Please revisit chapter 1 to 10.
Felicity's POV.
Monday morning arrived with an energy I hadn't felt in days. My body didn't ache anymore, my head was finally clear, and for the first time since catching the cold, I woke up feeling alive and ready for college. I got out of bed full of strength, went straight into my usual morning routine, and when I came out of the bathroom, I noticed my phone lighting up with missed calls from Mom. I quickly called her back.
"Hey Mom! I miss you so much. I want to see you. When are you coming?" I asked immediately.
"Oh honey, I miss you too! And guess what? I can't wait to see you. I've decided to visit this weekend—I'll be there on Friday," she said.
I screamed. Loudly.
"Are you serious? Oh my gosh, I love you! I can't wait to see you!"
"I love you too, darling. I miss you so much. I'll see you on Friday," Mom replied.
"Alright, Mom. I've got to get ready for class. Love you!"
"Love you too, honey. Bye."
"Love you more. Bye," I said, and the call ended.
Words couldn't describe how happy I was knowing Mom was coming. The happiness in my chest could power a whole country. I was already planning the entire weekend — sightseeing, food tasting, exploring Oxford — and of course, I'd drag Penelope and Chris along. It would be the perfect chance to show Mom around England and get to know the place better myself.
'This weekend is going to be perfect,' I said to myself as I rushed out, getting ready as fast as I could. Moments later, I was hurrying to school… late again. My second day in a row.
I rode my bike to campus, the cold morning air brushing against my cheeks as excitement about the weekend still fluttered in my chest as I spotted Noah heading into the building.
"Hey, Noah! Wait up!" I called out, smiling.
He turned at the sound of my voice, our eyes met, and something flashed across his face—panic or anger, I couldn't tell. Whatever it was, he quickly looked away and rushed inside like he was trying to avoid me.
I blinked. 'What on earth was that? Did I do something? Or maybe I'm just overthinking it.'
My heart dipped a little, confusion wrapping around my chest like a cold hand. Shaking it off, I parked my bike and walked in. By the time I got to class, everyone was already seated. I slipped in quietly and found a spot—thankfully, the lecturer hadn't arrived yet. Still, my mind was anything but quiet. Noah's reaction kept replaying in my head. Why had he looked at me like that? And why did it suddenly feel like I was stepping into a drama I wasn't prepared for?
"Hey," Chris said.
"Hey," I replied, feeling awkward as I remembered yesterday's incident—him trying to kiss me.
Chris leaned over. "Why are you late again?"
"Seriously? Are you really asking me that? I'm still recovering, remember? That's why I didn't wake up early. But forget that—Mom is coming this weekend!" I said.
"Wow, that's nice. Mommy's girl," Chris teased.
"I know, right! Wait—did you just call me mommy's girl?" I leaned forward and grabbed his shirt. "Never. I mean never call me that. Is that clear? Don't ever do it again. Do you hear me?"
Chris's eyes went wide. "Yes, ma'am."
"So, you're coming to see her too, right?" I asked.
"Well, um—I'm not…" Chris began, but Penelope cut in before he could finish.
"Hey guys!" Penelope said, sliding into the seat beside me.
"Hi Penelope!" we both said at the same time.
"Jinx!" I pointed at Chris. "You owe me a bowl of ice cream."
"What? A whole bowl??" he protested.
"Yes, of course! Don't argue. You have to. No ifs or buts," I insisted.
"Okay, focus. I came here for a reason, not to watch you two bicker," Penelope said.
She sighed. "Felicity, I'm really sorry I couldn't come yesterday. My parents barely let me leave the house except for college and piano lessons. I know you were home alone and probably needed help."
"It's okay. I had the best doctor I could ask for anyway," I said, patting Chris. "Honestly, he'd make a great doctor—though I still wonder why he chose English Lit."
"Who knows… maybe I'll switch to med school next year," Chris smirked.
"Please do. It suits you," I said.
"In your dreams," he replied, and we all laughed.
"It doesn't matter what you study, Chris," Penelope said, rolling her eyes. Then she turned to me. "I'm so sorry. Can I sit with you today, Felicity?"
"Of course! Why would you even ask that? Move, Doctor—Princess is here," I teased.
"What? I'm not a princess," Penelope laughed awkwardly.
"You are—in my eyes," I winked at her, and she giggled.
"Now I'm not moving. First, you girls don't let me talk, and now you want to steal my seat? Not happening," Chris said.
"Disappear, small person," I replied.
"Leave, boy," Penelope added.
"Okay, fine, I'm going. No need to eat me alive. But make sure to tell me the gist later, Fel. And please—don't call me 'small person' or 'small boy'. I'm a man. My name is Chris," he said, shortening my name and winking.
I rolled my eyes. "Unbelievable," I muttered under my breath.
Before we could continue teasing Chris, Mr. Bradford Morgan, our phonetics lecturer, walked in.
"Good morning, students."
"Good morning, sir," the class echoed.
"Today, I'm not going to preach much. I'm giving you a project," Mr. Morgan announced. "You will compose a spoken word poem in pairs — nature, life, love… anything you want. And your partner will be your seatmate."
