Chapter 31 Sofia's Little Thoughts

Elena Garcia POV:

I couldn't even get a word out. But I bet my racing heartbeat was giving William all the answers he needed.

When William asked if I could date him, he pulled me into a tight hug.

"William, hold up. Is this some kind of prank? Were you guys just messing around?" I blurted out.

My heart was pounding like crazy, and I was trying hard to keep it together.

'Why is William suddenly asking me to be his girlfriend?' I couldn't wrap my head around it.

Most people wouldn't act all cool when someone they like asks them out.

I shouldn't either.

But between William and me, I always thought I was the one crushing on him.

"Do you think this is a joke?" William asked.

He let go of me and looked at me with those stunning blue eyes.

Those eyes seemed to speak, staring at me, making me feel like I was on fire.

William seemed to realize how sudden his move was and apologized, "I'm sorry, Elena. Was I too impulsive? This isn't a game."

He denied it. But then he looked at me awkwardly. "Sorry, this might have freaked you out. Can you just forget I said anything?"

Who would take back a request to date?

If this happened in front of others, it would be super rude, and William might even get some flak for it.

But since it was just us, I didn't feel bad about his awkwardness.

From the moment he said it wasn't a joke, my mind went blank.

Honestly, if it were my brother Albert, I'd be more cautious, thinking he was just messing with me.

Even if he said it wasn't a joke, he'd probably laugh the moment I agreed.

He'd tell me it was his punishment for losing a game and then laugh his head off.

But this was William. William seemed like a gentleman, so I didn't think he'd tease me like that.

I bit my lip, feeling the heat spread from my chest to my earlobes.

Joy surged through me.

William had feelings for me too, this thought popped into my head.

After he told me to forget he said anything, all I felt was shyness.

"How can I pretend you never said that?" I asked.

Alright, I had to admit, maybe I was a little mad, but that didn't matter anymore.

William raised his hands helplessly, looking at me, then at Sofia. Regret was all over his face. "I shouldn't have done that."

Then I noticed Sofia catching up. She stood on the beach, looking a bit dazed.

But when she saw me looking, she gave a slightly awkward smile.

I wasn't sure if she minded, but she was being considerate.

She smiled and winked at me. "It's okay, William."

I held back the urge to hug William and say yes after he thought he was too impulsive.

Even though I had told Marco about my feelings for William not long ago, I still felt a bit nervous about William's request to date.

As I said before, I had never dated a guy.

The only love story I knew was my adoptive mom's, and even though it didn't end well, she had once told me not to be afraid, love was worth a shot.

I just didn't want to seem too eager.

Maybe my previous denial in the Garcia Mansion's garden made him hesitate and take back his words.

But that wasn't a problem. Knowing that William might feel the same way about me, I believed we'd have more chances to express our feelings in the future.

Our antics on the beach caught Albert's eye.

He waved at us. "Hey, don't just stand there! We're about to play beach volleyball. Anyone in?"

To distract myself, I almost immediately raised my hand. 

"Me!" William and I said at the same time.

We looked at each other, and I felt that familiar heat rising again.

As we walked over to Albert, he teased, "You two are really in sync."

Then he added, "Were you guys just chatting? Where did Marco go?"

"Who knows, maybe he went back to the villa to rest," I answered casually.

After Marco came ashore, he did head towards the villa. William and Sofia came from that direction, so they might know where he went.

Sure enough, Sofia chimed in, "Mr. Bianchi went back to the villa. Someone was looking for him. He seemed a bit busy, maybe even annoyed. We shouldn't bother him now."

I noticed Sofia glanced at William when she mentioned Marco, and William's expression soured a bit.

It seemed like there was some tension between them.

I was a bit worried, but William quickly masked his feelings, so I didn't press.

"Alright," Albert said, looking between me and William. "Those who are busy always miss their opportunities."

Beach volleyball needed two teams of two. With two guys present, they were split up.

I wanted to team up with William, but Albert shot that down, saying it would be better if I teamed up with him.

"Do you want to drag that guy down? I don't think you've ever played beach volleyball, right?" Albert snickered.

"Shut up, Albert," I glared at him. "Yes, I never played beach volleyball. Don't act like you care about me. Aren't you afraid I'll drag you down?"

"Of course, I care about you. If you team up with William, he might get annoyed with your lack of skills. But if you team up with me, it's different because I'm better than William. You don't know how awesome your brother is," Albert said confidently.

"Even if you're terrible and just stand there like a scarecrow, I can still win the game by myself!" Albert boasted.

I rolled my eyes at his confidence.

His personality was definitely unique in the Garcia family, but he was good at what he did, so I couldn't really call him out for being arrogant.

Those who were excellent had the right to be proud, but Albert took it to another level!

Meanwhile, William was picking his teammate from the girls.

The girls Albert brought laughed and decided to play rock-paper-scissors to see who would team up with William.

When they saw Sofia smiling nearby, they eagerly invited her to join.

"If Sofia wins, maybe I should call Marco from the villa to team up with you," Albert whispered in my ear.

His breath tickled my ear, making it itch, so I moved away.

"Why?" I asked.

"Don't you know?" Albert looked surprised.

I really hated that look on his face.

Unlike other people's surprised reactions, Albert's always seemed intentional.

He used that expression to spark my curiosity.

And curiosity about the unknown was almost a human instinct.

"What? What should I know?" I asked again.

Albert leaned in and whispered, "That's because Sofia has feelings for Marco."