The rumors about Dana started in high school. She was a quiet student, always in the back of the class, always studying. But when her grades placed her in the top twenty, her classmates turned on her. “You must have cheated, Dana.
Or are you seducing the teacher for those grades? Look at your clothes. You’re just an orphan. Where else would you get the money for tuition?
”
She had never felt so small. She sat there, frozen, as they circled her. Then a voice cut through the noise. “If you don’t want to get expelled, get out of here right now.
”
It was Hank Moss. His father was the richest man in the city, and everyone knew it. The bullies scattered. He turned to Dana, his tone softer.
“Are you okay? ”
She nodded, embarrassed that he had seen her like that. “They’re really troublesome,” he said. “But no need to be afraid of them.
Here’s my number. If they bother you again, call me. I’m Hank Moss. ”
He left her standing there, holding his phone number like it was a lifeline.
She never called. She never thought she would see him again. Years later, her roommate Nina was meeting her online boyfriend for the first time and dragged Dana along to the dinner. The boyfriend had brought his roommate.
At the table, the roommate introduced himself. “I’m Hank Moss. ”
Dana’s heart stopped. He didn’t recognize her.
Of course he didn’t. She had been a nobody, and he had been the center of attention. She smiled, shook his hand, and pretended she had never heard his name before. Nina’s boyfriend, Saul, suggested they all follow each other on social media.
Hank declined. But when he noticed Dana’s hesitation, he looked at her directly. “What’s the matter? Do you really not want to know me?
”
She fumbled, typed her name, and clicked follow. But she accidentally hit a button and sent him a friend request instead. She tried to undo it, but it was too late. Hank just laughed.
“You were peeking at my profile? ”
The embarrassment was unbearable. But Hank didn’t seem annoyed. Later that night, when Dana got drunk from a sip of beer and stumbled, it was Hank who caught her.
He dried her off with a napkin and gave her his jacket when it got cold. He was nothing like the cold, arrogant person everyone gossiped about. “Have we met before? ” he asked her that night.
Dana hesitated. “We were in the same class in high school. Grade two. Class three.
”
Recognition flickered in his eyes. “Oh, it’s you. You’re pretty impressive getting into Exitun. ”
She didn’t know what to say.
He remembered her. She had a secret crush on him all those years ago, and she still did. Over the next few weeks, their paths kept crossing. Dana worked at a coffee shop on campus.
One day, a girl stormed up to Hank, accusing him of breaking her heart. Hank remained calm, refusing to give her another chance. Then he turned to Dana and bought her a cake. “You look pale.
Have you eaten? ” he asked. He was kind and attentive, and Dana couldn’t convince herself it meant nothing. One afternoon, they went shopping together.
She tried on a light blue dress, but she felt it was too flashy and changed back into her old clothes. When she got home, she found the dress in her bag. The tags were cut off. Hank had bought it for her.
She sent him a message thanking him, and he replied, “You look beautiful in it. Don’t ever talk about paying me back. ”
Dana’s heart raced. But she remembered all the rumors about Hank and his mysterious background, about girls confessing to him, about the beautiful Elsie from the art department who had openly declared she came to the campus to chase him.
She wasn’t his type. She knew that. Then everything changed at the amusement park. Nina had arranged the outing, and Hank was there too.
Dana spent the whole day with him: the roller coaster she was too scared to ride alone, the haunted house where he held her hand, the rain that soaked them both. He didn’t act like a playboy. He was careful, patient, and teasing. She was happy, even though she knew she was getting too attached.
But happiness never lasted long for Dana. One day, Hank announced he had a girlfriend. The school forum exploded. Everyone speculated about the new campus beauty.
Dana’s heart shattered. She started avoiding him. When he sat next to her in class, she pretended to sleep. When he asked what was wrong, she said nothing.
Hank confronted her eventually. “Did I do something wrong? Tell me. Why are you avoiding me?
”
“You have a girlfriend,” she said quietly. Hank looked genuinely confused. “Who told you that? ”
“Everyone is saying it.
You and Elsie…”
He let out a breath. “I don’t have a girlfriend. Elsie confessed to me, but I didn’t accept it. ”
Dana froze.
She had misunderstood everything. He had been single the whole time. She apologized, and Hank smiled. “Will you still avoid me?
”
“No,” she promised. That same night, Nina was lured to a club. Dana received a call: her roommate was drunk and insisting Dana come get her. When Dana arrived, the place was dark and empty.
A strange man tried to force his way in. She called Hank’s number, and he came charging through the door. He was furious. He was about to hurt the man who had tried to harm her when Dana stopped him, realizing the man was just a pawn.
“I think I know who ordered this,” she said. “Let’s go find him. ”
They found Christopher, the man who had been harassing Dana for months, sitting in a private booth, bragging about his plan. Hank recorded Christopher’s confession and broadcast it.
“One copy for the police. One for the school. Prepare to face the consequences. ”
Christopher begged, but Hank didn’t relent.
