door and focused on the
still pressing problem of where I was going to sit.
I took a quick look around, praying to find a direction
that I could quickly escape to. However, after a few minutes had passed and I
found myself still standing there, I lost hope. I was about to turn around to
leave when a swinging arm high in the air, caught my attention.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was James-
Nathan’s cousin, and instantly, I breathed easier. I was sure he was calling
out to me, so before my mind could convince me otherwise, I headed over to his
table. His was at the extreme end to the right, and about two tables from the
first. I reached it and to my relief, he moved further down the bench so that I
could take a seat on the edge. I was more than grateful.
“Hi,” he greeted with a bright smile, but was still so
shy that his eyes were barely able to hold mine for more than two seconds. It
amused me enough to temporarily forget that I was upset, and I returned the
greeting with a genuine smile of my own. But the sight I met as I turned from
him, instantly wiped the cheer away from my face.
Nathan was sitting directly across from us.
He had a book on the table and was reading, his head
casually balanced against his palm. I was stunned enough to keep my gaze on him
for at least ten seconds, but when he suddenly moved to turn a page, I darted
my gaze away.
It landed on the couple beside him, a curly blonde and
an Asian boy, their faces a little too close together for comfort. But
absent-mindedly, I left my gaze on them, still reeling from the shock of seeing
Nathan, until their lips met and they started kissing. It took me a few more
seconds to realize what was happening and when I did, I moved my eyes away, a
deep frown carved into my forehead.
Laughter from my side drew me to see two other boys
beside James chatting away, but when I took my eyes away from them, Nathan’s
eyes caught mine.
“Are you alright?” James asked right then, and I was
more than glad for the save. I turned to him, my heart pounding in my chest.
“I am,” I answered.
“I wanted to apologize for what happened on Tuesday,”
he said. “I had no idea that you’d left your book. I would’ve brought it to
you.”
“Its fine,” I quickly dismissed, and looked down to the
hands I didn’t realize I had been wringing . I
untangled them, and took a deep breath. I wanted to get out of there.
My gaze drifted to Nathan again, but thankfully, his
attention was back on his book. Earphones were plugged into his ears, and to an
extent, I was glad that he wasn’t listening to James and I.
“Do you live in the UK?” James asked.
I shook my head. “No, the US,” I said. I thought it was
quite obvious but he was probably trying to fill up the silence so I didn’t
mind.
“Oh,” he said. “No wonder your accent’s all messed up.”
I smiled.
“So, how did you end up here?”
“Long story,” I replied, as I looked towards the buffet
line. It was going slower than I would have liked.
“Alex mentioned that you two met earlier,” he said, and
that instantly caught my attention.
He talked about
me? I thought, and my entire body tingled with excitement. I turned to face
James but only realized moments later that my eyes had been boring into his,
willing him to say more. I looked away from his confused expression and back to
the buffet line to hide my shame.
“Another long story,” I said, and thankfully, that
severed our communication enough to get myself under control.
What’s wrong with
me? Iwondered. Right now, I was
sitting with my hands underneath the table to hide the fact that I couldn’t
stop wringing them, and was even consciously trying to control my breathing,
afraid that it would be too loud and that Nathan would notice. What was
happening to the hardened girl I had cultivated for close to three years?
Soon, it was our turn to head to the buffet counter, so
I instantly got up to escape and James followed.
still pressing problem of where I was going to sit.
I took a quick look around, praying to find a direction
that I could quickly escape to. However, after a few minutes had passed and I
found myself still standing there, I lost hope. I was about to turn around to
leave when a swinging arm high in the air, caught my attention.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was James-
Nathan’s cousin, and instantly, I breathed easier. I was sure he was calling
out to me, so before my mind could convince me otherwise, I headed over to his
table. His was at the extreme end to the right, and about two tables from the
first. I reached it and to my relief, he moved further down the bench so that I
could take a seat on the edge. I was more than grateful.
“Hi,” he greeted with a bright smile, but was still so
shy that his eyes were barely able to hold mine for more than two seconds. It
amused me enough to temporarily forget that I was upset, and I returned the
greeting with a genuine smile of my own. But the sight I met as I turned from
him, instantly wiped the cheer away from my face.
Nathan was sitting directly across from us.
He had a book on the table and was reading, his head
casually balanced against his palm. I was stunned enough to keep my gaze on him
for at least ten seconds, but when he suddenly moved to turn a page, I darted
my gaze away.
It landed on the couple beside him, a curly blonde and
an Asian boy, their faces a little too close together for comfort. But
absent-mindedly, I left my gaze on them, still reeling from the shock of seeing
Nathan, until their lips met and they started kissing. It took me a few more
seconds to realize what was happening and when I did, I moved my eyes away, a
deep frown carved into my forehead.
Laughter from my side drew me to see two other boys
beside James chatting away, but when I took my eyes away from them, Nathan’s
eyes caught mine.
“Are you alright?” James asked right then, and I was
more than glad for the save. I turned to him, my heart pounding in my chest.
“I am,” I answered.
“I wanted to apologize for what happened on Tuesday,”
he said. “I had no idea that you’d left your book. I would’ve brought it to
you.”
“Its fine,” I quickly dismissed, and looked down to the
hands I didn’t realize I had been wringing . I
untangled them, and took a deep breath. I wanted to get out of there.
My gaze drifted to Nathan again, but thankfully, his
attention was back on his book. Earphones were plugged into his ears, and to an
extent, I was glad that he wasn’t listening to James and I.
“Do you live in the UK?” James asked.
I shook my head. “No, the US,” I said. I thought it was
quite obvious but he was probably trying to fill up the silence so I didn’t
mind.
“Oh,” he said. “No wonder your accent’s all messed up.”
I smiled.
“So, how did you end up here?”
“Long story,” I replied, as I looked towards the buffet
line. It was going slower than I would have liked.
“Alex mentioned that you two met earlier,” he said, and
that instantly caught my attention.
He talked about
me? I thought, and my entire body tingled with excitement. I turned to face
James but only realized moments later that my eyes had been boring into his,
willing him to say more. I looked away from his confused expression and back to
the buffet line to hide my shame.
“Another long story,” I said, and thankfully, that
severed our communication enough to get myself under control.
What’s wrong with
me? Iwondered. Right now, I was
sitting with my hands underneath the table to hide the fact that I couldn’t
stop wringing them, and was even consciously trying to control my breathing,
afraid that it would be too loud and that Nathan would notice. What was
happening to the hardened girl I had cultivated for close to three years?
Soon, it was our turn to head to the buffet counter, so
I instantly got up to escape and James followed.
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