Wild Ride

Chapter 12: When our lips met

Carl's pov

I checked the time on my phone for what felt like the tenth time. She would be here soon. For some reason, that thought made me look around my apartment again.

Everything suddenly seemed out of place. There were a couple of books lying on the table, and a hoodie I'd tossed over the armrest earlier. Normally, I wouldn't have cared. My apartment was clean enough. But tonight was different. Xandria was coming.

I grabbed my phone and texted her that I couldn't wait to see her. Once that was over, I picked up the hoodie and carried it to my wardrobe. I wiped down the table, and arranged the books I'd left lying around.

I laughed quietly at myself. "What's wrong with me?"

I'd never been this nervous about having a girl over before. Maybe because Xandria wasn't just another girl. I ran a hand through my hair and looked at myself in the mirror.

"Relax, Carl."

I took a deep breath.

We were just spending time together. At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

When I heard my phone buzz, my heart gave an embarrassing little jump. I quickly opened it and saw she texted.

Xandria: I'm upstairs.

I quickly rushed to open the door and there she was.

"Xandria?" I called out her name.

She looked up at me. I smiled at her and stepped out to invite her in.

"You're here."

"Yes," she said, returning my smile.

I gestured for her to walk towards me. "Come on." She walked forward and I stepped aside to let her in, trying not to make it obvious how happy I was to see her.

As she walked inside, she glanced around the apartment. "So..." she said, still looking around. "You're actually neat."

I laughed. "Actually?"

"I wasn't sure what to expect."

I decided to be a bit dramatic. "Wow. I'm offended."

She laughed softly. "You'll survive."

I shook my head, pretending to be hurt and sat down. "Come sit."

She nodded and slowly walked toward me. I watched her stop beside the bed looking unsure of herself. Was she actually nervous?

"You okay?" I asked.

She immediately nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

She sat down. There was something about the way she kept her hands together that told me she was more nervous than she wanted me to believe.

I looked at her face for a moment. "You seem tense."

"I'm not tense."

I raised an eyebrow. She looked away immediately. I almost laughed. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, though, so I decided not to tease her about it. Instead, I started talking. I brought up something random, then another thing, and before long, we were going from one topic to another.

There was something refreshing about talking to her. She listened when I spoke. And the more comfortable she became, the more I noticed little things about her. At one point, I said something so ridiculous that she burst out laughing.

I stared at her. "What?"

She shook her head, still laughing. "Nothing."

"You think I'm funny?"