Something About Him

-14-

Layla Wilkes

I anxiously read Chris' messages at the same time that he read mine and surprisingly, we said the exact same thing to each other.

i think i like you, is what was said and even though I smiled a little knowing that I wasn't the only one feeling this way, it felt odd.

Earlier this year I literally hated this guy and only a month before the new year, here I am admitting to liking him and even crazier- he likes me back.

"Why think?" Chris asks.

"What?"

"Why do you just 'think' you like me? Like you don't know if you really do or not?" He repeats in more clear words.

"I could ask you the same thing," I say back smartly.

"Well to be honest," Chris wipes his mouth slightly, "I said I think cause I wasn't sure if you felt the same way or not."

"I do, so..." I trail off.

"I know that now, but before? You ain't make any hints to that or nothin'," he explains and I can feel him looking over towards me but I don't bother looking back because if I do I know that I'm gonna get nervous.

"You didn't either, Chris."

"Cause I could've sworn you weren't gon feel the same way. I wasn't tryna get played like I did in fifth grade," he jokes and I laugh.

"It was sixth."

"Still was a long ass time ago," he responds still laughing lowly and once he stops there's a silence for a minute or two before I ask, "So what does this mean?"

"What does it mean? You mean me and you?" I feel Chris' eyes on me once again when I nod my head.

"Layla look at me," he says clearly and I nervously just pick my head up from the way that I was leaning down before but I still don't look his way.

"Punk ass," Chris comments and pinches my thigh through the hole in my ripped jeans.

"Stop," I slap his hand away and afterwards he continues to plead with me.

"Aight, you nervous. So what? I'm looking at you so look back at me."

"I can't. Cause you're gonna look at me with those brown eyes and that... that face and I'm gonna get even more nervous about this," I continue to turn him down.

Chris suddenly sucks his teeth and grabs my chin forcing me to look at him and when I do we stare at each other for a moment before he looks away from me first, unexpectedly.

"Shit," he curses and I watch as he turns red in the face.

"See! Who's nervous now?" I laugh and he tells me to shut up.

"Aight stop. Ion want you looking at me," Chris says.

"But you ju-"

"I know, I know but I get what you mean now. What I don't get though is why am I nervous. Ion get nervous," Chris still doesn't look at me. "You got me blushing and shit. It's weird, man."

"Nobody told you to look all deep into my eyes and what not," I laugh. "But like I said before... what does this mean?"

"It means whatever you want it to mean, Layla," Chris tells me while glancing over towards me.