Girl and Boy

He looked at her as she sat on her bed surrounded by a sea of fleece and all things soft. Her head jerk up at his question. “A story?” she said softly.  A sly smile creeping across her beautiful face.  “Will there be dragons and wizards in it?”

            He knew she would say something quirky, that’s why he liked her.  “No, I’ve already told you a story like that.”

            “Yeah, and it had no ending.  I still think you need a better ending.”

            “I like cliffhanger endings.” He smiled knowing that he had no intention of finishing that story.

            “Stop that! No one likes cliffhanger endings! Come on now!” She mocked sounding upset and crossed her arms. 

            He wasn’t sure how she did that.  How she could look so cute even while trying to be upset.  He had almost stopped breathing when he first saw her smile and it took him months before he could stop giggling like an idiotic school girl whenever she spoke.  “It’s about a boy and a girl.”

            “Ooo…I like it already.”  She always got excited about his stories, or at least faked it really good.  He always got so much confidence from her even though he knew how dumb his stories really were.

            “So boy met girl.  It was at the most unlikeliest of places, but they had met and he couldn’t stop looking at her.   He didn’t know exactly what color her hair was… It was just beautiful.  She was funny and her laugh was infectious.  He had wanted to laugh for such a long time.  You see boy wasn’t the happiest of boys.  He didn’t see himself in such a happy place.  But when she cracked a joke for the first time as they talked in a small group, he had laughed just a little too much.”

            “Wait is this a love story? Uugh!” She feigned not being interested.

            “Oh shut it and listen! Haha.  So boy thought about her a lot for the first few days, not intentionally but she was too stubborn to leave his thoughts.  She was mysterious... an enigma.  But deep down he knew nothing would become of it.  She was out of his league and he didn’t really believe that girl could ever really like him.  That any girl would.  So he would see her around and be nice, laugh too much when they talked, she made him nervous.  He always felt so small around her.  Like the way that every other Di Vinci painting feels small when it glimpses the masterpiece and perfection of the Mona Lisa.” He stopped and looked at her, she seemed to be interested enough.  He green eyes met his and he quickly started again. “So boy stepped back and lived his life.  Dated some other girls.  Yet always kept girl in mind.  Until one day he walked into a tutoring appointment.  It was her.  Girl looked at him and said simply ‘what’s up?’.  He laughed.  She looked at him with an odd face as if she was trying to understand why he always laughed at her.  She didn’t understand that he was laughing because he was instantly nervous.  So he sat down and tried to concentrate as he talked with her.  They got to know each other. 

            “That weekend girl texted boy.  A group was going out to lunch, did he want to go?  Boy was broke, but he decided that this might be his shot.  Maybe she was interested in him.  So they went with this group of friends to this restaurant with food so expensive that it would force boy to eat ramen the rest of the week and would also give him a slight stomachache.  He didn’t mind too much.  It was the most fun he had had in months.  She was such a dork!  And he thought it was awesome.  So what if she knew more about cars then he did.  They talked a lot about books and tv shows.  He was impressed by what her likes.  Every time he saw her he liked her more.  Every time they talked he felt closer to her.  He wanted to play it cool, but it was harder then he thought.  It’s almost impossible to play it cool when he was laughing at everything she said.  He would kick himself every time he left her or hung up the phone.”

            “Is there going to be any action in this story? Its kinda boring…” He forced himself not to laugh at her question.  She smiled at him.

            “So he asked her out.”

            “Here we go!”

            “Seriously?”

            “What? …Oh just keep going.”

            “So as I was saying they had a date.  She was tired after working all day so he went and rented a movie he had secretly wanted to see for a long time, and brought over dinner and brownie mix.  He had a lot of fun.  She seemed to be enjoying himself.  But then again girl was impossible to read.  Boy was over confident and put his arm around her during the movie and instantly felt like an idiot…but he couldn’t take his arm back that would be even more awkward.  He never makes a move on the first date!  They talked for hours and she let him in a little to her life.  Boy wanted to beat up ass-hole exes, but knew he wasn’t that strong.  They were becoming friends.  He enjoyed the date.  She had fallen into the black hole of sleep for a few seconds.  Her relaxed face was heart stopping.  He shook her awake and told her he was leaving.  There was a hug and boy walked home on top of the world. 

            “So they talked a lot more and they texted all the time. But when he asked her out again she was busy.  He was too self-conscious to ask again.  So slowly he stopped calling her, assuming she just wanted to be friends.  They still texted all the time.  He still felt the same and one night he was determined to go over and talk to her on his way home. 

            “It was dark out and he was on the corner when her car pulled up.  Another guy got out of the passenger seat and she laughed as she got out too.  Some stupid joke.  They walked straight at boy and didn’t see him.  He was a ghost in the dark.  He forced himself to look at the cracked concrete and continued on his way home, only sneaking a peek to see her door close behind them.  Boy felt stupid.  He went to work early that night.”

            “Poor guy… shoulda just let go,” she mumbled to himself.

            “He tried.  The next day was a gathering where they always saw each other.  The other guy sat next to her.   Boy tried to convince himself her little brother had come to visit. But you don’t look at your brother like that.

            “So boy told himself that he had been stupid to think anything would ever happen.   That night she texted him.  He was kinda upset to see it was her, but he read it none the less.   The other guy had been a jerk to her.  Boy chatted with her; in his mind he knew she just wanted to be friends with boy.  You talk to friends about other guys like that, not to boys you like.  At least that’s what boy thought.” He looked up at her; she pulled those stubborn bangs from in front of her eyes.  Her eyes were understanding and seemed shocked.  She didn’t say anything. “So boy played the part.  He was friend.   She shared a lot of things with boy over the next weeks and he started to open up to her and trust her.

            “Boy went home for a few weeks and not a day went by that they didn’t text.  Boy’s dad didn’t believe the story of her just being a good friend.  Boy didn’t either.  Didn’t want to.”  He said as he looked at his hands.

            “Wait who is this story about?” she asked him.

            He continued his story. “You see boy didn’t want to mess up what he had with girl.  They were become great friends.  He enjoyed talking to her.  When he had returned the first time they talked he was so excited, but he held back from laughing at the wrong times.  It was dark outside; she looked amazing.  She talked to him like a friend.  He responded the same.  He only flirted in texts.  It was easier…maybe she wouldn’t notice.” He looked up at her.  She had sat up straighter, she looked at him hard.  “Boy didn’t know how to tell her how he really felt.  He didn’t want to ruin what they had.  But he had to try.  So he told her.  And she sat there on her bed, holding a stuffed panda looking at him. Then she said…”

            She sat the panda down next to her.  Her eyes stayed on the plush animal a little long.  She raised her green eyes to meet his.  She opened her mouth, her face unreadable. He didn’t know what she would say and his heart raced and he felt like an idiot.  Then she spoke. "I..." She looked down at her hands that twisted them into knots. "I think its time...for you to go." She didn't raise her eyes to watch him stand and walk out of her room.
            He looked back and saw her still staring at her hands, her face red from embarrassment.  He swallowed hard once as he closed the door and turning quietly mumbled to himself, "Idiot..."