Thomas, I Love You

Chapter Nine

I'm crazy. I must be.

I've been waiting outside of UCLA for about three hours now. Thank God the weather is just perfect today to fit my needs...

I'm just hoping to see Thomas. I know he goes here because he told me. Hopefully he wasn't lying to me like I was to him. Upon arrival, I sat in my car for a while, nervous as hell and wondering why the fuck I was even here. To meet a guy I met at a party? Am I that desperate?

No, I'm not. Thomas just makes me feel...different. I felt so relaxed and like me. We connected in a way I've never connected with anyone before-not Paula, not Steven. We'd only talked a few hours but I felt like he was an old friend and we were just catching up with each other. Then again, it could have been the liquor in my system...

I start to feel sleepy and out of my mind bored so, having the bench all to myself, I place my bag on the bench and lie down, my head resting on the bag, on my side. It's actually really uncomfortable but soon my eyes close and everything goes black.

~~~

"Loni." Someone with a foreign accent is shaking me. "Loni, get up."

I stir, confused, before opening my eyes and reality rushing in.

Before me is the guy I'd waited three hours in the sun for, sleeping on a bench. The guy that is older than me. The guy I only met a few days ago, at a college party.

"Hello, sleepy head," Thomas says, smiling adorably at me. There's recognition and relief in his eyes.

Suddenly, my cheeks flare hot and I sit up, resisting the urge to yawn and stretch. I probably wasn't asleep long but I still felt a bit stiff.

"Hi..." I greet, awkwardly. What the hell do I say to him? I hope he doesn't think I'm some creep. He seemed really interested in me at the party but that doesn't make it okay to show up a few days later in front of his school. Maybe he hadn't asked for my number on purpose?

"Are you alright?" He asks, touching my elbow slightly, steadying me. Fire burns through my arm and I need to get out of the sun. "I found you knackered out here when I got out of class just now. Are you waiting for a friend?"

As Thomas helps me to my feet, all I can think about is how sweet he is. He's such a gentleman and you don't need to live with him to figure that out. Oh, God. Why was I so stupid? What the hell am I going to say? "Oh, hey, Thomas. I decided to come here and sleep on your school's bench, even overnight if I needed to so I could catch you and we could kiss and exchange numbers and I could be you girlfriend." Yeah...no.

Snapping out of my inner conflict, I inhale deeply and stare Thomas right in the beautiful almond eyes I stared in all night.

"To be honest..you. I, uh...Do you wanna hang out sometime? I know this great grill not too far from here. You can get to know the city a little...Or we could watch a movie or just hang out...at your place..." Upon saying the last part, Thomas' eye flash with something and his eyes quickly flicker to my lips before meeting me back in the eyes.