Dancing with Danger

CHAPTER TWO: Who would you choose?

Chapter Two: Who would you choose?

"What the hell?"

Charlie broke the intense silence that sat inside my head. I realized that I stood in front of a crowd who was probably waiting for me to get inside that elevator. All the other students were staring at me and Charlie had a face that says exactly what he shouted.

"Oh!" I quickly ran inside the elevator with my back facing Charlie this time. As the elevator travelled down, I wanted to literally slap myself, wishing that I did not look stupid standing in front of them, with them waiting for me to wake up from that trance that fell upon me. What the hell was I doing?

"You okay?" Charlie whispered next to my ear. His breath touching the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

I simply gave a hurried nod, hoping to forget what just happened. I had to admit that I was a little disappointed that all that did not happen at all, not even close. I could not believe that a close encounter would get my mind travelling so far.

"What the hell happened to you back there?" Charlie asked as soon as we got out of the elevator. He looked oblivious as if no reason that he could think of could possibly explain my frozen stance in front of those elevator doors.

I did not answer him all too quickly. Inside my head, it felt like every cell in my body was panicking. I had to calm myself down until my heart slowed down its rapid beating.

I felt a sudden slap on my arm that felt a tiny bit painful. I looked up at Charlie, who had his eyebrows furrowed, still questioning what had just happened.

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" he asked. "Why do you seem so lost?"

I managed a fake laugh that hopefully did not sound pushed. "Nothing."

"Oh come on, that's impossible. And you know I'm not an idiot to believe that," Charlie protested as we walked outside the school grounds. "You know what? I'm genuinely scared for you that you would get into one of your bat shit weird moments while walking home so I'll come with you."

The thought of him walking me home was a delight but I had to refuse because I did not want him to go through the hassle.

"Nah, it's okay. I'm really fine," I tried convincing him.

Charlie stopped in his steps that made me stop as well. I noticed how some of the female students who passed by us were watching him merely stand there, exactly what I was doing.

"Girls are looking at you funny," I teased him.

Charlie looked behind him to find two girls whose eyes did not meet his as soon as he glanced at them. He did not look like he found this amusing in the least. He faced me yet again and placed both his hands on my shoulders.

"You are okay, right?" he asked me.

I looked at him with a small smile. "If I say yes, would you change your mind about walking me home?"

"No," he replied as he shook his head. Charlie's face looked serious and I realized how his lips automatically reverted to a frown than a smile. Under the orange sun at 4:30 in the afternoon, his skin glowed under its fair colours. I wanted to put my fingers onto his cheek and just feel his skin under my fingertips.

"Then is it relevant?" I said, still wearing a smile.

"You are okay, right?" he repeated.

I nodded. In reality, I was really okay, I was just buzzed, that's all. "I'm okay," I said, looking up at him. His eyebrows were still furrowed in confusion but his face was slowly calming down.