Center Stage

s e v e n

•1:39 pm•

While Tarrie and I lurked behind, Josh and Taylor walked ahead, hands intertwined, laughing and pointing at store windows. Typically, I'd feel very out of place when third-wheeling, especially when I was with someone I had just met, yet somehow, Tarrie's presence made it all seem different.

While words fell through her plump, pink lips, her hands would follow right along, leaving emphasis on certain words. Her gentle laughter was like a sweet melody. The very moment it touched my ears, it radiated through me, warming me from head to toe. Every little thing she did, and every little habit she had was beautiful. There was this subtle habit of hastily pulling down the sleeves of her pink sweater, when they'd only risen an inch or so, that intrigued me.

Earlier in the day, I'd noticed a black picture or word across her left wrist. Her fingertips traced the mark, running over every swirl. I was to far a way to discern if it was a legitimate tattoo or just sharpie. Within a few moments of me noticing it, Tarrie's icy green eyes fell upon me, and she'd yanked down the black fabric. Though it was a warning for me to stop, it didn't stop me from wondering what it was that lurked beneath.

Her right hand gently slid into my left, abruptly drawing me out of my thoughts. I looked down at our hands, then at her, then our hands, then at her, and I was greeted with those chilly eyes once more. Taryn tilted her head to the side as she studied my face. "Let's go get coffee and ice cream." She spoke, her soft, pink lips forming into a small smile.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't exactly find the right words. Instead of forming a full sentence, I confusedly shook my head, "Go get what?"

"Coffee and ice cream. A coffee for me, and a rocky road ice cream for you. I remember you saying that was your favorite flavor last night."

"Oh, um, okay. That sounds cool." I replied.

She gently squeezed my hand, "C'mon then."

I glanced away, looking at Josh and Taylor, who were now facing each other and staring deeply into each other's eyes.

"Don't worry about them. We're probably just making them uncomfortable. She sighed. "Do you see the how they look into each other's eyes, and it's like they forget everything in the world but one other? To me, that's love. Love is doing anything in the world for one person, and feeling every emotion at once towards them. It's like a tornado of feelings."

Her sudden poetic rant threw me off. I shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. Why would they care if we stayed with them if they cant see anything but each other?"

     "You don't have to stay with them, Matt. They're not gonna care, trust me. What matters is you. Do you have as much fun as they do?"

"Probably not."

"Then let's go. Today, we are going to have as much fun as we possibly can. And you, you're going to stop stressing about what people think." Taryn tugged on my hand, pulling me down a side corridor of the mall.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help but smile. A day with Tarrie sounded absolutely fantastic, and she'd even remembered the minor detail of my favorite ice cream flavor. Maybe Josh was wrong, perhaps I had a chance after all.