The Understudy (hiatus)

Chapter Four - Daniel (Part One)

When Tyde and I walked downstairs, she started acting a little...strange. She couldn't quite make eye contact with me and when she did, she'd quickly move her gaze to somewhere else in the room. I was super confused because, just hour an hour ago, she'd been talking sassy and sarcastic with me upstairs. There was no strangeness or awkwardness then, but as soon as I followed her down the stairs, BAM! She was just bizarre.

This made me feel even more awkward around her, because it was just me she seemed to want to avoid. She made eye contact with everyone else in the room,  she allowed Will to put his arm around her shoulder and hug her lightly when she said that she loved his tattoo, she even allowed Kyle to quickly kiss her on the cheek before he left in search for a Pizzaria. 

But she avoided any eye contact or conversation with me.

I couldn't understand it. Why me? What had I done in the last hour to make her behave like this towards me? I hadn't said anything wrong upstairs, had I? Was she maybe...I don't know...embarressed to talk to me in front of the rest of the lads? Like, was I only good enough for one-to-one alone conversations?

I resolved to ask her about it. Yes, awkward me, was going to ask Tyde why she was acting so differently towards me.

I waited until she went upstairs to use the bathroom and then I got up to follow her.

"Dan, mate, what are you doing? Tyde's in the bathroom, you'll have wait," Woody said as I started to walk towards the stairs.

"Just gotta talk to Tyde for a second," I replied back, starting to climb the stairs.

"Dan. she's in the bathroom! How the hell are you gonna talk to her there?" Will called, but I was already halfway up the stairs.

"Will's right, you know," I heard a female voice mumble as I reached the top of the stairs. I looked up to find Tyde standing right in front of me.

"Urm...I wasn't actually going to talk to you in the bathroom," I stuttered. God Dan, how stupid did that sound?

"I was rather hoping you wouldn't,"

The sarcasm was back. Again. She still wasn't making eye contact with me, though.

"Have I...have I said something?" I asked Tyde, biting my lip. She stopped suddenly, and looked at me in the eye. Wow, progress.

"What? Why?" She started stuttering now.

"You just seem to be...avoiding me this last half hour," I said, shocked at how confediant that sounded.

"I know, sorry," She apologized, and continued to meet my gaze.

"Why did you?"

"Long story, I'm sorry,"

I nodded. I outstreched my arms to show that I wanted a small hug, I've always been a hugging person, and she stared at me for a few seconds. Her eyes looked like they were arguing with each other, overcast with thoughts and debates, until she started to walk towards me. She buried her head in my chest and I wrapped my arms around her.

Her hair smelled like coconut. Her heart was beating so fast, I could feel it against my chest...or was it mine? I didn't know.

Tyde pulled away and wandered back down the stairs, leaving me standing there. Jeez, Dan, I thought. If a simple hug like that can make you feel dazed, imagine what anything else would do.

Tyde could not know what an effect she had over me. She couldn't know that I liked her so much, and that just a simple friendly hug could send my heart beating overtime and my mind cloudy.

I just hoped she hadn't noticed.