"Noooo." The entire class groaned. I didn't.
"Yay, we're a pair!" I whispered to Penelope.
"Yes, we are," Penelope replied faintly.
"What's wrong?" I asked, but Mr. Morgan continued.
"It doesn't matter how much you grumble—you're not escaping this," Mr. Morgan said. "The project is due on Saturday, so use the week to work on it. You may use the school premises. Good day, and have a nice weekend."
But Penelope didn't look happy. Her smile vanished almost instantly.
"This… is a problem," she muttered.
"Why? Your parents?" I whispered, but Mr. Morgan kept talking.
The moment he stepped out of the room, Penelope shook her head.
"No, no, no. This can't happen."
"Why? Is it because of your parents?" I asked again, watching her face grow pale.
"Yes. They're very strict. They won't let me go out on weekends, and I have piano lessons on Sundays," she explained.
"Oh, come on, Penelope. It's a college project—they'll let you go."
"You don't understand," she whispered. "They barely let anyone see me. I go to school, then straight home…no detours, no visitors, nothing. That's my whole life."
"Well, that's going to change," I said firmly. "We're coming to your house tomorrow for the project. No questions. No arguments."
"But—"
"I said no questions or comments!" I repeated.
Chris came over with the same grumpy look from the first day we met.
"What's wrong now, Chris?" I asked.
"It's nothing," he replied.
"Okay," I said, turning back to Penelope. "So, we'll go tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, but focus on Chris. He's trying to say something," Penelope replied.
"You didn't care about me," Chris said, pretending to sob.
"Drama king! You said—and I quote—'It's nothing.' So I backed off," I replied.
"You should've asked again!" he said.
"Okay, okay — what's wrong?" I asked gently. "You always say 'nothing,' and then I have to play the FBI to drag the truth out of you. Just talk."
"It's both your fault. They paired me with Joshua," he complained.
"It's a good thing you did," I said with a small smile. "Penelope's parents don't even let her work in groups. I still have to convince them to let her work with me on weekends. So thanks… you really saved us, Christopher."
His face softened. "Is that true?"
"Yes, but nothing to worry about," Penelope admitted.
"If that's the case—fine. Still don't like my partner though," Chris pouted.
"It's okay. Josh isn't that bad. If you get to know him, you'll like him. He's cool," Penelope said.
"Speak for yourself, girl," Chris replied.
"Thanks, Chris," Penelope and I said together.
After class, we headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Penelope and I started working on our project while we ate. Chris joined us — and he brought his best friend, Jake.
"Hi! So nice to finally meet you. Chris never told me about you," I said.
"Nice to finally meet you too. Why didn't you tell Felicity about me?" Jake said as he took my hand and kissed it dramatically. "Chris never shuts up about you—and wow, you're even more beautiful in person."
"This is Penelope, my best friend," I introduced.
"Yes, we've met before," Jake said.
"Oh? How did you two meet?" I asked.
"Okay, time to go. Nice meeting my best friend, right?" Chris interrupted.
"Yeah, it is," I replied.
"Same here," Jake added.
"Okay, bye!" Chris said quickly as he dragged Jake away. The two of them hurried off to meet Josh.
"You're quiet. What's wrong?" I asked Penelope.
"Nothing. No need to worry," she said.
"You sure?" I asked.
"Yes," she assured me.
Moments later, while I was sketching poem ideas for our project, someone sat across from me. I looked up—it was Alex.
"Oh my gosh! You scared me. I thought it was Penelope; she went to drop off the plates," I said.
"Hello, love. I didn't mean to scare you. I came to fulfill my promise of buying you lunch," Alex said with a smirk.
"I already…" I trailed off, interrupted again.
"You already had lunch? That's okay—another rain check," Alex said, smiling.
Before I could respond, Penelope returned and sat beside me, while Alex immediately turned on the charm. It was almost painful to watch.
"Hello, beautiful young lady. I don't know your name yet," he said, offering a handshake.
"Hi, I'm Penelope. And you are?"
"Charming! I'm Alex. Why don't you teach your friend here to be as charming as you?" he joked, winking at me. I rolled my eyes while Penelope chuckled.
"So, what are you girls up to? Maybe I can help," Alex offered.
"There's no need for that. We can handle it ourselves, thanks," I replied sharply.
"Oh come on, Felicity, don't be rude. The gentleman just offered to help," Penelope said, nudging me.
"I'm not being rude—it's just that it's our project, and we want to do it ourselves. That's all," I replied calmly.
"Alright, alright. Since you don't want help with the project, I'll help by getting you girls something to drink. What would you like, Miss Penelope?" Alex asked.
"Soda will be fine," Penelope replied.
What is she doing? I wondered. It almost looked like she was flirting.
"And you, my noble lady, what can I get for you?" he turned to me.
Eww. Gross. I think I just puked in my mouth. Noble lady? Who even says that?
"I'll have the same, thank you," I answered curtly.
He winked again and walked away. I turned to Penelope immediately.
