Not Your Average Cliche Love Story (Wattys2015)

10. The Color Coordination

10. The Color Coordination

My eyes searched the hall as a predator's would its prey. I puckered my lips angrily and narrowed my eyes, trying to keep my fury at bay until I found my freakishly annoying object.

Once I'd laid eyes on him I stormed up to him and pushed him against the locker behind him.

"Ow!" He winced as he rubbed his arm.

I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer to me. "Listen to me, Lion. What you did last night was stupid. What the hell were you thinking? Like, what even was your purpose?"

"I wanted to make you see that I really do care about you. Rachel, I've been in love with you since who knows when. All that time I spent being mean to you? I only wanted to get your attention. I never meant to hurt you. I'm so sorry if I ever did. Please, you don't have to forgive me. I know what I did was wrong. And stupid. And..." he drifted off, looking up at me. By this time I'd let go of his shirt collar and had stepped back a bit, looking at him curiously.

"Go on." I said. "I like what I'm hearing."

"Look, what I'm trying to say is yes, I was a jerk. But that was not the right way to ever get your attention. And I'm incredibly sorry. I'm not asking for us to be purple." he said, looking down at his shoes.

"Purple?" I questioned. And then I noticed that accidentally I was wearing all blue and he was wearing all red.

"Yeah." he answered with a shy smile. "Those are our favorite colors and together they make purple."

I laughed and the laughter seemed to give him courage to go on.

"Rachel," he said, our eyes locking. "I am not asking you to forgive me. All I'm asking for is one chance. One chance to prove to you that I'm not a sad excuse for a human being."

I stayed silent for a few seconds, looking back into those sincere looking brown eyes. They looked back into my own green ones. In the end I gave in.

"One date." I finally said. "That's all you get."

I walked away, the sound of his cheers behind me. And I couldn't help but smile while he wasn't watching.