Ten Ways To Say I Love You

Stood Up

Yet it is only love which sets us free.~Maya Angelou

Annabeth

I sighed as I tucked my phone away, stowing it in my purse. I had called Ethan three times by now, texted him at least five, and called his house. It was quite obvious that he wasn't going to show up.

It wasn't the first time he had done this, and you may be asking yourself, why does she stay with him? Why doesn't she find someone better to date?

Truth is, I'm asking those questions myself. When I first met Ethan, he was a great guy. He showered me with attention, but he also kept his distance, enough to know that I could have my own life, but close enough so that I knew he would always be there for me.

Then he started becoming more distance, less caring. This was the fourth time he had stood me up. And I didn't know why I hadn't broken up with him before.

I noticed the pity glances the rest of the patrons and the waiters were giving me. Every time they passed my table, they would whisper things like, "I hear traffic's bad" or "Maybe a friend needed him."

Soon enough, I got tired of the pathetic looks and was about to get ready to stand up.

All of a sudden, this boy who I had never seen before came and sat down in front of me, loudly exclaiming, "Sorry I'm late babe, traffic on the freeway was crazy right now."

Then to me, in a low, whisper voice, he said, "I'm Percy, just go with it, yeah? Whoever didn't bother to show up is an asshole."

I smiled, and decided to play along. Not only was he being really sweet in saving me from humiliation, even though I'd never seen him before, he was also hot. Like really hot. It certainly didn't hurt him.

A waiter came over immediately to take our orders. Once we had chosen what we wanted to eat, and he had left, I turned back to the boy-no Percy. "So, Percy, right?" He nodded. "Why did you choose to sit here with me?" I asked, a small smile playing at my lips.

He grinned, and his whole face transformed.

He changed from just being a hot face to one I could look at for hours. "Well, I myself know what it's like to be stood up one to many times and be annoyed with all the glances. You never said you name?" He inquired, the corner of his mouth tilting up.

"Annabeth." I said, smoothing down my napkin.

"That's a pretty name." He said, shooting me the grin again. I blushed, embarrassed and flattered.

"So, what do you do?" He said, taking a sip of his drink. "I'm trying to be as cliche rom-com as I can be tonight, so tell me how I'm doing."

I bursted out laughing. "Fine. And to answer your question, I'm a student in college. Graduating this June. But that's boring. You're clearly a crazy enough guy to sit with a random girl you've never met before. You seem to be a lot more interesting." I grinned at him.

He shrugged. "My mom does say living with me gives her seventeen more gray hairs."

I chuckled. "Your mom sounds amazing."

He immediately perked up. "Oh, she is. She's the most amazing person in the world. Especially her food. She makes really good cookies."

"Damn." I said. "I think I'd rather be on a date with your mom right now. She could make me her cookies."

He laughed. "Wow, I'm so honored."

"Do you always use your mom as a tactic to pick up girls?" I said, just as the waiter arrived at the table with plates bearing food.