The Volleyball match

The next morning when I woke up, I felt that my head was about to explode with pain. When I was brushing my teeth, I constantly felt like retching. My elder sister noticed that I wasn't really in a good shape.

'Stay home today.'

At the thought of having to stay home and missed meeting Dave, I felt so bad that I hissed a loud no, shocking both of us.

'Relax, it was just a suggestion.'

I went and hugged my sister, feeling a bit guilty for overreacting. She hugged me back and told me to take some medicine if I was still not feeling good. I heeded her advice and drank some antacid for my stomach pain. I only felt remotely better, but there was no way I was going to stay home.

I almost got late as I was having a lot of hesitation when it came to choosing my outfit for the day. Should I go for casual jeans and shirt? No, it was too ordinary. A dress? No, too showy. I finally settled on a maxi black skirt and a sleeveless beige shirt. It was more feminine than the way I usually dressed and I hoped Dave would like it, because I liked it. It's hard how being attracted to someone can make you feel less confident at times. In his presence, I was constantly assessing everything, from the way I talked to the way I dressed.

I went directly to the gym where Dave had said he would be waiting for me. I saw him immediately, he was next to the door talking to one of the gym instructors. He stopped when he saw me, then turned to the man again, shaking his hand. His eyes were shining so brightly even though the gym was still relatively dark as the match had apparently not yet started.

We shook hands and then he led me to the stands where we would be sitting. It didn't look very comfortable and I was right. It was made of concrete and was quite uneven and cold. I gingerly sat down followed by Dave. I saw that the players had made their entry on the court in the meanwhile. I had never attended a live volleyball match before and I did not really know what to expect. Seeing one of the players eating a banana, I realised that I hadn't taken my breakfast yet. My stomach was too queasy and I couldn't swallow anything. I merely ate one cracker and drank some warm water. Knowing that I had to eat if I wanted to stop feeling faint, I took out a pack of biscuit. I offered one to Dave and he took it. It felt like a small victory, even tough it was quite ridiculous. I tried to nibble on one, but my stomach kept heaving and I did not want to eat more. I took a mint sweet and sucked on it, hoping to calm my nerves and stomach.

It was hard, however, to stay calm when I was in such close proximity to Dave. We had never sat so close to each other and each time, I kept peeking at him from behind my lashes. He seemed engrossed in the match and noticing that I seemed lost at time, he volunteered some information.

'The local team is up against a team from the neighbouring island. Each year there is a match between the national teams of both countries.'

Fifteen minutes into the match, the stands started getting filled up as more and more students filed in the gymnasium. This forced me to move closer to Dave.

'Sorry,' I mumbled to him when my hip brushed his. But I was so not sorry...My heart started singing the opera and my palms were tingling. When they started cheering for the local team, it was so noisy and cheerful that I also got caught in the moment, and started shouting out the slogans the others were shouting. It was like being in a concert and it made me feel so alive.

I had had such a marvelous time with Dave even though we barely talked. Sitting so close to him, breathing in his perfume, seeing him flash that cute but rare smile when our team scored. When I reached home that afternoon, I immediately called Gaya, but she didn't pick the call. I lied down on my bed, feeling the softness of the sun-dried sheets caress the bare skin on my arms and sent her a text message.

'I had a wonderful time with Dave today.' Followed by a smiley.

Gaya usually responded within a few minutes but on that day she didn't and that got me worried. Well, perhaps she's busy, I managed to convince myself.

At night, when all the lights had already been switched off, I threw off the bed cover and kneeling on my pillow, I opened the window that was just behind my bed. I stayed like that for a few minutes, gazing at the stars that were now visible. I took a few deep breaths, enjoying the stillness of the night. A cool breeze wafted in through the open window, making the curtains flutter and caressing my skin which promptly broke out in goosebumps. I shivered gently, rubbing my hands over my arms, wishing that it was Dave who was here to warm me up. At this idea, I broke out in silly giggles, clapping my hands over my mouth, hoping that no one heard me. Ah, if only life could be so easy each time...

The next morning, a Sunday, when I woke up, I felt my stomach burning. I rushed to the bathroom where I felt like vomiting. I broke out in a cold sweat ans suddenly started feeling weak. I leaned against the washbasin and limply passed my right hand through my tangled hair. I brushed my teeth and tried to drink a glass of warm water in the hope that I would feel better. I popped another mint sweet in my mouth as it usually made me feel slightly better.

I then checked my phone. I had received two text messages, one was from Gaya and the other from Dave. I felt butterflies in my stomach and a goofy grin stretched across my face. I opened Gaya's first to prolong the pleasure. Just 4 words: 'Talk to you tomorrow.' It was quite puzzling, but at that moment nothing could erase my happiness as I touched the message icon to read the second message.

'Good morning. Had a nice time. Let's meet for a game tomorrow. 2 pm. See you.'

What could I say? I didn't want to appear too eager, but at the same time I wanted to show him I appreciated the time spent with him. I wanted to reach out to Gaya to ask her for suggestions, but through her tone, I guessed that she might be going through problems of her own. Let's keep it short and sweet then.

'Hi. Had a nice time too. Ok for tomorrow. See you.'

I hoped it didn't sound too curt. We were going to meet again. What could go wrong?