Love Balm - Matt Sturniolo

Magic Pizza

Ella
I was annoying the fuck out of this poor guy. He made me a damn snack to be nice one time and now I couldn't shut up. He was looking at me now and again as we walked, so it wasn't really clear if he was listening. When I realized I'd been rambling too long about school, I asked him about his classes, and all I got was silence.
Fuck.
When he realized I'd stopped talking, he was kind enough to be honest. He pushed back his hair, and as it flopped back in his eyes, I wondered if he did that intentionally because he knew it was hot. He probably did. Hot guy stuff. Stupid ass brain, still finding this guy sexy while I'm literally being ignored.
"My bad, I was thinking," was all he said. I was genuinely afraid I was about to have the most awkward lunch of my life, because not only was I annoying him, I couldn't even buy anything. I didn't get paid until Friday, but I'd said yes when he asked bc let's be honest...there was no way I was saying no.

We grabbed a table to drop our stuff, and when I sat down and he made to head to the pizza counter, he asked, "aren't you coming to get pizza?"
I hated these moments. I hated having to lie, but I didn't want people to pity me, so it beat telling the truth. I'd been so caught up during our walk, I hadn't rehearsed an excuse. I awkwardly let out a non-committal "uhhh" to which he just kept heading towards the pizza and said "you like pepperoni?" I couldn't help but smile and nod and before he turned to walk away, I thought I saw him smile back, his light beard framing his handsome face. What a strange guy. I was so intrigued. One moment he was warm, then 10 moments in a row it seemed like he'd rather I wasn't in his vicinity. I was used to guys giving me attention if they liked me. But Matt ignored me, then made me food, then said all of 5 words without looking at me, then asked me to eat with him. Fucking confusing.
After a while, Matt came back with an entire pizza and a drink for each of us, and all I could do was widen my eyes, thank him genuinely and grab a slice. I hadn't eaten since the sandwich he'd made me the night before, and from the first bite, I couldn't help myself. "Mmmm...holy fuck," I groaned, "that's so good, Matt." The moment it left my lips, I knew how it sounded. His eyes widened and flashed up to mine in an instant, and then he did something I least expected. He laughed.
"Damn, does everything you put in your mouth make you sound that good?" He asked on a bite.
...
That was all I needed to hear. He was into me.
"Mhm," I nodded as I chewed. "You should hear how I feel about cheeseburgers."
He made a show of looking around the food counters for a second. "I think they make those here," he joked.
"Shut up," I laughed back.
We ate and joked for a while, and what I worried would be an incredibly awkward meal, turned out to be a therapeutic and enjoyable one. I knew he was into me, and he knew I was into him back. I got him to talk a little more, and listening to small stories of his friends, his brothers, absorbing everything. He didn't give much away but I was okay with that.
When we were done, we grabbed our bags and got up. He didn't have another class for the day, but I had one more. Walking out of the cafeteria, it was time to part ways.
"Thanks for the food, Matt. That was really sweet," I said looking up at him. He was so tall beside me, I could rest my forehead on his chest.
"You know I was thinking about cheeseburgers for dinner tonight," he answered on a smile, pushing his hair back. He'd done that a few times while we ate, and although his eyes were like lightning bolts striking right to my core everytime, it was really his intrigue that pulled me in. He was a mystery, sometimes gentle, sometimes harsh, all wrapped up in high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and a wide smile. And just as I'd suspected, he was as fun to talk to as his brothers. Only, he gave me the electricity, and that exact statement shot it right through my veins. I loved these kinds of moments.
"Hmm," I feigned innocence. "Well if you invite me over, maybe I could make you some dessert."
He smiled and looked around like he was nervous. Oh my god, maybe he'd been awkward because he was nervous?!
I stepped into him, fuelled with confidence as I made my proposition, and gently touched the hem of his shirt. I looked up at him with my doe eyes and held his gaze for a moment. Everything around us disappeared momentarily, and when his smile dropped and I snared him in my sight, I knew I had him.
"Pretty please?" I asked gently.
"Jesus christ," he breathed out, looking away and I smiled.
"I mean," I started to suggest... "Do we even need to wait for dinner?" He wasn't expecting that question, and I wasn't expecting to ask it. His blue eyes snapped back to mine. Something was pulling us together, like a loose line at first, slowly being pulled taut, and now it was stretched so tight, it was fit to snap.
"Fuck no we don't," he said suddenly. He swept up my hand and started heading for the stairs. Above the cafeteria was a small library, and as we reached the next floor, he must have spotted an empty study room. Holding my hand the whole way, my heart was beating out of my chest in anticipation. Whatever was about to happen was gunna be fucking crazy, I could feel it.