The night was cold, cold and windy. Understandably so, since it was mid-october, after all. I shivered and pulled my jacket closer towards me, visible chill bumps forming under my tight black leggings. I gazed at the clock in my dimly lit car. 10:14. I had been sitting in the passenger seat for about 20 minutes now, waiting for my damn stomach to calm down. I had excused myself from the apartment complex full of cold beer and good company due to waves of nausea that kept sweeping over me, along with gradual crescendoes of sharp pain that came over my stomach. I don't know if it was because of something I ate, or simply because of his presence. Either way, something was making me nervous.
I felt the faint buzzing of my phone next to my thigh and glanced at the screen. It was him. I flipped it open and read his text, which was filled with evident concern.
"Are you ok? Do you need me to come down?"
I smiled faintly. He was such a good friend. At times I didn't think I deserved someone as kind and caring as him in my life. As much as I wanted him down here with me, holding me, I knew it wouldn't be right to keep him from his friends. After all, he hadn't seen them in quite some time. Sighing, I punched in a short response, insisting that he stay put.
I closed my phone and leaned back against the seat, squinting my eyes shut as I felt another wave of intense pain take hold of my stomach. I opened the door slightly to see if fresh air could possibly help. I inhaled deeply of the crisp night air as I felt the wind brush my hair against my cheeks and around my face. It seemed to be working, for the pain was gradually subsiding. Still, I felt weak, and my legs were now asleep due to the amount of time I'd been sitting. I looked up and saw the living room lights shining brightly through the window of the apartment. The sound of laughter and incessant chatter resonated through the glass and blinds. I sighed and looked down. He must be having a lot of fun up there, and had probably forgotten that I was still even down here. I wouldn't possibly get the chance to be alone with him tonight. It didn't matter anyway. I was too chicken to tell him how I felt, and even if I did tell him he probably didn't share my sentiment. Right then and there I decided it would be better to just leave.
I bit my lip and opened my phone, scrolling through the contacts until I came upon his name. I hastily typed in a short text, and pressed send. I put my phone in my jacket pocket, and fumbled my way into the driver's seat. The keys were already waiting for me in the ignition. All I had to do was crank it up, and I could escape from all this. From him. I raised my hand to turn the ignition. Right before I could, I heard a familiar voice yelling my name, and a familiar figure hastily walking over to my door. It was him.
He bent down and tapped on my window, motioning for me to roll it down. I followed suit, looking into his eyes that were full of confusion and a twinge of disappointment.
"Why are you leaving? Is everything ok?"
"Yeah...I just...I dunno...I feel weird. I just want to go back to my apartment. I'll be fine though. I'll see you tomorrow, I'm sure.."
I smiled up at him faintly and made the motion as if to roll the window up. His hand grabbed the base of the window before the glass had a chance to begin escalating upward.
"No, wait...Let me come with you."
I raised my eyebrows at him. He wanted to come WITH me? Me? When all his older buddies were upstairs drinking and having a great time? I couldn't believe it. But he was stubborn. Once he had his mind set on something, there was no stopping him. That was one of the main things that had me so attracted to him. Even so, I couldn't help but double-check his decision.
"Are you sure?"
Before I could finish my inquiry, he had already opened my door and motioned for me to go to the passenger side, indicating that he would be the one driving. I laughed and followed his orders.
Before I knew it he had cranked up the engine and we were on our way to my apartment, which was only about 5 minutes away.
It was all I could do to keep from studying his face the entire trip. I kept my eyes locked forward, never once letting them stray to his wonderful face. I had grown to love that face, and it killed me to not be able to show it. Such is life, I suppose.
We pulled up to the complex, which was largely absent from cars and such due to the fact that it was a saturday night. It had just dawned on me: We were alone. I hastily unbuckled my seat belt and reached for my car door, my heart thumping wildly. I could feel my throat drying as he emerged from the car and walked towards me, playfully holding out his arm to "escort" me to my door. I smiled and shook my head, resting my hand on his arm, trying to hold my shaking figure steady.
I could feel my heart sink as we approached my door, because he would probably want to leave right after showing me inside. But no, he surprised me. Taking my keys, he unlocked the door, and helped me walk inside. He shut the door behind him and locked it, as I always do.
Now, we were REALLY alone.
He placed my keys on the counter, smiling at me. "Do you want anything to drink? Tea, perhaps?" I thought about refusing, but the look of sincere thoughtfulness and concern in his eyes took me back. He truly WANTED to serve me. So I decided to let him.
"Sure, why not?"
He went to my cupboard and pulled out a ceramic mug and a bag of earl grey, my personal favorite. I watched as he carefully poured water into my kettle and set it on the stove, letting it heat up until it let out a cheery whistle. He poured the steaming water into my mug and brought it over to me, a warm smile on his face.
"Here, let me help you upstairs."
My room was up a steep flight of stairs, one that was especially hard to walk if you were weak in the knees like I was at that moment. It was not due to fatigue or sickness, but sheer nervous excitement. He was taking over me, and I couldn't say one word.
He helped me up the stairs and opened the door to my room, which smelled of vanilla incense and clean bedsheets. Aside from a few clothes scattered on the floor, it was relatively clean. He turned on a small lamp in the corner of the room as I sat on my bed and took off my shoes. He brought my tea over and set it down.