Who is right

Chapter 2

"Why do you look so giddy?" Nora asked me as I was smoking a cigarette outside in order to take a quick breath of air. She didn't usually smoke but I offered her one anyway and she gladly accepted it. It was pretty cold tonight, and the gathering was turning into a small party, so I was a bit tipsy already.

"No particular reason. I just had a not so boring day and it's really refreshing." There were a few students walking on the streets. Nora didn't live too far from campus and given that this is a city with quite a lot of universities, it was rare to not see people our age everywhere we were.

"You look really cute when you're happy. I also really like how your cheeks and nose are all red from the cold right now. I really want to picture you."

"Haha thanks. You look really good tonight too!" She pinched my cheeks and proceeded to take her phone out and capture a few pictures of me. After a few shots, I had the idea to climb one of the trees in front of her residence and sit on a strong enough branch. Nora laughed and continued taking pictures.

"I AM GOING TO LOSE IT THIS YEAR. MARK MY WORDS I WILL RELEASE ALL OF THE BUILT-UP FRUSTRATIONS IN NO TIME!"

"WOOHOO YOU GOT THIS LILA! YOU'RE GOING TO FIND THE BEST STUD I BELIEVE IN YOU"

"YES AND I WILL RIDE HIM DAY AND NIGHT". I don't need to explain that the alcohol hit a bit stronger than I had anticipated and now Nora and I were laughing so hard and shouting out some pretty lewd things in the middle of the street.

"Hey hot stuff. I don't mind being your stud if you want it that bad"

"Haha get out of here Jonah! You've already tried and missed your shot." I got down to greet one of my best friends. Jonah and I met when I was in 10th grade while he was in 11th grade. We didn't get close right away since I had a crush on one of his friends and hadn't taken the time to realize how funny and charming Jonah was. He left before I did to Montreal and it made my moving here much easier. I truly love him from the bottom of my heart and trust him with everything. However, Jonah had a crush on me when I liked his friend back then and due to the circumstances, I was never able to see him as someone to date.

"There you go breaking my hopes again. Seriously though, if you need help to take care of your needs you know I'd never turn you down" he winked before leading the way to Nora's apartment.

"How generous of you" I managed to catch up to him and lightly hit the back of his head. Nora joined me in doing so and Jonah returned the favor by slamming her front door in our faces after getting in himself.

I ended up sleeping at Nora's house because of how drunk I was and left early to get us some coffee and breakfast from Meert café. As I was approaching the entrance, I caught a glimpse of Paris waiting in line. Panic. I look like absolute shit. I'm dressed in Nora's oversized sweats and hoodie. My hair is in such a messy bun that it isn't even close to being cute. I switched streets and went in a less crowded place to take out my camera and fix myself a bit. I then took a deep breath in and headed back to the café.

Paris didn't see me when I entered, and I don't know whether I should say hi or not. He's already waiting for his coffee and I'm at the far back of the line. I guess this is perfect though. I can just pretend I didn't see him and avoid him seeing me looking like this.

"Paris! Over here come and join us!" I, along with many customers, turned my head to see who's overly loud and perky voice belonged to. A small girl who looked too young to be in university was there with two of what I assume are her girlfriends. She was staring straight at Paris waiting for his move.

I proceeded to look at him too and couldn't really tell what facial expression he was making. Disgust? Anxiety? Panic? I'm not so sure but he didn't really look as happy as the girl to be here.

After grabbing his coffee, he started heading towards her and passed next to me. I didn't really think much about what I did next. Maybe it was instinct because he looked so helpless or maybe it was jealousy because I am a bit territorial even though I barely even know the guy. Anyways, here I am bumping into the guy and making sure that his drink spills all over him. However, I of course managed to get half of the content on Nora's clothes.

"Lila? You're Lila right?"

"Uh yeah sorry about that. I'm still a bit dizzy from drinking yesterday I should've been more careful" SO embarrassing. I couldn't really take pride in what I did and pretend to be his knight in shining armor either because in the end I actually have no idea whether he really needed to be saved or not.

"Hahaha! No really don't worry about it." Alright. Alright. He doesn't seem to be pissed off by what I did.

"Still, I feel bad. I'll get you another coffee while you go clean up alright?" He hesitated a bit and looked at the girl who had seen the entire scene.

"Sure. Thanks, I appreciate it!"

Paris got out of the bathroom the same time as I got our orders and he headed over to the girl's table straight away. They exchanged a couple of words and then both turned to look at me. I felt very self-conscious considering my appearance. To top it off, I had a huge stain on Nora's beige hoodie and was struggling to hold the three coffee cups and Nora and I's breakfasts.

I took the courage to go over to them and avoided looking at the girls sitting around the table.

"Umm, here's your coffee. Sorry again! I'll see you around"

"Wait! I must head out too. Let's leave together" He said bye to the girls and grabbed his coffee along with the bag I was holding containing the food.

"Thanks, I was struggling a bit"

"Haha I realized. Don't worry about it" Paris seemed less tense now that we were out. He also looked really good this morning dressed in his baggy vintage beige pants, his light brown sweater covered with water from him removing the coffee stain earlier, a light jacket and a scarf. He also has a really nice smile that make his eyelids close almost to the point of fully being shut. "Be honest, you did that on purpose back there didn't you?". Shit. Do I deny? Ugh was I that obvious! I wouldn't be credible considering I had to step out of line in order to bump into him.

"You looked kind of uncomfortable when that girl called you over, so I didn't really think and went ahead with my um stupid actions." He exploded of laughter right there in the middle of the street and put his hand on my shoulder. Badump, badump, badump. My heart was starting to race a bit too fast for such a simple gesture. I think I am blushing too.

"You're really an interesting girl Lila. I can't believe you managed to read me like that when we just met yesterday. Anyways you made a good call so thankyou! I owe you an escape plan for whenever you feel stuck alright?" I just nodded in response and gave him a little smile. Can he take his hand off my shoulder now? Why is he looking at me like I'm a puzzle he's trying to solve? Finally, he let go and said he was heading in the opposite direction. We said goodbye and I went back to Nora's. She obviously asked me how I got my stain and I told her about Paris. I didn't mention how hot he is or how fast my heart was beating. I always get small crushes so I'm sure this is just another one of them. The less I expect, the better I will feel. Right. Don't expect anything. He must be just a nice person. Nothing special! Many people are nice without wanting anything from you.