Week 7 Story: Love is in the Air

Update: This story is in my portfolio. https://sites.google.com/view/colortheworld/home

Love is in the Air

Love is all around in Princeton town. The birds are chirping. The sun is out and there isn’t a frown in sight. The couples are taking afternoon strolls on campus and having picnics on the lawn. University students here are either in a relationship or casually dating.

Then there was Sally. Sally is a girl who you would normally see in the corner with her nose in a book or in the cafeteria by herself doing homework. Sally didn’t have the best luck when it came to her love life or lack thereof. She would put her head down when she walked and shy away from any conversation that was not about school.

On the other side of the cafeteria, we had Austin. Austin was an outcast, to say the least. He had a few friends, but they only bonded over how much they didn’t fit in. He was into graphic novels and video games. Austin would always look at Sally from afar, but she never noticed. He loved the way she ignored the world and became so immersed in a book that no one else mattered. Sally was his unicorn and she did not even realize it.

Austin would try to start a conversation, any kind of conversation, just to get her to notice him. It felt weird to him because usually, the popular people were the ones who didn’t notice him, but this was Sally. Sally was special. He noticed that her priorities were different than everyone else and that made him want to be a better person too, not that he was bad, but he wasn’t trying his best in school like she was.

On a rainy afternoon in late fall, Austin saw Sally trying to keep her books dry from the rain, but was failing to do so. Austin had a large umbrella that could fit the two of them, but even if it didn’t he would give it up just to keep her and her books dry.

She began blushing and quietly accepted cover from the rain. Even brushing into Austin sent electricity through her veins. This was a whole new feeling to her and she didn’t hate it.

As Austin tried to fight the nervousness, he mustered up the courage to ask her out. She stayed quiet for a few minutes, which made him more nervous than he was at first. She finally spoke up and said that she would ask her father. He respected that and would be patient until he came to a decision.

Sally had a tough father who was protective to the point of almost isolating her from everything that could possibly harm her. When Sally got home, it took everything inside of her to ask him about this date, that she actually wanted to go on, which surprised her.

He instantly said no with no budging room for her to convince him. She wasn’t a rebellious daughter, but this was an exception. She was going to find a way to go on this date. The next day, some classmates asked her to study with them for a test, so they could have the smartest girl in class there to use her for her intelligence. She politely said no, but in her mind, she knew she found the excuse she was looking for. When Sally was walking home, she was playing in her head how the conversation would go. She was more nervous than she had ever been. When she walked in, she decided to just go for it. Rip the band-aid off. She asked to go to a study group at the library with some friends and he thought about it for a few minutes. He eventually agreed to it. She got instantly anxious because she was going to go to the date instead.

Sally searched for Austin the next day. After a few of his normal locations, she spotted him out of the corner of her eye. She slowly strolled over to him. Austin saw her coming toward him and tried to read her face to see if it was good or bad news. He couldn’t figure it out. When Sally finally came face-to-face with Austin, she told him that she could go on the date, but only the night of the study group and for a few hours. She explained about her father and this gave Austin weariness about the date, but he knew the only way to get to know her was to separate her from the crowd of people. He didn’t judge her for being in college and still asking permission. This is what made Austin such a great guy.

When the night of the date finally came, both were very nervous. They decided to meet on campus and then go from there. Austin planned an outdoor movie night. The weather was perfect for a blanket on the ground and he brought a hoodie for her just in case she got cold. They met at the school and made their way to the outdoor movie. The date started as two people nervous or anxious and eventually they acted as if they had known each other their whole life. Neither were paying attention to the movie and they were the couple who talked the whole time. Love was finally in the air for these two.

Years went by and sneaking dates with each other became more frequent. When she graduated she told her dad that she was in love. He was furious, but when he met Austin and saw how good they were for each other, he accepted it. Austen and Sally ended up married with two kids many years later. To this day, they do not regret what they did. True love found a way.

Love is in the Air

This is a rendition of The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck. I put the setting in present day and gave it a happier ending. I made the father less mean than the one in the original. I focused on the couple instead of adding the other suitors. I always like when the couple finds love and they do not die instantly after like the woman did in the original story. This story was a retelling of a story in The Chinese Fairy Book by R.Wilhem. Link Here