Total Opposites | Cairo & CC

Chapter Six - Confidence is Key

Cairo - Chapter Six - Confidence is Key

Song Choice: Sweet by Cigarettes After Sex

I couldn't believe I was actually flirting with her. I had never really flirted with anyone, there was no one before Miller, and Miller started as a joke between Winnie and I.

This was my first time flirting with someone I was actually interested in.

And yet it seemed to be...working?

Walker's cheeks were red, and she seemed anxious due to my response to her question about if I would ever want to go on a date with her. If only she knew.

In reality, I'd love nothing more than to go on a date with her, despite my reservations about dating. But I wasn't going to let it come easy for her. She was going to need to be straightforward if she wanted me to say yes. Not that I really needed her to ask me out in an excessively fancy way, I just wanted her to ask with some confidence and conviction.

Perhaps a nudge wouldn't hurt, I thought, fighting the urge to chuckle as I could practically see the anxiety radiating off of the soccer player next to me.

Deciding that a nudge would likely be quite considerate, as the girl next to me seemed petrified, I sent a quick text.

Confidence is key, Walker.

What?

You know what I mean.

I waited, surprised that class wasn't over yet, and returned my attention back to the lesson while Walker pondered a response.

As the professor began to wrap up, my phone lit up with a notification from none other than CC Walker.

Would you, Cairo Sweet, want to go on a date with me, CC Walker, at the soonest mutual availability?

Soonest mutual availability, hmm?

Yes, Cairo. What would your soonest mutual availability be?

I haven't even said yes yet.

You don't need to. It's written all over your face.

Ears reddening, I could tell that the girl seated next to me was correct. I was seriously blushing, despite the seeming lack of interest in our recent series of messages. Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, because I knew I had predicted correctly that once Walker demonstrated some confidence in asking me out, I would be more interested than I already was, I replied.

My earliest availability is after this class, and then I have another class at 11.

As do I. Perhaps coffee since it's only a couple hours?

I can do coffee.

And with that, I could see Walker fight the urge to smile, all while the professor instructed us to read the first three chapters of The Scarlet Letter as class disbanded. Fighting the urge to smile myself, I placed my belongings in my bag and stood up, waiting on CC, who was taking her sweet time.

After a few moments, Walker was done packing up, and stood up, turning to face me, even though she needed to face the other way if she intended on exiting the row.

"I can't believe you said yes."

"Why?"

"Well, you're just, I mean, you're you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're this smart, well-spoken, more beautiful than Aphrodite girl, and I'm well, I'm just me. I don't get it, but I'll take it."

"CC. Don't even go there. I'll never be able to stop talking if you get me going about all of the reasons I said yes. Now are you ready, or is our date going to consist of staying in this room?"

"No, we can go, sorry."

Walker slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the door, holding it open for me and allowing me to pass through first. After waiting for her this time, we began to walk to the same coffee shop I went to on Monday.

"So, Cairo, where are you from?" Walker asked inquisitively.

"Tennessee," I responded, not particularly wanting to reminisce about my past. Thanks, Miller.

"Oh, like Nashville? Isn't that a big music scene? I toured Vanderbilt, that's the only time I've been."

"Not Nashville, more like the wilds of nowhere. My best friend from home goes to Vanderbilt, though."

"Why didn't you want to go there? If she was going there and it was close to home?"

I knew CC was simply only trying to create conversation, but I was disliking this discussion. She didn't need to know that that's where Miller wanted me to go so badly, and that's why I was so deterred from it, aside from the fact that I was already set on Yale.

"I just didn't." I said, with such a tone that hinted Walker should change the subject. Maybe I'd tell her about all of it eventually, but it was our first time really hanging out (going on a date?) outside of class. I also just wasn't really ready to talk about it, anyways.

Thankfully, Walker took my cue, and shifted the conversation elsewhere.

"Well, Cairo, what's your major?"

"English, but I'm doing both the literary analysis concentration and the creative writing concentration, so it's basically two majors. And you, Walker?"

"Walker? Really? Anyways, it's Environmental Science. I'm a math and science person, but I didn't want to do something too difficult since I spend so much time with soccer."

"I see. I suppose that makes sense. Dare I ask if you'll need help with our English assignments, then?"

CC rolled her eyes and punched my shoulder playfully, and despite my reservations, and calm, stoic demeanor, something about the girl's playfulness brought a smile to my face.

"Yes, okay, maybe English is my worst subject and maybe I just called in my admissions essay, but I'm not that needy, yet."

"Sure, okay jock."

"Jock? I'm offended." Walker rolled her eyes sarcastically at my comment, and I could tell that she wasn't actually offended. After what seemed like a longer, yet also shorter due to CC's presence, walk, we had made it to our coffee shop of choice.

As Walker held the door open for me once more, I realized that despite my normal, cool, exterior of a girl who did everything on her own, I was enjoying Walker's tendency to take care of the little things for me.