The Craters in the Moon

Chapter 8

I could feel my face flush as I met his gaze. His expression was thoughtful, inquisitive, and I could sense him pondering over my words.

I looked around the coffee shop, not quite knowing what to say after exposing such a raw part of me to a person I barely knew. Everything seemed identical around me. The same parts were being played, just by different people.

Following a few long breaths, he said, "Do you wanna know a secret?"

"Sure." I crossed my legs and took a sip of my abandoned water, glad that my terrible writing didn't shock his system to a point of muteness.

He smiled his sideways smile. "Those two books you got from the bookstore? They weren't really free."

Withholding an inward grin, "I figured," I replied casually. Silence ensued, but Lucas looked pleased with himself, leaning back in his chair, a vision of confidence.

"Was it really that obvious?" he finally said.

I nodded.

"I'm still not quite sure why I did that. There was just something about you that...entrances me, you know? You're different."

I wasn't quite sure if that was a compliment, but the way he said it made me believe that it was. Every word that flowed from his mouth was eloquent and persuasively pure.

It made my stomach tingle, and I brushed some stray hair out of my face. Lucas cleared his throat and picked up the scribbled-on napkin off the table and gave it a once-over.

"Can I keep it?" he said. "The poem?"

"Yeah," I said with little hesitation, "it's yours," just a bit flattered that he would desire to keep my unwieldy words. He folded it up and stuffed it in the pocket of his jeans, then looked back towards me.

"Let me have your number."

That was the million dollar question, though he said it more like a command. I thought about it for a second, pondering the pros and cons, and then decided that maybe I should take a chance for once in my life. Unsurely, I nodded, and he took his phone out of his pocket and placed it in my hand. I punched in the digits.

"Arden Gray, I will see you again soon."

I just smiled.

The afternoon had just started to descend as I arrived back at home. My feet were blistered from the long trek, and every step felt like a hundred needles digging into my skin. But the overwhelming feeling of pain was overcome by a deeper emotion.

Not love. God, no.

Curiosity.

For the first time since forever, I felt like my life had taken an interesting turn. Stuff was happening. I didn't quite know what yet. But it was. Change was everywhere, and it scared me to think that I was changing too. I wanted to feel something different than this everyday ache. I always read about love in stories, and it sounded pretty great and all, but it seemed like one of those things reserved for attractive, popular, and happy people, which wasn't by any means me. It was safe to say I was doubtful.

A buzz in the pocket of my jacket snapped me out of my trance, and unknown number blinked on the screen:

I think I remember reading on an ambiguous google webpage that the recommended amount of time to wait before texting a girl is at least a day, but I can't possibly sit around merely thinking of you for that long. Come to the bookstore @ 7, I wanna show you something. Lucas.

"What's up with you?" my dad asked as I waltzed through the front door. Smiling Arden was a rare thing indeed, so it was only natural for my parents to assume the worst; drugs, alcohol, various other illegal activity.