Epoch

II

She had no idea how she managed to work up the courage to walk over to him, but next thing she knew she was standing there in front of the handsome boy, awkwardly shifting on her feet as she said nothing. She could tell by his face that he was annoyed. "Yes?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink. Evelynn cleared her throat, her eyes unable to meet his. "Umm... this is kind of my spot." She sounded unsure and she was worried he'd laugh and say something snarky. But he didn't. Instead, his cheeks heated up and he began to gather his things.
"I'm sorry," he said, stuffing his laptop into his backpack, "I didn't know." Evelynn suddenly felt guilty as she set her coffee down on the table. "You can stay... if you want." Maybe it was her loneliness , or the way he politely obliged rather than argued, but she kind of wanted him to stay.
She watched as he looked her over, chewing on his lip as he thought about it. Eventually he sat back down, a dark curl falling into his eyes. There was an awkward silence before he spoke with a grin, "I'm Michael, but everyone calls me Mikey." She took note of his dimple and the way the corners of his mouth lifted effortlessly. "I'm Evelynn. I don't have a nickname." She grinned back at him, admiring the way his freckles scattered along his nose, and the way his eyes were the color of storm clouds, yet they shined brighter than the sun.
"So, Evelynn, tell me about yourself." Michael seemed like the curious type. Like the kind who always asked questions or had something to say. Maybe her problem was that she never had anything to say. She was quiet and had never quite taken to small talk. "You first." She sounded cool, or at least she hoped so, but her anxiety popped in, and she seemed to have forgotten everything about herself.
Michael tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I'm a junior over at the University, I am currently twenty, I live in an apartment with my cat Gerry and my rat Leslie, and I really hate ramen noodles." His voice was laced with amusement and Evelynn just couldn't help but smile. "What are you studying?" Michael shrugged in response, "Not much of anything. I haven't chosen a major or anything but I'm thinking of going into some kind of science, I don't know. I'm not good at math," he laughed, running a hand through his hair.
Michael didn't have to say anything for Evelynn to know it was her turn to tell him about herself. "I'm a senior at the high school so I'm currently seventeen. I live in an apartment with my parents and my cat Willard. Oh, and I hate pizza rolls made in the microwave." Evelynn felt a sense of pride at how effortlessly the words rolled off her tongue. She even surprised herself by exchanging numbers with Michael, the college student.
Maybe he was the spark she needed. Or maybe he was just a beginning put into place for her to get to the end.