Breaking the Tension

In life, nobody needs to look far to find something that can be considered unexplainable, to find something that truly baffles the mind. Now these may come as philosophical debates or as mathematical anomalies that have frustrated a thousand minds and will go on to frustrate a million more. But they may also be stumbled across in everyday life, and while the unravelling of these enigmas will not secure a golden age for all mankind, they can provide an epiphany that can mould an entire life.

Now, I came across one of these conceptual conundrums just over two years ago and like all things not worth mentioning, it revolves around a girl. Now, this isn't going to be a philosophical analysis of questions such as "what is love?" I'm far too emotionally constipated to do that. Instead this is an exploration of the time leading up to formation of a long-lasting relationship.

At the time in which this story takes place, me and the before mentioned girl had only been familiar for just shy of three months. We had mutual friends so an eventual meeting was inevitable but what followed shortly after was... interesting.
It didn't take long for anybody to notice, a sense of tension between the two of us, growing stronger with every word exchanged, like a scorpion preparing their fatal strike. If you were to be sat with us, you would be able to feel this tension blanketing the room in a suffocating shroud of awkwardness. Nobody really knew how to deal with it; especially us. But it kept growing more and more prevalent, we couldn't focus on anything else, we could barely interact without causing an awkward silence that would make Helen Keller cringe.
So, we decided to take a chance.

We were done waiting, patience be damned, this tension needed an explanation if it was going to be broken. Every time we shared glances we felt our stomachs become taught with pressure, like the strings of guitar being slowly wound towards their breaking point. We needed to know what we were, were we going to be the best of friends? The worst of enemies? Boyfriend and girlfriend? Or were we going to clumsily avoid eye contact until the inevitable robot revolution takes us to our graves? If we wanted to break that atmosphere of awkwardness, it would have to be addressed by the two of us in private. Sounds like an easy task, right? We had been talking like wind up toys for the past few months. Well apparently not, as finding the words to say was like trying to force a cat underwater. Those awkward silences between us, those intrepid pauses that seemed to suck my brain into a vacuum. It's a miracle that we managed to create a plan to meet by ourselves as my confidence left for cigarettes and she has the planning skills of a new-born potato.
Now this plan wasn't very much, it was nothing more than a stroll around the woods. But there's a gleaming attraction in simplicity, no distractions, no third or fourth wheels, just two people, alone with each other. Of course, this plan was developed at a time where distractions were to be avoided like a virus. But we're teenagers and have no time for smart decisions. Besides, what's the worst that can happen? There's nothing wrong with taking a chance and just going for it.

Well, apparently God truly hated me that day as after two unremarkable winters, the entire county was blanketed in several inches, of shining snow. Now this was a beautiful sight, the ground illuminated like melting sapphires in the morning sun, but this picturesque and stunning sight became the bane of traversal. Alongside this angelic annoyance, every single item of technology in my home that could be broken, was broken and apparently I became the family handyman as I was assigned the task of fixing them; all of them. Was I happy with these new tasks? Absolutely not. But did I complain and moan? Okay, a little bit, but that didn't stop me. I was determined, powered by that youthful determination that drives you further then adrenaline ever could. For half a morning I waged war on the very idea of inadequacy in my household, if I had honed that willpower, I'm sure I would have been able to conquer North Korea using nothing but a Lobster. But now wasn't the time for world peace, I knew I had a place to be and barely any time to get there so I burst out the door like a hysterical lightning bolt.