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Chapter Two:

The Romance Begins:

A Bob and Betty Story

4/22/2024

Bob and Betty enjoyed doing things together since they reconnected in the high school office that day.  They weren’t dating, just friends.  That is what they kept telling anyone who asked if they were dating.

The Bible study they started at school was going well.  Around a dozen kids were attending it each week.  Some of them even attended the Wednesday Night Youth Group meetings at Church.

Bob’s best friend, Cal, constantly teased Bob about ‘’not’’ dating Betty.  Cal had been with Bob at the Bible Camp where Bob first saw Betty several years earlier.  Cal also teased Bob about when was he going to marry Betty.  Those were the words he uttered the first time he saw her.  Like most best friends, Cal took his job of teasing his best friend seriously.  Bob didn’t mind and would give it right back to Cal.

Cal didn’t know that Bob had been thinking about that day several years earlier as well.  He knew it had been a silly thing to say back then. But he also knew he was getting more feelings toward Betty as their friendship grew.

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Betty had just got done with math class and was walking down the hallway with Peggy and Cindy.  The three were best friends and were always together.

‘’Betty, why don’t you just admit that you like Bob more than just friends?’’  Peggy said.

Betty blushed.  ‘’We are just friends.  Why would you say something like that, Peggy?’’

Cindy looked at Betty and started laughing.  ‘’Peggy, I think you hit the nail on the head.  Look how red Betty’s face is.’’  Both girls started laughing.

‘’You two are terrible!’’  Betty retorted.  ‘’Just because Bob and I get along and we enjoy doing things together, doesn’t mean that I like him any more than just a friend.’’

That response made the other two girls laugh harder.

‘’Me thinks the lady protests too much,’’ Cindy said to Peggy with a wink.

‘’I think you’re right Cindy.  After all, Betty’s eyes don’t go all glossy when we mention Bob.  And she doesn’t blush when we talk about them together.  Yep, they’re ‘’JUST’’ friends.’’  Peggy made air quotes with her fingers when she said JUST friends.

Betty quickened her steps to try to evade her tormentors.  It didn’t work.  They just walked faster also.

‘’Don’t you two have anything else better to do than to worry about me and Bob?’’  Betty huffed.

Peggy smiled broadly.  ‘’Oh, what about you and Bob?’’  Cindy joined Peggy in giggling over that comment.

‘’OH!!’’  Betty exclaimed as she opened her locker to get her books for the next class.

Cindy and Peggy went to their lockers to get their books as well.  Betty took that time to hurriedly grab her books and rush to her next class to try to evade her two best friends.  She wasn’t sure how much more of their pestering she could endure at that moment.

The truth was, she had been thinking about Bob a lot more lately.  But they were just friends after all, weren’t they?

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If Bob and Betty both knew what the other was thinking right at that moment, they may have both been very relieved or very embarrassed.

Both were thinking about how much they truly enjoyed being together.  How much they had in common.  How they shared the same values.  But mostly, how much they really liked each other and wished they were dating.

They both came to the conclusion they were going to have to do something about their feelings for the other one.  But how and when?

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Youth Group at church was that night.  The five friends sat together most weeks.  Bob sat to Betty’s right and Cal sat to his right.  Cindy and Peggy sat to Betty’s left.

Bob and Betty seemed awkward and nervous towards each other as they met at the chairs to sit down.  Cal, Cindy, and Peggy winked at each other.  They knew what was going on.  They had teased Bob and Betty enough earlier that day they were feeling uncomfortable now.

The tension eased as the Youth Group activities went on during the evening.  But Bob kept looking at Betty out of the corner of his eyes.  He often found Betty looking at him as well.

Cal walked over to Cindy and Peggy as soon as the Youth Group ended.  ‘’Hey girls, can you come with me to get some sodas for us?’’

The two girls smiled.  They knew what Cal meant with his question.  ‘’Sure, we’d love to.’’  They responded in unison.

‘’Hey, I’ll go with you so the girls can stay here,’’ Bob said quickly.

Peggy shook her head.  ‘’No Bob.  Cindy and I need to stretch our legs anyway.  You stay here and keep Betty company while we get some soda.’’

Bob sat back down deflated.  He hadn’t made a definite plan yet.  Now he was alone with Betty.

Betty sat playing with the hem of her shirt nervously.  She didn’t have a plan yet either.

Bob turned to Betty and opened his mouth to say something.  Betty started talking at the same time.  It made them both stop and laugh nervously.

Cal and the girls were watching them from the other side of the meeting room.  They were laughing at how silly the two of them were being.

Bob took Betty’s hands in his.  ‘’Betty, I have to tell you something.  Please let me get this all out before you say anything.’’

Betty nodded her head.

‘’I like you, Betty.  I have for a long time.  I want us to be more than just friends.  I want to be your boyfriend.  I want you to be my girlfriend.  I want us to go on real dates together.’’

Bob finished talking and looked at Betty.  She could see the hope and fear in his eyes as he awaited her answer.

She sat quietly for a few moments.  To Bob, it seemed an eternity.  ‘’Bob, I really like you.  You are my best friend.’’

Betty saw the hope in Bob’s eyes fade.  She had used the friend word.

She squeezed Bob’s hands so he looked back up to her.  ‘’Cindy and Peggy are my best girlfriends.  But you are my best friend.  And I have been thinking much more about us lately also.’’  She paused to catch her breath and consider her next words.  ‘’I haven’t wanted to admit my feelings because I don’t want to spoil what we have now.  But I have been hoping for some time that you would ask me out for a date.’’

A big smile crossed Bob’s face.  ‘’You feel the same way as I do?’’

Betty blushed slightly and looked down.  ‘’Yes, I guess I do,’’ she said quietly.

Bob leaned over and gave her a quick hug.  That caught Betty off guard and turned her face a brighter shade of red.

Cal, Cindy, and Peggy saw what happened and gave each other a high five.  They made their way back towards Bob and Betty.

Cindy was the first to say something.  ‘’We have your sodas.  Boy, Betty, it looks like we got back just in time.  It must be really hot in here as red as your face is.  You must really need this soda to cool down.’’

Cindy’s comment only made Betty blush more.  But now everyone was laughing about it.

‘’Okay, you brats, you might as well know.  Betty and I just had a serious talk.  And what we talked about is none of your business.’’  Bob said with a big smile.

Cal slapped Bob on his back.  ‘’Bob, my friend, you are out of luck.  We were watching you and know what you talked about.’’

Peggy joined in, ‘’Yes, we saw that hug.  That wasn’t a hug your friend hug, now, was it?’’

‘’What are we going to do with you guys,’’ Betty laughed.  ‘’I think you all need to find someone of your own so you leave us alone.’’

‘’Now what would be the fun in that?  We enjoy bugging you two too much.  Do you want to take our fun away?’’  Peggy countered.

‘’I give up!’’ Bob and Betty said in unison.  This made the other three laugh even more.  ‘’See, they already think alike,’’ one of them said.

Before the night was over, Bob and Betty decided they would go to the dance at school on Friday night.  Bob would ask Betty’s father for permission to date his daughter after school the following day.  That would give them Thursday night to prepare for Friday’s date.

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We will have to wait for our next edition of Bob’s and Betty’s story to see if Bob got permission and how things went at the dance.

I hope you enjoyed the story so far.

To be continued.

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