Lennox. Me. & Apartment C.

012.

Pause. You ever have those moments when everything feels like something is going to go horribly wrong. Sometimes it's a feeling in your gut. Sometimes you're constantly looking over your shoulder. Sometimes you can't seem to place it but you just know that something is not right. I never had those moments before but I say "had" because my first time having that feeling was the moment I left with Lennox. Ok, like, yeah I had those feelings probably before, but this was more extreme and prevalent, like definitely more serious and stomach churning. Now, don't get me wrong: I felt 100% comfortably with Lennox and leaving with him but I kept feeling as though we were being watching or that I was about to be robbed or that someone was going to do something, something I wasn't ready for.

Play. We left The Cellar and started walking towards our apartment. He must have drunk his beer too fast because it started to hit him and he became chattier than usual. It was nice, though it made me wonder if he must have had to restrain from talking more around me when he was sober. If he did, I definitely wanted to know why. I'm not that terrifying, am I? Either way, I didn't mind this more talkative version of him.

"So, here's the plan tonight: game, mini-house party, cookies, and then a movie."

"Mhmm? Really now? We're going to do all of that?

"Yeah, totally," Lennox started. "It's just going to be me and you." He said as he threw a heavy arm around me. He leaned in close to my neck and nuzzled me, rubbing his nose back and forth a couple of times against the curve of my neck before giving me my space again.

We had returned to walking with the normal distance between us, no hand bumping, fumbling, or brushing. I could feel his body heat and smell the slight scent of yeast on his breath and, frankly, that was more intoxicating than any drink I had had earlier in the night. The spot he touched radiated warmth and it low key tingled a bit, but not in the "Augghhuughh, you have some debilitating disease! Get away! It burns! It burnsss!!!" but more in the "Um... Ok.. Uh... Woah—" kind of way. Tipsy Lennox was a bit more affectionate but it was not rapey or creepy; it was sort of cute actually He was less jaded. Note to self: Always keep roommate tipsy.

So we're walking and we actually cross paths with Isaiah. I see him from a bit further back so I try to casually fix my hair that had been tied back in a ponytail while I worked before we got closer to each other. Lennox was going on about something that held my interest before I saw Isaiah from afar and was probably transitioning into something else that I was going to miss in the coming moments. My mind was racing as the distance closed between Isaiah and us: Ok, how do I play this? Cool and chill and barely acknowledging him? Or should I be more engaging so he knows that I'm interested in talking to him, more so than Lennox. Oh my gosh, his mouth stopped moving. Is he still talking to me? Am I supposed to say something right now?

I feel like just thinking about talking to Isaiah made me little flushed and I felt the heat rise up to my cheeks. I'm not one to blush easily but I can definitely get a little bit giddy and smile more. "Hey Isaiah," I beamed as he got within earshot of me. Honestly, we weren't going to stop walking and have an actual conversation so I desperately had to make the most of the little communication we could manage.

"Hey," he offered up a smile in return and a head nod. "Not heading out tonight?" He said as he came to a stop.

Woah. I must have better game than I thought. Aaayyyyeeee, go me. "Not right now," I said coming to a halt. "I just got off."

"Off? Where do you work?" Isaiah asked, slipping his hands into his pockets.

I nodded my head back towards the direction from where we had just come. "Back at The Cellar. 

"Ah," he said as he leaned back and shifted his weight onto his heels. "Well, if you feel like hanging out and having some fun, come back out and find me."