Don't let anyone snatch away your dreams from you because that's the only thing you have got to fulfil.

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"May you shine my dear daughter. May you shine to the fullest of this world.
I might not be here consoling your tears with you.
Holding you tight against my arms listening to your heartbeat as I had carried you in my arms in those blossom loving days when you were my princess.
You have no idea how much I want to meet you. How much I want to look into your eyes and see the reflection of myself.
How much I want to call you my daughter; my Amanda. How much I want to see you walking down the aisle. But I know I can't. my time is coming near and there are things which I wanted to do for you but time has its own thing. It is slipping from my hands from my soul.

Amanda my dear daughter I want you to listen to me for the last time.
You are the bravest girl I know always be like that. Do not let someone overshadowed you.
You are the winner for me. Do not let your life get influenced by others. And choose wisely people to trust.
Because I know there is someone waiting for you to look into your eyes and fall in love with you over and over again."

"Now you must realize that you have always been the winner. It's just the inner demons of your that won't let you believe in yourself."

What the hell was he saying? What the hell I'm doing here? This world doesn't make any sense. Nothing here doesn't make any sense. Or maybe it is or maybe I have to reach through the ladder to the clouds or maybe I have to believe in myself. But I know I've hurt my father so much. I've been thinking so wrong for him and he was suffering for me.

"It was my mistake."

I can see him standing there in all his agony. waiting to carry little Amanda in his arms once again. The way his blue eyes like mines matches with the polo shirt. Do you know? Blue always has been the favourite colour of my father and mines too.

That colour is strange. That is not a normal colour. Its vibrant variations of shades are like shades of love. And maybe I just had to find it once again?

"You won the title. You were the winner of the competition."

Who cares? About the competition? Who the hell cares about anything anyway? It does matter? It does matter about anything now?
The only thing I remember now at this moment is A poem by my father when he had said those words when he had whispered those blissful words in my ear, Craving me for the lifetime thing in the art of poetry.

I saw a girl,

Shining in the night,

When there was no one to see,

When there was no soul to whisper,

Only there were her millions of dreams in her penetrating eyes.

I saw a girl,

Blooming in the night,

When there were no eyes to watch,

When there were no screams to hear,

Only there were her thousands of stars shining in the night.

Tears were started rolling down through my eyes. His love was something I can never forget and the mother I have. I can never forgive her.

"Amanda listen. Veronica, she cheated.
She didn't win! She knew that she can never win so she cheated. She changed the answer sheets. She did everything whatever was in her hands to win.
To get the opportunity to be at Howard University."

I can feel his breath fanning over my left cheek. I can feel his rhythm of the heartbeat over my ears. I can feel that he is hyperventilating. I can feel everything.

I can feel his body was burning like a fire, like a drug so close to me. I can feel that there is more in this story. That there is something needed to listen to. Needed to judge. Needed to be contemplated.

But how? Do I bring out words from my mouth? How do I change everything into nothing? How can I stop myself from crying over and over again? And most importantly how can I trust him?

How can I trust him again?

Everything is in front of your eyes just ask him! Ask him straightforwardly. Then there will be no regret, no cross-questions, no wisdom, no faith just do this fucking thing and ask him. Because trust me darling that is the only thing you can do to behead this pain.

I was sweating, my body was getting numb. I was getting cold and in this explicit moment, everything looks so strange yet so astonishing at the same time. He was right here in front of my eyes, trying to console me with his overprotective arms. He was doing everything, my father wished him for me to do.

He was stroking my hair with his velvety fingers. He was rubbing my tears with his thumb. He got stuck me into his chest and his arms. And I know I cannot move anywhere from this. And I know that this is the safest place on this earth.

But why he did it? But why he didn't tell anyone? Why he didn't tell the right thing over the right time.

"Why did you do that?"

It was just a simple question to ask. My words got stuck in my throat like a cage of stones after that.

Now, the wind has changed, things have changed and the parameters have changed.
He may now think that I don't trust him. He may think that I will judge him. He may think that he had done something wrong.

Because how much wrong it can be? To see someone steal your identity ahead of you. You must be thinking that how wrong I am? To still thinking about winning and losing? But isn't it true that in the end, no one will ask any question? Only the winner and loser stands out in the crowd.

Trust me. I don't care about anything. I don't even care about the wisdom of the stars at this time. So, you heard me I don't fucking give a damn about anything at this moment. I don't give a damn about winner and loser at this moment.

Because I know. I've always been the winner in my father's eyes. And that is the only thing that matters to me the most.

"I..." Words started coming out of his mouth as the last leaf or autumn has just split from its tree.

"Shhhhh."

I shushed him. I put my finger on his soft lips. Those lips were shivering from the thunder. Those lips had made me crazy. Those lips look artistic in the night and alone in the light.

"I don't care about anything. Because somehow, I know that whatever you did. You did it for a reason. And for the first time, I want to completely trust you in that thing."

