Stars

00:05

[dedicated to Katie, who is not only a lovely writer but a lovely person to talk to as well]

.*.*.

Arlando's heart was hammering against his ribcage. He willed it to slow down but it refused to obey his commands. Kathleen said in the first chapter of her novel that he had power over words. If he had power over words then what did she have? Her words were soothing and wonderful, the way she so intricately pulled those words together was definitely overwhelming. She was a brilliant writer and that made Arlando want to know where she stood in life now. He knew that besides her Creative Writing classes, she took Psychology as a side course and that's why she studied so hard, so she could maintain her good grades in both classes.

Arlando knew she had a stronger passion for writing than studying Psychology no matter how interesting she claimed Psychology to be. Has she written any books? Has she tried out publishing yet?

He returned his focus back to the novel he was reading, the memory of their first real date raising back from the dead. Wondering what she felt and thought of their first date, he turned the page and progressed with reading.

.*.*.

CHAPTER FOUR

You sat in the booth of the restaurant waiting for me, elbows pressed against the table as you busied yourself with your phone. I was fifteen minutes late due to traffic and in all honesty I didn't think you were going to arrive on time for our date. You struck me as the guy who'd make a grand entrance by coming late even though this wasn't a party and just a date. Clearly I didn't know you as much as I thought I did and that made me even more eager to get to know you.

I slipped into the booth, the seat opposite yours and your eyes lifted to mine once you realised you weren't alone anymore. Immediately when your eyes settled on me, a smile took over your lips and your hazel eyes lit up like Christmas. You were so cute with that look on your face that I could have just hugged you there and then but that would mean leaning over the table and that would definitely look awkward, especially if I was the only one leaning over the table so I pushed away the urge to hug you.

You were excited. It was clear as day. Even though we were seated you seemed jumpy, talking to me animatedly with your hands and shifting in your seat every few minutes. "It's an amazing read! I can't believe nobody ever told me about this book before," you said, handing me the copy of To Kill A Mockingbird that I had borrowed to you. "It usually takes me months to read a book but I finished that in two days! The beginning was a bit of a drag in my opinion but surprisingly I took one and a half days to finish the first half of the book. The other half was certainly much more exciting and I finished that in half a day."

To see you talking about a novel made a sense of pride swell from the depths of my chest. "Who knew I could make the Arlando Cassa read a novel?" I joked, titling my head forward as I smirked at him.

"Well, because of you I haven't studied these past two days-"

I leaned in closer and placed my elbows on the table looking square into your alluring hazel eyes. Amusement danced around in your eyes and I was sure that your expression matched mine. "I didn't tell you to read it," I interjected. Then I tapped a finger on my chin pretending to seem as if I was deep in thought. "If I remember clearly, you were the one who asked to borrow it so I'm not the one to blame-"

"Shut up," you groaned burying your head in your hands so I wouldn't be able to see, what I perceived, the embarrassed look on your face. It felt good to have the tables turned but something about your position - sunk down into your seat, hazel eyes watching me intently - made my heart flutter and I knew it wouldn't be too soon till I embarrass myself. I tended to do that when I am around you; slip up and embarrass myself. There's just something about your presence that makes me nervous and self-conscious, like I really care what you think of me. But I did, I did care what you thought of me. Were they good thoughts? Were they bad thoughts? Did you like me?