As I strolled onto campus late for my SDN 101 class, I couldn't help but notice the commotion outside the lecture hall. Most of my classmates hadn't purchased the required textbook, and we were all waiting for the lecturer to arrive and let us in. I wandered over to the entrance, where I spotted a group of students chatting and laughing. That's when I saw Jerry, my crush, and his cousin Praise engrossed in conversation with their friends.
A girl nearby was teasing a guy, and everyone around them was in stitches. I found myself drawn to the scene, and I walked over to the edge of the building to get a better listen. Just as the class was about to start, Jerry caught sight of me and ambled over. "Hey, I'm Jerry," he said with a smile, but I was too distracted to catch his name properly. I thought he said "Ibrahim," and it took him repeating himself several times before I finally understood. Even then, I struggled to pronounce his name correctly.
That evening, I ran into Jerry in the cafeteria, and we struck up a conversation. We chatted and laughed together, and I was surprised by how easy it was to talk to him. The next day, I was watching a movie with Praise on Jerry's laptop in the cafeteria, and we spent hours discussing the plot and sharing our thoughts.
Over the following weeks, Jerry and I would often meet up in the cafe or cafeteria, talking about everything from our studies to our personal lives. I found myself developing feelings for him; he was handsome, charming, and had a great sense of humor. But things took an unexpected turn when I confided in my roommate Mary about my crush. To my dismay, she approached Jerry and told him about my feelings.
When Jerry confronted me about it, I was mortified. I denied my feelings, despite his offer to date me if I admitted the truth. After that, he seemed to distance himself from me, although I couldn't help but notice him staring at me occasionally, sometimes with a hint of a smile.
As the semester progressed, I found myself wondering what had gone wrong. Had I misread the signals entirely? Was Jerry just being friendly, or was there something more to it? I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd missed an opportunity, and I couldn't help but wonder what might have been if I'd been more confident in expressing my feelings.