Chapter 11 … enjoy …

I Love You Raven …

It was already evening. Raven had reached her room hoping to find Gar there, however, it was empty. She asked anyone around if they had seen him, but no one had seen him even enter the building. Raven walked down the dorm staircase to the living room and took a seat by the fireplace. She sighed before tossing a log onto it and lighting it up.

Where the hell is he?

She stretched out on the soft couch. Come to think of it, this was the exact spot Raven had first seen Gar, she reminded herself. Throwing a blanket over herself, she closed her eyes. Might as well rest until he shows up, she said to herself.

"Raven? What are you doing here?"

She tossed on the couch, trying to remember where she was. Rubbing her eyes, she realized the voice belonged to Richard. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the fire was almost dead. She had fallen asleep!

"Kori's up in your room worried about you, were you locked out?" He asked her.

"No, I was waiting for someone …" She said, trailing off. Richard smiled at her and moved closer to her, sitting down. He reached for the metal fork and jabbed at the burning log, making it light up a little better.

"So who's the lucky guy?" Richard asked her. She was somewhat surprised not much at what he said, but how he said it. Most guys would ask that in an amusing manner, however, Richard was serious.

"No one … I guess I had my hopes up that he'd be here, but he's not …" Raven looked into the fire, trying not to think about the disappointment of Gar not showing up. She spaced out for awhile, before she noticed something. Richard's hand slowly found its way to Raven's. She felt the warmth of his hand and looked over to him, seeing that he was observing her face before meeting her eyes. She blushed, embarrassed at how she must look; frazzled hair and all. Yet, at the same time, she felt a connection with him.

"Can I be that lucky guy?"

Raven's heart stopped. Richard's proposal had almost come out of the blue and caught her off guard. She felt that years went by as she looked into his eyes when only a matter of seconds passed. Since their first encounter, she had felt an attraction to this dark and mysterious guy. She had wanted to find out more about him, but he came and went much like that of a ghost. But here he was, flesh and blood, face to face. She didn't know what to do … but he did. He grasped her hand and moved closer to her. She closed her eyes, feeling his warm breath on her soft skin as he came closer to her lips. She waited, but the kiss never came. She opened her eyes to see Richard staring back into the fire. He still grasped her hand, yet something was holding him back.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked, unsure if she should feel relieved or disappointed at what was supposed to occur.

"I love you Raven … but … but …" He tried to explain. Richard looked over to Raven, knowing that he had let her down as had the other lucky guy. She knew that there was someone else that he cared about.

"Kori …" Raven whispered to him. Richard hesitated, before nodding his head in agreement. Even though Richard felt an attraction to Raven, he also felt something special with Kori. It was a no win situation for either girl Richard picked. That was what bugged him the most.

"I'm sorry Rae … I truly am, I just can't do this …" Raven listened to him and leaned forward, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He blushed as she moved back.

"I understand ... I think there's someone else that I need to see as well …" She replied to him, before standing up and heading for her room. She looked back once, before she ran up the staircase. She felt mixed emotions that she couldn't comprehend. Saturday was tomorrow, so she hoped she could better sort things out then. She hoped she could talk to Gar …

Ooo

Raven stirred in bed. She opened her eyes and peered over at the clock stating it was eleven o'clock. Stepping out of bed, she walked into the bathroom and started the shower. Looking over to Kori, Raven knew she was out cold. The past week had been hectic not only for her but for Kori as well. As the steam filed out of the bathroom, Raven stepping in.

Knock Knock

Someone knocked on the door, however, with Kori still sleeping and Raven not hearing, it went unanswered. The person stood at the door for another minute, before pushing an envelope under the door. It was a plain white letter, but the name on it was written in cursive. The letter was addressed to Raven …

Ooo

So some clues have been unlocked about Rae's decision … sorry to some ppl! … forgive me … and sadly to say … chapter 12 is most likely the final one … don't miss it! …

Next Chapter: Not Goodbye … See Ya Later …