A week later from our date, and kiss, I was still starring at Caio during lunch. Only this time it wasn’t from across the cafeteria. Cami dragged me to his table with her so that she could eat and talk to her friend Jillian too, and according to her, I needed to be more social as well. Did Cami talk though! Cami is one of those people that is friendly with pretty much everyone, even people she hates, so she is able to talk to anyone without being nervous. I on the other hand am very socially awkward at most times and so I was just sitting there, not talking at all, glancing at Caio from time to time, and apparently blushing madly according to Cami.
As we sat there and I listened to everyone around me talk I looked over at Kehlan and Westley. They were sitting there too sense they’re both practically friends with everyone. They were just sitting there making googly eyes at each other and whispering like sweet hearts. They were one of the few same sex couples that were open about their relationship with one another. They did get criticized and ridiculed by a few people but it never seemed to bother them. I guess they were just too in love to care. I really actually envied them. Yes, they were an inspiration, but I wished that Caio and I could be open about ourselves that that. But I knew that was only and only could ever be a wish, Caio would never agree to it. Plus even if he did agree then I’d probably chicken out right when we were going to tell people.
By the time I started to try to pay attention to all of their conversations everyone at the table was talking about different things all at once. Kendra and Layla were joking around with Nicole about their ex-friend Quin, Kehlan and Westley were being their usual selves, Sammi was talking to Luis about a scream band called Black Veil Brides, but I don’t think he was even really listening because he kept looking over at Kehlan. Molly, Genisis, and Jillian were giggling about some little inside joke and Cami was speaking with Caio now.
“No, no, she was fucking yelling at you!”
“What a dumbass! Ha!”
“I just hate when people make fun of them, you know?”
“Hahaha, yeah right!”
“Ha, I only say it because it’s true.”
“Right Zane?” That last voice that entered my ear was Cami’s.
“Huh? Uh… What?” I replied groggily.
“Shouldn’t Caio listen to more punk music?”
“Uh…”
Caio looked at me.
“Nah, I like his music. It’s pretty good.”
“No!” Cami looked at me like I had just fed her newly born infant child to a pit of crocodiles. That was Cami, it was one of the worst betrayals you could do to go against her music taste. “No, punk is way better! Come on Zane, even you like music like Alkaline Trio!”
“That’s different though.”
“How?”
“Because Alkaline Trio is, like, emo-punk!”
“But it’s still punk!”
I just kind of turned away and Cami and Caio kept talking. I didn’t stop talking because Cami was right, which she was, but because just then I realized that Caio was staring at me. When I looked back at him I could see this air in his eyes. It was a nice one, like he was only looking at me, like he had only ever looked at me. It was sweet and calming yet with a hint of something that didn’t seem so innocent and inviting. Like I was the only one he ever wanted to be with, the only one he needed, and he needed me right now.