The air was stuck between us. His breath became raged like mine's we were so close yet so far. Out chest was bumping up and down from the fire within us or maybe it is just another thing of anxiety? Maybe it is really hard to say whatever was running in our minds. Maybe it is hard to have an intellectual talk with each other. because that is the human tendency isn't it? To never say whatever you are feeling in the first place.

He grabbed my chin gently when I was trying to avoid eye contact with him. I don't know why? But I can't stand eye contact with him right now! It's like if I ever look into them I'll be lost and then I'll fall hard for him despite denying it I'll be accepting it in front of him.

However, he was determined to do that. He made me look him in his eyes. He made me get lost in him. He made me truly believe him with those emotions of his eyes that can't be spoken with the words. And sometimes, silence speaks better than voices.

And in a split of a second, I was between the wall and him. There was no space left between us. Not even a fly can come to interrupt us at this moment. We both were breathing hard. His minty breath was mixing with my dry one. Like we became the one soul in the same body.

"You are the most beautiful girl in my life." He whispered gently in my ear while tucking an ick of hair behind my ear.

I'm going to faint!

Say something stupid!

"I... I.." He put his fingers on my lips and shushed me."

"You are the most intelligent girl in my life. The one who is the winner. And I know you were the winner but you still didn't get the title, but I believe you, Amanda, that you will get a place at Howard university if you want to. You don't need to win a competition to prove you to make other people believe that you can do that. You have the ambition. I've seen the dreams in your eyes. And God damn your eyes! These fucking eyes make me want to kiss you whenever I see you. You know you don't need to say a word to me because your eyes speak more than you. They are your soul, your diary, and I'm your reader. I want to be your reader."

And with that, he captured me in a battle of passion. Where we were kissing each other. he was devouring my lips while exploring my mouth. Our tongues were in the battle with each other. No one wants to lose this battle.

And then when he sucked my lower lips making me wobbly in my legs that when I realized I can't win with him.
When it became so hard for us to breathe. We realized that it is the perfect time to get separated from each other otherwise we will die due to insufficient air that has not reached our lungs.

He met his forehead with mine. Like I'm the only precious thing he has in his life.

Our heart was melting,

Out breath got hitched,

Our eyes were sparkling,

Our fingers were intertwined,

And there was no one between us.

Just perfect! Although, I'm not a fan of this hypo of perfect. But here in this moment, everything feels so complete, so perfect.

"The reason why I didn't tell everyone about Veronica's scam was that I knew that if I did that she will kill herself somehow or maybe her parents will snatch away her dreams from her. she was anxious all the time when she came to know that you were her rival in the game. She very well knew that she can't stand against you. But she fakes everything else like she always does.

Remember that second round in which we have to showcase our talent? She chose dancing in that. And I think She always wanted to do that. She always wanted to be a dancer. But her parents didn't like it. They hated it. They wanted her to pursue higher studies at Howard University by winning the most prestigious competition of Cross River High School. And her parent's warned her that if she didn't win they will send her to the farthest corner of the world where she can never do what her heart craves for most.

And I know I did wrong with you by not letting you know that when I already realized her scam when results got announced. But I knew I had faith in you and you don't need a hyp of competition to get the place at Howard University. You are so much talented that I know you will get your letter if you want to apply to the university but she won't. And that thing will crush her."

That was the reason why she was not making eye contact with me whenever I saw her. That's why when the results were declared Cole was shocked and Veronica was lost. But I didn't understand one thing. When Cole finds out the truth about her scam?

"When and how you realized that she cheated?"
This question came out of my mouth before I could even think of anything else.

"When I saw her face when Mr Bennett called her on the stage. I saw her shame in her eyes. And that's when I realized there is something wrong with the whole story. I followed her right after when she received the title and made her confess everything by saying that I know what she did and that if she didn't tell me everything, why she did what she did. then I'll dial 911. It was kind of stupid I know, but that thing worked on her and boom I got to know the whole story."

And he kept ranting and ranting. But I don't want to listen now I've already made up my mind.

Maybe we all crushed somehow in one way or another by our parent's dreams. And you know what? I just don't care about anything right now. It's high time to get everything straight in my mind.

"Shhhhhhh..." I shushed him by putting my finger on his gentle lips.

"Mr Cole Maxwell. You know what? I don't care about anything. I don't care about the competition! I don't care about the drama! I don't care about my mother. I don't give a damn about anything because I know I can trust you in everything."

And with the heart full confession by me, we again get lost in each other embraces.

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Oh yes, finally I'm here with Amanda and cole.

And soon this story will be going to end until then keep supporting guys. Because you guys are best.😍❤❤❤❤❤

And one more thing. I changed this story title from 'A playboy's Challenge' to 'The Challenge'
Because I think that was the appropriate thing to do. So what do you think?