It took a month or so. I found a day when Douxie looked down. It feels a little creepy and invasive, waiting for a day to comfort Douxie. But I want to make sure I'm doing this because I care about him, not because of some piece of advice.
I sit anxiously at lunch, alone this time. My friends are all at their usual table; I'm by myself so that I can talk to Douxie privately. Earlier this morning, he just wasn't his usual jovial self.
I see Douxie walking over in my friends direction and Angelique turns around to give me a thumbs up. I answer with what I hope is a confident smile. Then I get up to wave Douxie over.
"Doux!" I call out.
His head whips around to look for the person who called his name. Douxie's hazel eyes meet my (y/e/c) one's. I'm suddenly trying to remind myself to breathe. Then he sees the empty seat beside me and understands what I'm trying to get him to do. Douxie smiles but it doesn't exactly reach his eyes when he sits down beside me.
I sit back down in my own seat. "So, um, hey."
"Hey," he greets me back. "Any reason you're sitting by yourself today? And inviting me to join in with your isolation?"
"This is hardly isolation. I just needed some privacy."
He raises an eyebrow. "With me?" I'm pretty sure his sentence was supposed to be in a joking manner but Douxie's voice is missing some of his usual amusement.
I roll my eyes. "Who else?"
Douxie chuckles slightly and some of the dark mood around him lifts. I feel a little flush of pride that I did that. From the corner of my eyes, Angelique mouths to me, Keep it up.
I continued. "Anyway, in all seriousness, you're not yourself."
"What gave it away?" he asks bitterly. I flinch, even though the acid in his voice wasn't directed at me.
Douxie sighs. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that."
"It's fine." I lower my voice to a whisper. "Wanna talk about it?"
"I..."
"I'm a certified therapist," I singsong playfully.
He cracks a half-smile. "Alright. You're very good at convincing."
I blush a bit, but thankfully Douxie doesn't notice as he is rummaging through his backpack for something. Finally, he pulls a picture out. I glance over and I'm immediately struck with jealousy. A girl with a pink pixie haircut stands in it. She has ivory skin and lips the color of her hair. Douxie has an arm thrown casually over her shoulder and she smiles up at him. Obviously, they're a couple.
I barely manage to keep the jealousy out of my voice. "Who's that?"
"Zoe," he mumbles. "Ex-girlfriend. Dated for a year, then she cheated on me. Used me to get closer to my friend, Liam."
"How long ago?"
"Four years."
"And why does this suddenly bother you now?"
Douxie holds the picture tighter. "She's visiting Arcadia. With Liam."
I ponder about this for a moment. Then I perk up. "I've got it!"
He tilts his head at me. "What?"
"I'll pretend to be your girlfriend."
Douxie freezes. "That's... um... very bold of you to suggest."
I roll my eyes again. "It's only for the summer, silly. It'll will tell her that you've moved on. And if she tries to make you envious, it won't work if you play along."
He thinks about it, then says, "Really?"
"Really."
"Alright then." Douxie shakes his head and smiles. "You're a lifesaver."
I smile back. "I know."
I glance at my phone as it pings.
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My face involuntarily turns red. She was going to get me to ask him out?
Douxie glances over. "What's wrong?"
I immediately press the screen to my chest to hide it. "Nothing!"
"You're a bad liar," he says, amused. "But I'll let this one slide. I don't want to be nosy after all."
I just nod. Then I abruptly get up. "See you later?"
"Oh, um, sure. See you (y/n)."
I rush out of the cafeteria before my face gets any brighter.
