She was normal, borderline beautiful on her good days, with dark olive skin, eyes so brown you could hardly see the pupil and hair similar to a bee's nest, chaotic but somewhat functional. She was the girl that stood out, but in her own way. Squinting, she threw her glasses in her bag, smiled once at the mirror and walked out into a boiling hot day, not prepared for the study date that was waiting for her.
"Okay, first of all, stop shaking, second, stand to the side, put one hand in your pocket. Come on Natasha, you can do this, stop being an idiot, you'll be fine. Ahh this is going to be so awkward, i don't even know this guy. What are you doing Natasha? It's okay, shut up brain. Be careful with yourself, this is your best friend's almost ex boyfriend. You have no motive other than to study. It's fine." I take a deep breath and knock on his door, knowing well and truly that he is a complete stranger and that he and my best friend almost dated but didn't and its obvious she's still upset so i have to tread carefully but i really am here to learn and to prove it i invited other friends, inviting friends proves that this is purely friendly right? Why was i so worried, my only intention was to learn from this guy anyways. Ugh he's taking too long to answer. I go to knock twice but before i can he opens the door. At first, i don't look at him, i'm too nervous, but eventually my eyes meet his and my breath catches. His eyes, i always look at eyes first, and his are beautiful. They are brown like mine but slightly lighter, there's a cheekiness in them, the sort that tells you he's a 'bad boy' but there's not enough to confirm it. There's warmth in his smile, his lips pink and perfect, the kind that girl's want, and a jawline that could cut glass. Overall he's not amazingly attractive, but i wasn't there to admire him, so i smiled, introduced myself and placed my gaze elsewhere as he led me through his house.
To say it is awkward is an understatement. See, i'm the sort of person who literally can't talk. Like i just won't talk. In situations that i'm uncomfortable in, i will sit like the stump of a tree and will be completely unable to form sentences and that is exactly what's happening now. I didn't know this guy and the two friends that were already here were talking about what had happened at school that day, so he just looked at me and waited for me to start talking, and i wanted to i swear, but it's like my brain took it as a challenge and i sat there and stared right back... for 15 minutes. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU NATASHA!? TALK. Okay, talk. What am i supposed to talk about? I don't know this guy! Why do i get myself into these situations? I should have just asked someone else. It's a bit late now. TALK! "So do you like um garlic bread?" I spit out. GARLIC BREAD? NATASHA WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY THE HELL DID YOU ASK HIM IF HE LIKED GARLIC BREAD? You are such an idiot, okay now just go with it. "Because, i.. i really like garlic bread.. oh and pizza. I love pizza." Yes keep it going Natasha, keep digging that hole. I look away to avoid his reaction because he's probably going to tell me to leave, but instead he laughs. "I love pizza, literally eat it all the time. I mean most people do." Okay Natasha, that wasn't too bad he hasn't thrown you out, now you came here for a reason, it'll stop being awkward once you get to know him, so get your book out and it'll be fine.
"You're an idiot, did you know that?" i say in between laughs, laughing at his laugh. After i stopped being a tree trunk we actually got talking and it became easy to like the guy. He was cocky yet wise, smart yet a complete idiot and honest yet strangely guarded. There was something about him that kept me entertained and had me hooked, like a girl who had tried alcohol for the first time and suddenly couldn't get enough. Hours past but it didn't feel like it because the entire time i was either laughing or learning, he had found the perfect balance between the two and so i never once left my chair, not even when all the others left. It was getting dark but i didn't care, i didn't care about getting in trouble or about my strict parents because i was happy, and i hadn't been in so long.