He ordered his men to teach Christopher a lesson. “If he isn’t left barely breathing, no one leaves this room. ”
After it was over, Dana saw the blood on Hank’s knuckles. She felt guilty for bringing him into her mess.
“Hank, you’re hurt. Let me get you medicine. ”
He looked at her with a softness she hadn’t seen before. “It’s not your fault, Dana.
I was willing to save you because you’re worth my concern. I want to be involved. ”
She couldn’t stop thinking about his words. Darin.
When Dana had nowhere to stay, Hank offered her his apartment. He gave her his room and slept on the sofa. He cooked her breakfast in the morning, slicing tomatoes and frying eggs like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Why does someone like you need to cook?
” she asked. He laughed. “How else do you think I’ve survived on my own? ”
Later, at a bar with Nina, Dana watched Hank come in with Elsie.
The crowd egged him on to kiss Elsie, but he refused. He whispered something to Elsie and walked away. He found Dana outside, sitting alone. “What are you doing out here?
” he asked. “I just needed some fresh air. ”
He wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from the cold, and whispered, “Have you seen enough? ”
It turned out Elsie had followed him, checking if his “girlfriend” was real.
Hank hadn’t wanted to kiss her. He had told the group he would kiss his girlfriend instead and left. Dana was that girlfriend. The realization hit her.
“So it was just for show,” she said. “Dana, do you know how cute you are? I can’t help but fall for you. ”
She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“Since everyone thinks I have a girlfriend,” he said, “how about we give it a shot? Dana, do you want to date me? ”
She was too stunned to speak. He seemed nervous.
“How about three months? You can set the time limit. ”
He looked vulnerable, and Dana couldn’t resist. “Okay.
”
They kept it a secret at first. Hank posted on social media that he had a girlfriend, and the internet went crazy trying to figure out who she was. He took her to meet his close friends, the only people he trusted. They adored her.
“He’s had a tough time since his mother passed,” one of them warned her gently. “He’s been all alone. So please stay by his side and don’t leave him. ”
She nodded, resolving to make him happy.
He spoiled her, took her to her first concert, knitted a scarf for him when winter came. He gave her a lucky charm before she went home for the New Year. Then, on New Year’s Eve, his grandfather passed away. Dana sent him a text.
“Happy New Year. ”
He replied, “Come downstairs. There are fireworks. ”
He had driven for hours in the cold just to see her.
She ran down in her pajamas. “Why are you here? ” she asked. “I miss you.
”
He smiled, kissed her forehead, and looked at her with the urgency of someone who was always running out of time. They met her cousin Mark and her aunt that night. Mark immediately guessed who Hank was. “I told you you two would end up together,” he said with a grin.
Dana’s family adored Hank. They saw how he looked at her. When the three-month deadline approached, Dana couldn’t help but worry. One night, she confessed her fear to Hank.
“You said three months,” she began. He stopped her mid-sentence, pulling her closer. “I’ve changed my mind, Dana. I never intended to date you for just three months.
I only said that so you would accept me. I’m not letting you go. ”
She had never felt so safe. They visited their old high school together, the whole group.
Dana had a flashback: there was a letter she had written to Hank back in high school, one she never sent. She had been too afraid. She didn’t want to risk losing him. So she kept the secret.
But Hank knew. He had found the letter, hidden in the old mailbox. That night, he asked Dana, “Remember when we visited high school and the guard mentioned a letter? I found it.
It was from you. ”
Her face flushed. She had been so careful. He read the letter slowly, smiling.
“You asked if I could answer your study questions. And as for staying in touch, my answer is no problem. In fact, I request to remain in contact with you for the rest of my life. ”
Dana was speechless.
He was holding their old secret love letter like a treasure. A few weeks later, Dana discovered an old photograph in the room of a kind lady who ran a restaurant Hank often took her to. The photo showed her own parents. “This is you?
” the lady asked, surprised. “You look exactly like your mother. She was a dear friend of mine. ”
Dana’s eyes filled with tears.
She had lost her parents when she was just two. All she had left were blurry memories of their love. “The people you’ve met love you very much,” the lady said gently. “That’s why you’re so good at loving others, silly girl.
”
Dana finally understood. She had spent so long thinking she was alone, that she was unworthy of attention. But she had been surrounded by love all along, from her adopted family, from her friends, and from Hank. One evening, Hank took her to the rooftop of his apartment building.
The city lights stretched out below them. He pulled a small blue velvet box from his pocket and got down on one knee. “Dana, you wrote me a letter when we were sixteen. And I missed it.
” He opened the box, revealing a silver ring that caught the light. “But I’m not going to miss you again. Will you marry me? ”
She thought about the girl she had been, the one who hid in the corners and never believed she was worth noticing.
And she thought about the boy who had always seen her, who had waited for her to catch up. “Yes,” she whispered. He slipped the ring onto her finger and pulled her close. “I’ll keep loving you,” he promised.
And unlike high school, Dana finally believed it.