"Oh my gosh! What was that all about?" I whispered, fuming.
"What? He's cute. You should give him a chance," Penelope teased.
"What chance? He hasn't even properly spoken to me, and you're already talking about chances! Gosh, Penelope, who even are you right now? He just offered me lunch—that's it. And even if he did ask me out, I wouldn't agree. I want to focus on my studies, don't you get it?" I said firmly.
"See? That's exactly what I mean. You need to be outgoing and follow your heart. You need to give him a chance," she insisted.
"No, no, no. I won't—" I started, but Penelope cut me off.
"Quiet! He's coming," she warned.
He returned with sodas, insisting on buying us drinks, while I grumbled about Penelope encouraging him.
"Okay girls, here are your drinks," Alex said with a smile, placing the sodas in front of us.
"Thank you," we both replied.
"Hey, princess, can I talk to you alone for just one minute, please?" he asked me.
"Hm no. Whatever you have to say, you can say it here. I don't think there's anything private between us," I said, looking him straight in the eye.
"Alright. I want to tell you something," he said, then stood up and—unbelievably— mounted the cafeteria table.
My soul left my body. I stood up too, already feeling the wave of embarrassment roll in. No… he's not going to…
"What are you doing? Please come down!" I begged.
He cleared his throat loudly. "Hello everyone, please quiet down! Just a moment!" he shouted.
The students gradually fell silent. I stared at him in horror—my nightmare had officially begun.
"Felicity," Alex began, "from the very first day I saw you, I liked you. I haven't stopped thinking about you since. Sure, I'm in a higher level and I've met many girls, but none like you. You're innocent, pretty, intelligent—a real gem. I fell in love with you. What I'm trying to say is, I want you to be my girlfriend."
He smiled at me, grinning from ear to ear. Everyone gasps and stares at me, phone recording, waiting for my reaction. I didn't know what to say. My heart pounded. I couldn't breathe. My heart wasn't fluttering — it was screaming. I looked at Alex, then the crowd, then back at him. I couldn't take it. I ran out into the hallway. My legs moved before I could think. My heart pounds so hard it echoes in my ear.
How could he do that? In front of everyone. My cheeks burned— not with flatter, but with fury and confusion. After just a few days of school? He didn't even know me. I was storming off to class, completely lost in thought, when someone grabbed my arm. It was Alex.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Why did you run off like that?" he asked gently.
"Is that a real question? What do you want from me? Tell me—what do you really want?" I snapped.
"Hey, don't be mad. I like you, Felicity—I really do. I shouldn't have asked you out in front of everyone. I regret doing it. I'm sorry," he said, looking genuinely regretful.
"Ha! You've got to be kidding me. After just a few days, you 'like' me? Seriously? You barely know me!" I turned away.
"Please, Felicity, give me a chance," he pleaded.
"Just leave me alone, okay? Please, just let me be," I whispered, turning away and running not to class this time, but to the stairs that led to the roof of the Radcliffe Camera.
I sat on the railing, trembling, mind racing consumed by my thoughts. What just happened? What is going on? How could he— Oh my goodness. What am I going to say? I can't say yes. No way. Not in this timeline.
>>>>>>>>>>
Christopher's POV.
I went to school, but Felicity hadn't arrived yet. Penelope came up to me.
"Hey, Chris."
"Hi, Penny. How are you holding up?"
"I'm not okay. I couldn't come on Saturday because of our parents. They've become even stricter and overprotective, especially after you left."
"Oh no. I'm sorry. I'd help if I could, but things with Father and I aren't exactly smooth right now."
"It's okay. But promise me to come home for Mother. Will you?"
"When things settle with my Father…"
"You're impossible," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she walked away.
Their parents had grown stricter than ever. I sighed, knowing I couldn't do much—my own father and I barely spoke.
Later, Felicity arrived, and we chatted until class started. My heart still skipped a beat thinking about the day before yesterday, how close we came, how nearly our lips met. Afterward, Jake and I grabbed lunch at the dining hall, though I could hardly focus. He kept teasing me about Felicity.
"What's up with you and that girl lately?" Jake asked, smirking.
"Surprisingly… it's going great. We're getting closer," I said, lowering my voice. "I almost kissed her."
Jake's eyes widened. "Seriously? Wow! But what about the bet?"
"I… I don't know, man," I muttered, trying to dodge the question, my thoughts still on Felicity.
"Okayyyy. You have to introduce me. I need to meet this beautiful lady again," he insisted.
"Eww—gross like Felicity would say. Let's go," I groaned, rolling my eyes.
When I finally introduced Jake to Felicity, she said something to Jake that made my stomach flip. I panicked slightly, and before the moment could stretch too long, we left together to join Josh and the others, my mind still replaying that almost-kiss, and the spark that lingered between us.
Later, while we were chatting, Alex suddenly climbed onto a table, spouting some nonsense like he was in a cheap drama. I was furious—this was supposed to be me asking Felicity to be my girlfriend, not him. To my surprise, Felicity rejected him and ran off. A smile spread across my face before I could stop it. And I knew exactly where she had gone.