=========================================
A Fool For Love
Stella Judson knew it was coming:
the April Fool’s prank of all pranks. She climbed the stairs to her apartment,
pausing every so often, looking for it. She opened her door slowly certain
something would jump out. When she flipped on her lights and saw nothing, she
laughed. Tension uncoiled from her shoulders. Why did she even think they, they
being Greg, Dylan and Morgan from the Single’s group at church, could set up a
prank in her apartment? She had escaped their mischief.
She’d suffered
through enough failed attempts in her classroom to make up for it. Fortunately,
the fourth-graders at Damascus Christian Day School were as inept at planning
good pranks as they were at math. For the first part of the day, their lame
pranks had provided her a little entertainment. By the end of the day, she was
no longer amused.
She closed the
door and dropped her bag and purse right where she stood. Another day…This had been her day ever since she’d moved from Northern
Virginia to the sleepy suburb of Lancaster, PA. Leaving home and coming to the
small Christian college attached to the day school hadn’t exactly been her plan.
It also didn’t involve staying on as a teacher after she received her degree in
Early Childhood Education, either. This was not the life she imagined she’d
have.
“No regrets,” she
mumbled as she headed into the kitchen. If she could just believe her words.
She’d told herself that things would get better. That her situation was only
temporary. She’d first told herself that four years ago and she was still
coming home on a Friday night to any empty apartment.
Her students made
her life exciting, April Fool’s pranks included. She couldn’t complain about
working her dream job. She’d also connected with several singles at her church and
they provided companionship when she needed it. As nice as it was, she wanted
more.
She pushed away
her gloomy thoughts and began preparing a simple dinner of baked chicken,
roasted potatoes and salad. The single’s group loved her because she was one of
the few who could actually cook. They loved her for her, but they also loved
her for her cooking, especially Dylan.
She sighed. Dylan. He’d already played the biggest
prank on her. He’d stolen her heart when she met him three years ago, but then
quickly put her in the friend category. Dylan stood almost a foot taller than
her, not hard since she wasn’t much taller than her students. His blue eyes
always held a bright boyish sparkle and his smile only turned up the wattage. She’d
come to love how his joy radiated from him in all he did.
He was a dedicated
Christian, worked in advertisement, which allowed him to travel the world. She
could even see how he would fit so perfectly into her family with his love of
sports, which would make her father happy. His gentle ways and his ability to
make a woman feel special would be a big hit with her mother and her two little
sister. He was the all around greatest guy she knew…except when he was planning
pranks with his two friends.
They had pulled
off some substantial pranks. One year, when April Fool’s day fell on their
normal meeting night, they snuck in the room the night before and turned all
the furniture upside. The group had spent the whole session righting everything.
Another year, they “accidentally” left their list of the planned pranks at the
church. It included everyone in the Singles group as a victim. Everyone had
counter-planned pranks based off the list. Unfortunately, the list was the
prank. Stella herself had waited up most of the night waiting to spoil their
prank, but the boys never showed up.
One year, Dylan
had managed to convince the Singles pastor, Jeff, that his car had been stolen
by Amish teenagers longing for a joyride. He had the man driving around the
area, looking for the imaginary thieves. Thankfully, when the prank was over, Jeff
had laughed about it, but from that point, no one took any of the three
seriously.
Besides
the pranks, Dylan had been a great friend, helping her transition to the area.
Several girls were convinced that he was interested in her but she wrote off
their suspicions. After four years, he would have made a move by now. He’d kept
their relationship neutral, even though he called once a week to check on her
and occasionally came over for cooking classes. Nothing to warrant her thinking
that he was interested. He was just being nice and she had gone through great
care to make sure he didn’t know how she felt.
Stella glanced at
the clock as she removed her chicken and potatoes from the oven. Already 7:35. The boys must have decided to
pick on someone else. Besides, Dylan had been traveling internationally
last week. Maybe his schedule hadn’t allowed him time to plan anything. His
life had been pretty hectic before he’d left. He’d only had time for short
conversations with her that week.
She finished her
dinner in the quiet, grading papers. As soon as she rose to carry the dishes to
the sink, the doorbell rang. She paused, left her plate on the table and crept
to the door. She checked the peephole and groaned.
Dylan.
She hadn’t
escaped.
She put on her
brightest smile, fortified herself and opened the door. “Hi, Dylan. You’re
back.” And whatever prank you’re
planning, I’m ready for you.
“I came here
straight from the airport.” Dylan smiled. It did a little to lighten the
exhaustion she saw on his face. “I’m not
interrupting anything, am I?”
She motioned him
inside. “Nope. Just finishing my dinner and grading papers.”
He stepped inside,
but instead of sitting, he stood in the middle of her floor. She eyed him. “You
hungry?”
He wrung his
hands. “Not really.”
Yup. You’re
up to something. “Did you enjoy your trip?”
“No.” His words
were out of his mouth before she could finish asking. He still hadn’t moved
from his spot in the middle of the floor. “Actually, that’s what I wanted to
talk to you about.” He shifted, his eyes settling on hers.
She looked away,
her cheeks warming. If she could only get over this silly crush. “Why don’t we
sit?”
Dylan stared at
the couch like it hadn’t been there a minute ago. “Oh, right.” He waited for
her to sit first, and then took a spot next to her…a little too close. Her
pulse ticked up and she swallowed.
