WHILE WE WAITED 3 - by Shuliê

‎EPISODE 3‎‎The Surprise ‎‎After everything the waiting, the uncertainty, the endless days of wondering when the strike would finally be called off Priscilla had almost forgotten what it felt like to anticipate seeing Daniel.‎‎Then the day finally came.‎‎Priscilla arrived at the park before Daniel, surrounded by other people who were also there for the program. There were friends, different groups, luggage, conversations and the usual excitement that came with preparing for three busy days away.‎‎But somewhere in all of it was one person she had been waiting to see. Daniel.‎‎When she finally heard that he had arrived, she went to meet him.‎‎She showed him where they would be staying, helped him settle in and made sure he had something to eat. It felt strangely normal.‎‎Almost too normal.‎‎She didn't know that while she was busy going about her day, Daniel and some of her closest friends had been working on something behind her back.‎‎A surprise.‎‎One of the people involved was the friend Priscilla had personally invited to the program. At some point, that friend had told her that she had travelled somewhere far away and wouldn't be coming.‎‎Priscilla believed her.‎‎So when Daniel eventually called her outside, she thought nothing of it.‎‎“Come outside.”‎‎“Should I bring your food?”‎‎“No. Just come outside.”‎‎She stepped out.‎‎And stopped.‎‎There she was.‎‎The friend she thought wasn't coming.‎‎For a moment, Priscilla didn't even know how to react. She was so shocked that her reaction became almost unnecessarily dramatic.‎‎Daniel had actually helped plan it.‎‎Her friends had helped too.‎‎They had all fooled her.‎‎And somehow, after all the waiting, worrying and missing people, she was standing there with some of the people she loved most.‎‎That night, after showing her friend around and introducing her to the people she was staying with, the room eventually became filled with laughter and random conversations.‎‎It was already past ten.‎‎Priscilla gathered everyone involved in the surprise together.‎‎“You people tried,” she told them, laughing. “You actually made my heart beat!”‎‎But that wasn't the only thing that happened that night.‎‎Later, Daniel messaged her.‎‎Are you busy?‎‎Priscilla looked at the message.‎‎“No,” she replied.‎‎He asked if she could come and take a walk with him.‎‎She agreed.‎‎And so they walked.‎‎Far.‎‎It was one of those quiet walks where neither person seemed in a hurry to return.‎‎They talked. They laughed. They teased each other.‎‎But there was one thing Priscilla couldn't stop thinking about.‎‎She hadn't hugged him.‎‎Not when she first saw him.‎‎After all that time.‎‎She had finally seen Daniel again, and she had simply greeted him like everything was normal.‎‎Now, as they walked side by side, she kept thinking about it.‎‎Should I hug him?‎‎She would look at him.‎‎Then look away.‎‎She would think about it.‎‎Then lose courage.‎‎Eventually, they started making their way back.‎‎It was already past eleven when they reached their lodge.‎‎And somehow, Priscilla was still fighting with herself.‎‎They were holding hands as they walked.‎<img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/0d5c9381b3223f15b46244bd678842d9.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;"/>‎For more than five minutes, she kept thinking about the hug she had promised herself she would give him.‎‎Then she stopped.‎‎Daniel looked at her.‎‎Before he could properly understand what was happening, Priscilla stepped forward and hugged him.‎<img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/9c75ee6bbc0bfc2c1d09f36839079c23.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;"/>‎He was surprised. ‎To be continued.....‎

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