the ballad of him and his brain ∙ van mccann (UNDER EDITING)

6

"Van, can I ask you something?" I spoke, walking back to the sofa with some snacks. after our mornings-worth of an argument, we dropped the entire subject and opted for a film. 

Van nodded his head as he reached for a handful of crisps.

"not that I didn't have fun, but what made you choose the pub for our first date?" I asked, teasing him. in return, he rolled his eyes. "originally, I just wanted to talk a little, chill and get to know each other, but Benjamin interrupted that. I'm at the pub a lot, so I guess I'm comfortable there."

"you're at the pub a lot?" I asked, faking a 'shocked' response. "maybe Benji was right, you are a drunk." I continued to tease, gently slapping his arm. he gave me an unenthused look yet stuck his tongue out at me. "that's not why I go there, Sunshine - well, sometimes that is why, but someday I'll show you why I spend most of my time there." he replied, shoving a crisp in his mouth.

"someday? why someday?" I asked, Van can be very confusing at times. "you can't just tell me?"

Van smirked and shook his head. "nah, not right now. right now doesn't vibe with me."

"you are an idiot." I responded, ruffling his hair. "so, how do you and Benji know each other anyway?"

"school, which reminds me of something - have you lived here your whole life?"

I nodded my head, "yeah?"

"I don't think I ever saw you at our school?" Van half-questioned, giving me a curious look. I simply shrugged, avoiding his realization, and Van took the hint, which caused him to change the subject.

"what do you like to do usually, Rose?" he asked, slouching into the cushions.

"I usually mosey around town, eat, or stay in. I told you Van, I'm boring."

Van snorted. "none of that is boring. well, not to me, anyway. if it's boring to other people, who cares." - I smiled at his response but didn't say anything. we were silent for a while, staring at the television but I knew neither of us were paying much attention to it.

after a period of silence, Van's phone began to vibrate on the coffee table. he gave me a smile and picked it up, reading the messages he had received. his face scrunched up before he looked at me.

"I'm sorry Rose, I forgot I had a project that needs to be finished before tomorrow, I hope you don't mind."

"no worries, it's alright. I'm sorry we didn't get to finish our film." I replied, standing up to follow him to the door. 

"it's fine, Rose. I wasn't really paying attention anyway. I was too busy trying to figure you out." he said, a shy smile on his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, maybe, if you're not busy. goodbye, Rose." he finished, shutting the door behind him.

I locked the door after he'd left and fell back onto the sofa. it smelled like him; a mixture of strong cologne and a faint amount of cheap cigarettes. I never noticed his 'smell' before, even though he was actually in front of me at the time. his scent reminds me of my ex boyfriend, who also happened to smoke.

for a gal whose never smoked, I seem to cross paths with people who do.

what Van said before he left swirled around in my head. how could he be trying to figure me out, when I'm very plain and simple. there's not much to me and even less to 'figure out'. 

Van, on the other hand, is the person I'm trying to figure out. he fascinates the hell out of me.