Chapter Three

To Belle, Sunday’s usually seem significantly sunnier than the other days of the week.

The sun shun so brightly, it was almost impossible to stay outside without being under a shade.

Belle and her family arrived at the church.

As they they walked into the church building and down the hall, Belle cited the empty seats at the edge of the church hall.

“Could we seat by the edge please?” She asked softly as they walked down the church hallway.

“Sure we can,” Belle’s mom replied.

They all found a spot right by the edge, close to the windows and very close to an exit door.

Belle loved it there. Sitting at the edge was always so much easier whenever you have to leave the church before dismissal.

This way, there would be higher chances of being able to leave the church without being eaten up by thousands of eyeballs who would be giving you judgmental stares if you decide to leave early before dismissal.

As she sat there, barely paying attention to the man of God preaching at the alter.

She wast totally and completely absent from her environment.

It was almost as if she had floated away and had slowly dissolved and buried deep into her thoughts.

Just as she was drifting away from reality, she looked out of the window.

She stared right into the open sky through the open windows.

She suddenly felt like she wanted to be outside enjoying the breeze on her face.

Just then, while she was still staring out the open window, she couldn’t help noticing this really cute guy walking around outside the church building with a couple of other church members.

He was tall,slender, dark in complexion, and had dark shades on.

He had a lovely nice looking shirt on.

He was totally handsome and dreamy!

“Oh my gosh!” He totally has a face to write songs about and I’m not even a songwriter” she chuckled to herself.

He looked right at her as if he had heard what she had just said.

Belle looked away immediately but it was almost too late.

“Is he psychic?” She wondered to herself.

“This is really crazy. How can he possibly hear my thoughts?”

Except Ronnie didn’t and obviously couldn’t hear her inner most thoughts.

Belle was just in over her head.

She got so nervous all of a sudden. It was almost like she was having a panic attack.

She knew she needed to step outside and get some fresh air but she also couldn’t risk running into the hot, cute guy she just so stupidly drooled over.

And worse, she let him catch her drooling.

“Are you alright dear? Her mother asked.

“You look like you could use some fresh air.

You are practically dripping in sweat”.

No mommy. I’m totally fine. It’s just a little bit hot in here.”

“Do you want to go outside? You totally could if you want to,” her mother told her.

“Alright, maybe I should. Belle said as she stepped out of the church building.

The sun was shining milder and wasn’t as scorching as it was when they first arrived at the church.

The fresh air outside was good. She could finally relax after almost having an episode.

As she sat on a pavement just outside the church building enjoying the fresh air, she watched and admired everyone who walked by where she sat.

Rating and grading everybody’s Sunday bests with her eyes as they walked past her.

“Doesn’t hurt anyone does it?” She thought to herself.

By the way, she could tell that they were also doing the exact same thing to her. So, why not?

Her elder sister, Rae stepped out of the church building as well.

“Hey Bells! Hiding out here just so you can miss the sermons aren’t you?” Rae asked as she walked up to her sister.

“Not exactly. I..i.. never mind. You really wouldn’t understand what really happened to me.”

“I suppose I just needed to get some fresh air”

“You bet you do. We all do. One can hardly breathe in there. Am I right?”.

“Yeah, absolutely”. Belle replied.

Belle knew for a fact that the air conditioning inside the church building was just about right.

It wasn’t even congested.

The windows were always left wide open.

She knew this for a fact because she always liked to look out of the windows.

She knew Rae was just looking for an excuse to get out of church and hang out with her friends outside.

“I gotta go now Bells. I’ll see you after dismissal. I need to go find my friends while I’m out here. They never stay inside the church building”.

“Alright, I’ll see you then.”

Belle sat there watching her sister walk away until she disappeared into the distance, behind the other side of the church building walls.

She resumed her eye scanning and feasting.

Just then, Ronnie was walking by with his friends again.

“It’s really him again! The hot guy!” She almost exclaimed out loud.

“You’re such a funny guy Ronnie,” one of his friends, Luke said in a somewhat loud voice and the rest of them laughed.

They seemed to be agreeing with Luke on that fact.

“Ronnie! Of course he has a hot name too,” belle whispered to herself.

Just then, the group of friends all shook hands with one another as they were saying goodbye and then, they all dispersed. Leaving Ronnie behind alone.

As soon as his friends left him, Ronnie looked up and sighted Belle sitting on the pavement all by herself.

“It’s really her,” he said.

“She really is beautiful. I knew i definitely wasn’t seeing things the first time when I caught a glimpse of her inside the church building”. he thought to himself.

“I should totally talk to her,” he said and then, started walking towards Belle.

Belle couldn’t help but notice he was now alone and seemed to be walking towards her.

He had his hair falling down on his face and his dark blue jacket glowed in the distance.

Belle’s heart was completely racing.

It almost felt like her heart would jump right out from inside her chest at any moment.

She was still outside but she didn’t realize how much she was sweating again.

Her heart pounding and beating so fast.

“Hey! Are you alright?” Ronnie asked with a deep yet, sexy voice.

Belle was flustered and confused.

She didn’t know which was hotter.

His sexy deep voice or chiseled body and handsome face.

He had it all!

Seeing all this hotness up close was definitely worse than seeing it from afar, inside the church building.

“Uhmmm, yes, yes. Of course. I’m uhmmm.. I’m totally fine. Th..thank you”. She stammered.

Of course she wasn’t about to tell the hot guy who’s got her loosing her breath, with heart racing sensations, that she had gotten like that because she was loosing control of herself at the sight of his handsome self.

That would totally make her come off as “thirsty”.

No one likes “ a thirsty ass bitch” and she knew this.

She immediately tried to pull herself together.

It was bad enough that she was almost loosing control of herself over a hot guy and to think she was still in church was even worse.

God would certainly not be happy with her. She thought to herself.

“Here, you can wipe your face with my napkin”.

He handed his napkin over to her.

It smelled so good, she almost brought it up to her nose instead of using it to wipe the sweat off her face.

“Do you need water or something? Anything?” Ronnie asked.

“I’m good thank you”. You’re really sweet.”

“Oh, well, it’s the least I can do to help a damsel in distress.” He said looking right into her eyes.

Belle couldn’t believe her ears.

“He’s a gentleman too? No way!”she said inside her head.

“Thank you”. she replied. This time, it wasn’t in her head.

She smiled at him shyly before standing up to go back inside the church.

“Hey!” he said as if he was not about to miss an opportunity presented to him on a platter of gold.

“I’m Ronnie by the way,” he said.

“Can I get your phone number so i can at least text you?”

“I’d really love to see your beautiful face again. Well, you know, outside the church premises of course”.

Belle was so sure she felt her heart do a flipper.

“Uhmm, of course. Sure. She said stammering again.

“I’m Belle,” she added.

“Well, pleasure to meet you Belle”. Ronnie said with a sexy look on his face.

He handed his phone over to her and she inputted her phone number into it.

She handed the phone back to him smiling at him.

He smiled right back at her.

His smile was so beautiful, Belle could barely breathe.

It was probably the most beautiful smile she had ever seen.

“Those lips” she thought to herself before calling herself back after realizing she was almost drifting into delusion.

“Thank you,” he said. I’ll definitely see you around i hope?,” he asked, touching her arms.

With his voice and his touch nudging her back to reality again, Belle nodded softly with a witty smile on her face.

She watched him leave until he was out of sight before she went back into the church building.