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On the bench across the cage with birds…

Both Imani and Jamari were looking up and Imani leaned her head on Jamari\'s shoulder.

He glanced at her apprehensively.

"I lied…" Imani said.

Jamari wondered, how can she lie if she took the truth serum? "About?"

"That there are no fireworks when we are close."

Jamari saw Imani smiling and her face was illuminated with a variety of colors from the fireworks. Well, it\'s true. There are fireworks and it\'s not just the butterflies in his stomach.

Imani took a deep satisfied breath. Now that she is close to Jamari and he is not running away from her, Imani can confirm that the weight from the previous two months is gone. If she knew that it would turn like this, she would not reject him after Disneyland. But then… maybe this was the lesson she needed in order to understand how much Jamari means to her.

Jamari stiffened when he felt Imani\'s arm snake around his and he held his breath when her palm glided over his and their fingers interlaced.

He was glad that she went to the length of taking the truth serum because now he knows that all this is not pity. She is willing to give him a chance, to give THEM a chance.

Jamari is aware that he was infatuated with Imani and engrossed in the idea of dating her to the point of not seeing that he is going toward the cliff and his certain doom. And even though he is afraid of getting hurt again, they can take it slow until he eases into this relationship thing. With Imani. Imani told him that she wants to prove her sincerity, and he will let her do that with the hope that it will give him the confidence to believe that this is real and that it is going to last.

…

The fireworks were blasting, but Masika\'s attention was on Zack.

He was attentive toward her the whole evening, as usually. She didn\'t think much about it before Imani brought up the possibility that he is romantically interested in her. And then Zack asked her to dance and commented about her growth and since then, Masika\'s heart is restless.

Now Masika is super-aware of everything Zack does. How he held her while they danced… it was gentle, yet firm, and Masika imagines that must be how a man holds a woman. Does he see her as a woman? And then he got drinks for both of them, and he knew which snacks are her favorites. She didn\'t notice those little things before. When they walked out for fireworks, before the night\'s air touched her, his jacket was on her shoulders.

Zack noticed that Masika is looking at him. He pointed up in the air. "You are missing the show."

"Do you like me?" Masika blurted out.

It was embarrassing, but she had to ask. She didn\'t think what she will do if he responds with \'yes\' or \'no\' because that was the next step and she could only focus on getting her answer first. Each option was nervewracking and liberating at the same time.

Zack froze. "What?"

Masika took a deep breath and ignored her heart which was threatening to jump out of her chest. "You heard me. Do you like me?"

Zack was staring at her for some time while thinking how to respond to this. He decided on a careful choice of words. "You are a likable girl."

Masika was able to read between the lines, but she still wanted a confirmation. "Should I take that as a \'yes\'?"

Zack could not believe how persistent she is. "Yes, for what?"

"That you like me, how a man likes a woman, and that you want to pursue me romantically, if you are not doing that already. You are kind and attentive, and I\'m the only girl who gets that treatment from you." Masika explained bluntly.

Zack\'s eyebrows shot up and with the peripheral vision, he saw that Sarah and Aiden are further away. He was relieved that they are out of the earshot, or he might get shot.

What should he do? Masika is so much younger than he is, and he was content to watch her from the side and enjoy every moment of their interaction, without crossing the invisible line. She is only fifteen years old and if he admits his feelings or acts according to them, won\'t that make him a pedophile?

Zack decided to deny it. He grabbed the tip of her nose with his index finger and his thumb and gave it a gentle twist. "Why would I pursue a girl who is not even eighteen years old?"

Masika frowned and rubbed her nose with her palm. "Does that mean that you will pursue me when I\'m eighteen?"

Zack opened his mouth and closed it. He usually likes her straightforward personality, but not when she is grilling him like this. "What is going on in your mind? If you want to know if I will pursue you in a few years, you need to wait until then."

"Three." Masika said sternly.

Zack was confused. "What?"

"My eighteenth birthday will be in April 2023."

Zack stifled a laugh as relief of unknown origin washed over him. The thought that Masika is thinking of being close to him three years from now, made him happy. "That\'s a deal. In two years and five months, you will get your answer. Now look up or you will miss all of it. Don\'t tell me that you would rather look at me than at the fireworks?"

Masika\'s expression turned stubborn and she swiftly moved her gaze up. Is there a need for him to tease her?

Masika was staring up, but she was unable to focus on the fireworks because her mind was a mess. She confronted Zack with the intention to clarify the situation, maybe to prove that Imani was wrong, or maybe to find out that Zack is not only grateful that she saved him, but there is something else. And this… Just what is this? Didn\'t he kind of say that he likes her, but she is young and that when she turns eighteen years old he will confess his feelings and pursue her openly? Where does that put them? Are they in an I-like-you-but-later relationship? What kind of relationship is that? And when the time comes, how will she respond? And maybe more important is to find the answer to the question: how does she feel now?

Masika\'s eyes gravitated lower and she met Zack\'s intense gaze directed at her. He was smiling with a gentle smile that reached his eyes and Masika felt the heat invading her face and even her ears were burning.

Waah! They agreed that tomorrow Zack will come to the Cliffside Villa so that they study for the two courses they are taking together at the University. How is she supposed to study in such a stimulating atmosphere? There is no way that she can focus on calculus! Not now, when she knows that Zack is interested in her… well, two years and five months from now.

Masika wondered, why is she so flustered? Is it possible that she likes Zack? Masika decided to talk to Imani about this. Imani seems to know more things than she does, and that is embarrassing because Imani is two years younger than Masika.

While on the topic of Imani, Masika looked toward the bench where Imani and Jamari are sitting, and she smiled. It seems that things are falling into place on Imani\'s side.

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