MARINA ONE-SHOTS

CHAPTER 15: There's something about her (PART III)

I wonder what sound it would make if I break the coffee cup on my head. I really want to know as I stare at the portrait I just drew. You know those times when you can't get anything off your mind, you go and do the exact same thing and it goes away? Well, I applied the same formula. I couldn't stop thinking about Carina so I did decide to draw her. At first, I thought I'd just draw a cartoon and hang it on the wall saying it's just something that randomly popped into my head, but what I actually drew was a perfect, sketch. A portrait. Of Carina. The only problem here was that I couldn't forget her.

"Hey, what are you drawing?" Travis suddenly pops out of one of the drawing rooms and I scramble to my feet, clutching the sketch close to my chest.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing, because your voice just went two octaves higher."

"No, it didn't," I say and turn away from him.

"Come on. I'm your best friend!" Travis comes forward and I shield the frame away but he's stronger than me. After a fight, Travis swiftly takes the frame away and looks at it, jaw falling open.

"You did this?"

"Yes...?"

"Maya, this is amazing!" Travis exclaims and holds the picture at an arm's length as we both look at the portrait. "We need to give this to Carina."

"What? No!" I snatch the frame away from his hands and hold it against my chest. "Why would I go and give this to her?"

"Because that will give you an excuse to go have a drink with her."

"Travis... no."

Travis sighs and comes forward to grab me by my shoulders, "Look, Maya. I know you're denying it. But this is your chance. To feel love. And don't let that just walk away."

I want to say something. But nothing comes out of my mouth. It's like Travis's pep talk actually shut me up for once. Travis leaves the room and goes back to his sketches and I slump down on my chair for the fifteenth time today.

I can't give this to her. She'd think I'm desperate. Which I'm not. No. But Travis isn't wrong either. But I was having these feelings. Like I had a crush on her. I'd get their weird butterflies in my stomach and I'd blush every time I think about her and my palm became sweaty. I've never felt like this in a long long time. And I don't know why Carina makes me feel all of that.

I groan and open my drawer to get some pencils when I see the card lying. Times like this I really hate Travis. I pick it up and turn to the backside to see her number written with a winky face. Great.

Don't let it walk away.

Fuck you, Travis.

I pick up my phone and dial the number. My heart races as if it's trying to win a gold for the Olympics as the line rings, and I pray for it to go to voicemail so that we can avoid the awkwardness.

"Hello?" Dammit.

"Hey."

"Hi, who's this?"

"Oh uh... Maya. Bishop. Maya Bishop." There's a pause at the other end and I wonder if I had already lost my chance or like Travis said let it walk away, but then her voice travels through the phone.

"Maya, hi." Her voice is suddenly sultry and I could hear her smile through the phone, "Great that you finally called."

The way she emphasizes the finally, makes me blush. "Uh... yeah. I uh... I actually had to give you something." I blurt out and mentally kick myself.