— Josh —
As I sat there on the light blue sofa, my attention was consumed by the girl beside me. I found myself admiring every aspect of her. From the myriad of freckles sprinkled across her face - it felt like there were countless - to her large, expressive hazel eyes and those full lips that had a tendency to smirk more than smile. Her playful attitude was equally captivating.
Wren was truly one of a kind. She had a unique, cool kind of strangeness about her. Stubborn and sarcastic, she often put on an act of indifference, as if nothing ever piqued her interest, but I think it's just that, an act.
"Stop staring at me," she quipped, pulling me out of my reverie. I found myself locked in her hazel gaze.
"I'm not staring at you," I lied, pretending to turn my attention back to the TV, though I only ended up catching the end credits. A lazy smile crept across my face.
Wren rose from her seat, collecting our now-empty plates and ferrying them to the sink. I followed her, attempting to keep the conversation going.
"Do you have any plans for today?"
"Nope."
"So, what are you thinking of doing?"
"I don't know."
"What do you want to do?"
"No idea."
I couldn't help but let out a slightly frustrated sigh, running my hand through my hair.
"I'm in a band," I began, silently berating myself for how that might come across. Wren raised an amused eyebrow, her expression playfully skeptical.
"Are you trying to impress me, drummer boy?" she teased.
"N-no," I stammered, flustered. "I just meant if you're free later—"
"Are you any good?" she cut in, direct and to the point.
A broad grin spread across my face. I really, really wanted her to see us perform. Our shared taste in music added an extra layer of excitement.
"Yeah! I mean, I think so. You should totally come check it out. I'm actually about to meet my bandmate, Tyler, soon. But you can swing by and watch us practice later."
She tilted her head slightly, tapping her chin as if genuinely considering my offer. After a few moments of theatrical contemplation, Wren casually shrugged her shoulders.
"I'll see if I can squeeze you into my super busy schedule," she replied nonchalantly.
I half-expected her to burst into laughter or declare she was joking, but she didn't.
"Oh, well," I retrieved my phone from my pocket and handed it to her. "How about we swap numbers so I can let you know where to find us later, if you're not too occupied?"
She hesitated, eyeing the phone in my outstretched hand and then glancing back at me. I offered a smile, which, predictably, earned me an eye-roll. Nevertheless, she handed over her phone, and we both exchanged numbers before returning our devices.
"I'll catch you later, Josh," she said, looking up at me.
I couldn't help but flash a goofy smile. I hope she likes it.
***
"Oh man, and her freckles-"
"I know, thousands of them. You've said that."
My cheeks turned pink as I gave Tyler an apologetic smile. He's probably annoyed with me by now. Throughout the entire car ride, all I could talk about was Wren. But being the good best friend that he is, Tyler allowed me to ramble on and on about my new neighbor. I just couldn't get her out of my mind.
Once we arrived at Tyler's place, I texted Wren the address. However, I couldn't help but wonder if it was a bad idea to invite her to watch us play. I hope I don't look like an idiot.
"She still hasn't said anything back," I sighed as I stared at the sent text on my screen.
"It's only been 4 minutes," Tyler's girlfriend Jenna pointed out. "Maybe she hasn't seen it yet."
"Let's just start practice, yeah? It'll get your mind off of it."
Tyler was right. He knows me better than anyone, so he knows that playing the drums would undoubtedly put me in a good mood.
I was so into the music that I didn't even notice when Wren showed up. She and Jenna were sitting and talking together on the couch in Tyler's basement. Tyler and I exchanged glances before turning our attention back to the girls.
I couldn't help but notice how effortlessly beautiful Wren looked. Her hair was up, and she wasn't wearing any makeup - I could tell because every one of her adorable freckles was still very visible - and yet she was still stunning.
"Hey, you came!" I called out as Tyler and I walked over to meet the girls on his couch.
"This is my best friend Tyler," I gestured to the brunet next to me, "and that's Jenna, Tyler's girlfriend. But you probably know that by now."
"I'm Wren," she offered a tight-lipped smile.
"Oh, we know. Josh has been talking about you all day," Tyler chuckled. I felt my cheeks redden as Wren raised her eyebrow at me.
"He's exaggerating," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.
Jenna cleared her throat. "Anyway, who's hungry?"
