Definitely, Maybe, Sometimes. | ✔️ COMPLETED

Chapter Two

He takes one look at me and mutters, "Nice."

I feel a blush spread from my toes to the tips of my ears. It's even worse when his gaze lingers. 

For a brief moment I allow myself to wholly believe he's spent the last six weeks daydreaming about me too.

It dawns on me that he doesn't know he said "nice" out loud, so I don't comment on it. His gaze inspects me harder and I feel myself go pinker.

This is my chance to shine. I will myself to say something, anything, to break this hallway stand-off. But I can't. I stand there like Slenderman, gazing at him.

Then he smiles at me. A real, genuine smile. It's incandescent. More stunning than I know what to do with.

"Are you ready?"

"I-" swallow.

There isn't a single intelligent part of me available - I'm out to lunch. No thoughts. Just pure feral hormones.

If scientists were to take off my skull and look inside my brain in this exact moment, they would find nothing but two tumbleweeds caught in a hurricane.

What makes this worse is I have spent the last six weeks imagining how we will reunite. I'd lie awake creating dozens of scenarios, all of which were incredibly romantic.

This is not that. But it's better than nothing.

"Yes." I say. "I'm ready. I think...."

He pushes off the wall. "Okay. Let's go." 

I realise with a start I don't know where we're going. He seems to sense my hesitation so he turns to me.

"Um," I start. "Ready for what?"

He laughs. "Battle of the halls, remember? It's a drinking game. Well, multiple drinking games actually." He starts leading me away from my room.

"What do we do?"

"We drink."

"What do we win?"

"Getting drunk."

"But..." I'm confused. "How is it a battle?"

"It isn't really. It's just a way to get everyone together on the first night so people can make friends."

"Right."

I follow him happily. Even his walk is attractive. He's taller than me and his hand hangs just above mine, they're large and his fingers long. I briefly wonder what it would be like to have him touch me. Would our palms sit comfortably together?

"Have you got a drink?" He asks, making me jump and my eyes snap to his face.

"Water." I answer quickly.

He chuckles. "No. An alcoholic drink?"

"Oh!" I say, then I frown. "No."

He shrugs. "That's okay. You can share mine."

He takes me to the common space/kitchen where there are more than a dozen teenagers already drinking. The common room is big enough for three sofas and a tv, mounted on a stand. Adjoining it is a standard kitchen with a few cabinets, cooker, microwave and kettle. 

It's pristine clean because this is the first night, but I don't expect that to last long. There's a four seat dining table between the kitchen and common room. I look at the people in the room. My roommates. Some are sat, others are stood around the kitchen table. There's a few on a leather sofa.