to catch his breath from running after me. My face tingled. "You helped me a few weeks ago, right?" he asked.
His teeth were fantastic. They were very straight, like he probably wore a mouth guard at night for years, straight.
I nodded. Smiled. Ran my tongue over my teeth and worried that I'd never had braces. Should I have? Were my teeth straight enough for him?
"I never got a chance to thank you," he said as he swiped at his sweaty forehead. I wanted to reach up and do it for him.
Rainy bounced next to me, reminding me that he and I were not alone. She squeezed my arm harder as they both looked at me, stared. More heat flooded into my face and my heart started flipping out. I was supposed to talk. Suddenly the idea seemed impossible even though I had practice all of those lines. Suddenly they all vanished. Suddenly it became embarrassing.
The heat pulsing through my body seemed to be melting away all of my hard work from the last few weeks. New Sunny, able to talk to Rainy and a few select others, able to stand up (sort of) to the office bully, able to make good life choices, that girl went all soft and gooey, leaving everything old and scared and unsure behind.
Rainy elbowed me.
"Oh! Ha!" I said and laughed loudly. My face folded into a grimace as I berated myself. No cackling, Sunny! Dammit. I took a deep breath and leaned my weight a little more into Rainy, and said, "No problem."
His face relaxed as I smoothed out my awkwardness. He nodded, ran a hand through his hair, and looked down at the street.
"You wouldn't happen to have time to grab a coffee?" he asked.
It must've been fate that Rainy was with me, that I already leaned most of my weight on her, because I swear if she hadn't been there I would have collapsed on the street.
"As a thank you," he added after I didn't say anything for a few seconds.
"Coffee?" I said, my mind trying to grasp what had happened.
His eyes squinted as he smiled. "Yeah... you know, beans, lattes, Seattle?" He made grinding and sipping gestures.
I shook my head. Crap. Did he think I didn't know what coffee was?
"Ha! I know." I pinched my mouth to one side as I tried to stop my heart from exploding in my chest. "We were just on our way to--"
"To that smoothie shop," Rainy said forcefully, opening her eyes wide in my direction.
My palms were sweaty and I nodded. Thank Jesus for Rainy. I was about to use the yoga class to run away again when really the only reason I kept going at all was to find him.
Even with Rainy's save, Green Shoe Guy still seemed confused. "Are you sure I'm not stopping you from...?" He pointed to my fancy cat workout bag.
I shook my head, thought for a second and nodded. Then I added a smile. I was so lost.
"She'd love to," Rainy said for me. "I however, will leave you two --"
Rainy let out a squeal as I clamped down on her arm and whispered, "Don't you dare leave me alone with him or I swear to God I will reenact the freaking Boston Tea Party with your entire inventory." I think my eye twitched.
Rainy pressed her lips together to stifle a smile and nodded. "On second thought, I will join you."
Green Shoe Guy shoved his hands in his pockets and we walked to the shop. I wrapped my arm through Rainy's and she pulled me along. He held the door open for us and we got in line. Knowing he was right behind me made breathing suddenly feel like a great feat.
At one point I looked back, just to check that he was still there. He smiled. My head whipped back around, my shoulders went ridged, and I focused on easier things like deciding what I would have to drink. Rainy and I ordered first, but as we reached for our wallets, a hand landed softly on my shoulder.
"My treat," he said. He took in my wrinkled expression and said, "Remember, for the shoe?"
"Oh," was all I said.
"Thank you," said Rainy. "We'll go get a table."
She led me to a four-seater and I plopped down, breathing for the first time in what felt like half an hour.
"What am I doing?" I pulled
His teeth were fantastic. They were very straight, like he probably wore a mouth guard at night for years, straight.
I nodded. Smiled. Ran my tongue over my teeth and worried that I'd never had braces. Should I have? Were my teeth straight enough for him?
"I never got a chance to thank you," he said as he swiped at his sweaty forehead. I wanted to reach up and do it for him.
Rainy bounced next to me, reminding me that he and I were not alone. She squeezed my arm harder as they both looked at me, stared. More heat flooded into my face and my heart started flipping out. I was supposed to talk. Suddenly the idea seemed impossible even though I had practice all of those lines. Suddenly they all vanished. Suddenly it became embarrassing.
The heat pulsing through my body seemed to be melting away all of my hard work from the last few weeks. New Sunny, able to talk to Rainy and a few select others, able to stand up (sort of) to the office bully, able to make good life choices, that girl went all soft and gooey, leaving everything old and scared and unsure behind.
Rainy elbowed me.
"Oh! Ha!" I said and laughed loudly. My face folded into a grimace as I berated myself. No cackling, Sunny! Dammit. I took a deep breath and leaned my weight a little more into Rainy, and said, "No problem."
His face relaxed as I smoothed out my awkwardness. He nodded, ran a hand through his hair, and looked down at the street.
"You wouldn't happen to have time to grab a coffee?" he asked.
It must've been fate that Rainy was with me, that I already leaned most of my weight on her, because I swear if she hadn't been there I would have collapsed on the street.
"As a thank you," he added after I didn't say anything for a few seconds.
"Coffee?" I said, my mind trying to grasp what had happened.
His eyes squinted as he smiled. "Yeah... you know, beans, lattes, Seattle?" He made grinding and sipping gestures.
I shook my head. Crap. Did he think I didn't know what coffee was?
"Ha! I know." I pinched my mouth to one side as I tried to stop my heart from exploding in my chest. "We were just on our way to--"
"To that smoothie shop," Rainy said forcefully, opening her eyes wide in my direction.
My palms were sweaty and I nodded. Thank Jesus for Rainy. I was about to use the yoga class to run away again when really the only reason I kept going at all was to find him.
Even with Rainy's save, Green Shoe Guy still seemed confused. "Are you sure I'm not stopping you from...?" He pointed to my fancy cat workout bag.
I shook my head, thought for a second and nodded. Then I added a smile. I was so lost.
"She'd love to," Rainy said for me. "I however, will leave you two --"
Rainy let out a squeal as I clamped down on her arm and whispered, "Don't you dare leave me alone with him or I swear to God I will reenact the freaking Boston Tea Party with your entire inventory." I think my eye twitched.
Rainy pressed her lips together to stifle a smile and nodded. "On second thought, I will join you."
Green Shoe Guy shoved his hands in his pockets and we walked to the shop. I wrapped my arm through Rainy's and she pulled me along. He held the door open for us and we got in line. Knowing he was right behind me made breathing suddenly feel like a great feat.
At one point I looked back, just to check that he was still there. He smiled. My head whipped back around, my shoulders went ridged, and I focused on easier things like deciding what I would have to drink. Rainy and I ordered first, but as we reached for our wallets, a hand landed softly on my shoulder.
"My treat," he said. He took in my wrinkled expression and said, "Remember, for the shoe?"
"Oh," was all I said.
"Thank you," said Rainy. "We'll go get a table."
She led me to a four-seater and I plopped down, breathing for the first time in what felt like half an hour.
"What am I doing?" I pulled
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