She scooted away
from him under the pretense of turning to face him. “So…”
Dylan blinked,
eyes not leaving from her face. “So?”
“You wanted to
talk about the trip?”
He shook his head.
“Yeah, it was horrible.”
She reached out
and placed her hand on top of his before she thought about it. “I’m sorry.”
Dylan jolted like
she’d stuck a live wire to him. “Don’t be.” He glanced down at her hand. “The
fact that it was horrible was good in a way.”
Stella laughed.
“How so?”
Dylan scooted
closer. “It gave me perspective.”
Stella’s stomach
fluttered at his closeness. She mentally gave herself a shake. Don’t fall for this. It’s a prank. “On
what?”
Dylan looked down
at her hand again. With the slightest of motions, turned his palm up so that
her hand slipped into his. He laced his fingers in hers. “My life. What I want
out of it.”
Stella fought to
breathe. “What do you want?” Her voice came out in a strangled squeak.
He brought his
gaze back up to hers. “The whole trip I kept thinking about you.” He rubbed his
thumb against the palm of her hand in circular soft motions. “All I wanted to
do is come home to you.” He tightened his grip, and tugged her closer to him.
“I know we have be nothing but good friends, but I think I fell in love with
you the minute you showed up at the single’s group.”
Stella gasped.
“You did?”
He nodded. “But
you were so independent and you seemed so settled with being single, I didn’t
know if you’d even been interested in a relationship with me.”
Happiness flooded
her. “I…”
Before she could
answer, his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and read the ID. He
groaned. “Sorry. I have to take this.” He reluctantly released her hand and
answered the call.
Stella sat there
staring at him in joyous disbelief. Dylan had fallen in love with her. He loved
her. All his visits and phone calls had been motivated by love.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Dylan’s words pulled her from her thoughts. “Greg, dude, I’ll call you back.”
Stella froze. Greg. He was talking to Greg. Greg his
fellow prankster. Horror quickly replaced the joy she’d felt. This was a prank. It had to be.
Dylan ended the call,
but before he could put the phone back in his pocket, she sprang from the
couch, tears burning her eyes. “How could you?”
Dylan stared at
her. “Are you all right?”
She swiped the
tears from her cheeks. “This is a new low, Dylan. Lower than I ever expected
you to go.”
He rose from the
chair, reaching for her. “What are you talking about?”
She maneuvered
around his grasp and swatted at his hand. “How could you toy with someone’s
emotions? How could you be this mean?”
He held his hands
up. “Whoa, Stella. I have—“
She pointed at his
phone. “Was Greg laughing? I’m sure he and Morgan are having the time of their
lives with this one.” She stomped over to the door and snatched up open. “Get
out!”
Dylan moved
towards her, eyes full of caution, but not out of the door. “Stella, I’m not
really sure what just happened but I’m not leaving.”
Her tears increased.
“Leave now.”
“Wait, I think
there’s been some sort of misunderstanding—“
She folded her
arms. “I understand completely. Your innocent act isn’t fooling anyone. To
think I actually loved you.”
Surprise colored
Dylan’s expression. He reached for her, paused, and then returned his arms to
his side. “You love me?” His phone rang again. He glanced at it and then back
at her.
“Go ahead and
answer it. Tell Greg and Morgan how well your April Fool’s prank went.”
Dylan frowned.
“April Fool’s?”
She yanked his arm
and dragged him toward the door. “I thought you were a better man.”
Dylan tumbled
forward but stopped just as he reached the door. He grabbed her by the
shoulders. “Today is April 1st? You think this is an April Fool’s
joke?”
“You know exactly what day it is.”
“I don’t know what
day it is. I’ve been travelling out of the country. I’m not even sure I know
what time it is.”
She struggled to wiggle out of his grasp.
“Please, just go.”
He leaned down to
her eye level. “What do I have to do to show you I’m serious?”
She shook her
head. He wasn’t serious. “Please, go.”
He studied her for
a moment. He reached up, cupped her face, and tipped it up. “Will this convince
you?”
He lowered his
lips to hers in a soft but firm kiss. He slid his fingers into her hair,
pulling her closer. As if instinct, she kissed him back, her heart twisting and
soaring. Was he really serious? Now that she found herself in a lip lock with
him, her mind cleared. Dylan was a prankster, but telling her he loved her was
a bit much. And this kiss, sweet and tender. Kissing a girl just for the sake
of a prank would undo everything she knew to be true about his character as a
Christian.
She pulled away
and looked into his eyes. Wasn’t hard to see how his eyes sparkled with more
than just mischievousness. There was love there.
“I’m not playing a
prank, Stella. I love you. Will you marry me?”
Her tears returned
but she grinned. “Yes.”
He pulled her into
his arms and his phone rang again. He let out a huff before looking at it.
“It’s Greg again. I told him that I planned to propose to you tonight. He
probably wants to know how it’s going.”
Stella let out a
happy sigh. “Go ahead and tell him.”
Dylan answered the
phone, leaving his arm dangling around her waist. “Hey, Greg.” Dylan lowered
his voice. He added so much sadness to his tone that the goofy grin on his face
made Stella giggle. “Yeah. I asked her.” He bit back a laugh. “She said no.”
No comments:
Post a Comment