the kids left the dining room after lunch, either to finish the scavenger hunt or to engage in some activities in the garden or in the playroom. They have free time until late in the afternoon, and they plan to head home to Los Angeles after 6 PM. With the time difference, they will be at the Cliffside Villa by dinnertime.

Ade is one of the kids who are still in the dining room.

"Are you alright?", Jamari asked Ade when few kids who were sitting nearby left.

Ade looked at Jamari suspiciously. "What makes you think that I am not alright?"

"Uhm… for one, you didn't say a word during the whole lunch, and second, you barely touched your food."

Ade exhaled. He knows that Jamari is right. Ade was so flustered by what Hande said and did before lunch that he mostly spaced out.

More than once, Ade's eyes wandered in Hande's direction and he saw that she is eating and chatting with Merve and Masika. It seems that she was in a good mood.

Is it possible that she kissed him casually? She called it out as her first kiss and that means that she gave him her first kiss. That is a big deal! And she said that he is amazing. Was she joking? He is not sure what to think of that. She ran away before he could ask for an explanation, but even if she stayed for a full hour, he would not be able to find words because it appears that Hande's first kiss rendered him mute.

"I have things on my mind.", Ade said after some time.

"I can see that, and that is why I asked if you are alright."

Ade looked at Jamari and he can see that Jamari is concerned about him. Ade is not sure how to talk about this because he does not want to make Hande look bad, but he and Jamari are best friends, and Jamari has experience with girls and related stuff. It's not that Jamari made any progress with Imani (other than holding hands during the test of courage), but he is chasing after Imani for more than half a year, and that must count for something.

Ade licked his lips nervously before asking: "What does it mean when a girl says that you are amazing?"

Jamari shrugged. "It depends on the context. Did you do something great or did she just come and say that you are amazing for no particular reason?"

"What is the difference?"

"Maybe she is teasing you, or maybe she really means it. Tell me, how it happened…", Jamari urged Ade.

Jamari knows that Ade would not ask this without a reason, and that means that a girl approached him and said that he is awesome! Jamari's gossipy side was turned on and he wanted to hear the details.

Ade took two deep breaths. "We found the figurine and ended the scavenger hunt and then she thanked me for saving her from the lake and for playing games with her and… she said that I'm amazing."

Jamari understood that the girl in question is Hande. He thought for a second before responding. "You saved Hande from the lake, and that was awesome." Jamari showed a thumbs up.

"You don't think there is something else?"

Jamari wondered, why is Ade not happy that Hande called him amazing? He saved her and she gave him solid praise. Unless... Ade wanted something else. Jamari was confident that he is onto something. "What else can it be?"

Ade wanted to say that Hande kissed him, but somehow he could not make those words come out of his mouth.

Ah, this is embarrassing. Hande kissed him! It's not that he has any thoughts of kissing Hande, but if there is a situation where kissing needs to happen, as a man, he should kiss Hande and not the other way around.

Jamari observed Ade carefully. "Are you blushing?"

Ade swiftly put his palms over his cheeks. Sure thing, they are hot, but he will not admit that. "What?"

Jamari grinned. "It seems that your time has come."

"What time?"

Jamari waved his hand as if that is not important. "Listen. If you like her, just go for it. She already thinks that you are amazing."

Ade blinked. 'Just go for it? What does that even mean?'

Ade was frustrated. On top of Hande getting him completely muddleheaded, now Jamari does not make any sense, and there is one more thing… "What makes you think that I like her?"

"Because you are blushing, and you are spacing out while thinking about her, and you are overthinking her words. If she is not important, you would not care what she thinks about you." Jamari saw that Ade is confused, and he decided to clarify. "If Sarah tells you that you are great, would you think about if it has a different meaning?"

Ade's eyes darted aimlessly a few times before he shook his head. "No."

Jamari had an 'I told you so' expression and continued probing: "And what if the person who compliments you is Nala or Masika?"

"No.", Ade admitted.

"There you have it. You care about Hande's opinion. And that means that you care about her.", Jamari leaned closer and said in a half-whisper: "You were bitten by the love bug, my brother."

Jamari stood up and patted Ade's shoulder. "You are welcome."

Ade watched Jamari walk away and his mind was a mess. 'Bitten by the love bug?'

He reached to touch his cheek again. The feeling of Hande's kiss was gone and he was not sure how he feels about it. But he clearly remembers Hande's red face before she dashed down the hallway after kissing him and her expression was… cute.

The images of Hande's face and her smile were replaying in his head; and the sound of her laughter and her saying how amazing he is, rang in his ears; and other than that, he was unable to think about anything else.

Ade froze and panic swelled inside him. 'Is it possible that my brain turned into mush?'

…

While Ade was facing an existential crisis, Hande was in a good mood.

Speaking her mind like that was nerve-wracking, but now she feels like a big burden is gone from her chest.

She thanked Ade for everything, told him that he is amazing, and even had enough courage to kiss his cheek! Oh, gosh!

Hande realized that because she concealed her admiration for Ade, she would be timid, and it was suffocating. Now she told him what is on her mind and the mental freedom is exhilarating.

A big bonus is that her fist kiss is not with a fork but it's with Ade's cheek. One day, when she talks about first experiences, she will proudly say that her first kiss was with a boy and his name is Ade. She will omit the part that it was only his cheek, those are the details.

'It's great to boldly say what is on my mind. I will do that more often.', Hande thought.

Hande had an enjoyable lunch while chatting with Merve and Masika and then the three of them went to the playroom. Masika promised to teach Merve and Hande how to bowl. Exciting!

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