Cuffing Season

7. His Number Now Exists In My Phone

Above is alexander Michaels^

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          "That was the best cheer practice we've had in months," Franny exclaims, as we walk out of the out of our school.

          "Yeah you're an amazing leader Sierra," Mia points out. Like I didn't already know.

          "Well, don't get used to it because I'm only staying until the competition is over," I say to them. Franny pouts and we stop walking just before the parking lot.

          "One of the girls told me that Katie was mad because you were talking it up with Josh outside the gym," Mia wiggles her eyebrows at me. I laugh and pull my hair up into a pony tail. "Whatever."

          "What were you guys even talking about?," Frank grins. I proceed to spill the deets on my enthralling conversation with the man of my dreams. "It sounds like he was unsure about how feels about Jada," Franny says once I'm done talking.

          "What did I say before," I pull my lips into a line.

          "You won't believe they're a thing till you see it," Mia drones, finishing my thought and I nod with a faint smile.  "Can we stop talking about relationships," she adds.

          "Oh this is about you and Luca huh?," I say.

           "Well Luca doesn't like me and now that my slow brain processes have have come to the realization, I think I might be possibly, ever so slightly be crushing on Andrew," She contorts her face as if I'm going to scold her. I won't though because it isn't a surprise she likes my brother. Everyone loves any of my brothers. Gorgeousness runs in the family. I turn to Franny expecting her to be seething but she looks as calm as a cucumber. "And you're okay with this?," I ask.

          "I already told you I've started rethinking," Franny rolls her eyes.

          "So you like Nick now?," Mia asks and raises an eyebrow. Fran blushes and begins kicking the non existent rocks on the ground. She's whipped. "Maybe."

           "Well, this sucks for Maddie then," I say to myself more than to my best friends. "I'll see you girlies later I gotta go," I give them both hugs and walk over to my bmw. Off to Jojo's.

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          I sipped on my fruity smoothies I click through my recently taken photos for my photography class. I'm okay in the class but I want to get a lot better. I feel a presence over me and look up to see the man himself. Joshua. I give him a smile, not sure why my vocal chords have decided to stop working.

          "Hello again, how come I've never noticed you in here everyday?," he says. I detach the smoothie from my fingers and feel inside me straining to formulate a coherent sentence. "I don't know, maybe because you always have your head in your journalism work," I say with a teasing tone. He gives me a look of fake hurt, placing a hand over his chest.

          "Sorry it was supposed to be a compliment," I say quietly and take another sip of my smoothie. He stands over me and smiles a little. "Don't worry I'm not offended. I love what I do....can I sit," He says after a few more moments. He wants to sit with me? I feel my palms start to sweat. Compose yourself Sierra, you've never let a guy have so much control over your emotions.

          "Sure," I gesture to the booth seat in front of me and he slides in. "So what's you latest work?" I ask. He folds his hands and leans forward, making my breathe hitch in my throat.

          "You'll just have to wait and see," he says with a grin. He leans back again, resting his head on the back of the booth. His adams apple bobs a little as he studies me. "So what are you working on," he glances at my laptop.

          "I'm working on my photography portfolio." I debate on whether I should show him the pictures or not. Maybe they're not good enough. I know he does photography as a hobby on the side and he's really good at it. I know this via Instagram obviously.

          "Oh I didn't know you took that class. Do you like photography?" 

          "I like it a lot but I feel like I don't have an eye for it. I want to get even better," I say knitting my eyebrows together as I glance at the photos on my screen.

          "I could help you," he says leaning to rest his elbows on the table. My heart does a front flip at his words. Before I can respond, a phone buzzes. He holds up a finger, answering the call. I watch him carefully as he listens to whoever on the phone. I stare at his light brown eyes which are slightly squinted, his thick eyebrows resting over them as he talks. He pink lips move and I feel the urge to move this table and kiss him. He hangs up and looks back at me.

          "I gotta go, Jada needs help with her trig assignment," he says," but let me give you my number. Just text me or call me whenever you need help with photography," he slides his phone across the table with a new contact page up.

          I smile despite the fact that he's leaving  to go to Jada. "Thanks, but you don't have to," I mutter as I type in my number and name into his phone.

          "No honestly I would be happy to help you," he smiles at me as he gets up and grabs his phone. I wave bye as he jogs out of the cafe. This boy is going to be the death of me, but damn am I making progress.