That First Touch

Chapter 2

Jesse:

Women have always scared me. The influence that they can have, the power they hold in a single hair flick, the bat of an eyelash. The way they walk can leave most guys with their mouths hanging open, completely speechless.

Put it this way – I was always the guy who couldn’t speak to the female species. Well I could. As long as I wasn’t in the slightest way interested, my words were fine. Second I was – word vomit, tongue twisters, throat clenching, awkward voice breaking (even though my voice had broken years ago), nervous sweating and shaking. Not particularly a pretty sight. Not particularly attractive either.

I had a reputation for being nervy with girls, something that didn’t go down too well with the boys. Blind dates was their favourite game to play – they’d pretend to organise a night out at the movies with them, but not turn up and have an attractive female pounce upon me, thinking she was in for a great night.

Their idea of heaven – my idea of hell. First time it happened, I spent the movie as far away from the girl who wanted to be all over me. Second time it happened – I turned and walked out.

Beth was different. I knew that she was the shy girl in my year, the one who sat quietly, head down. We had a few classes together, but we were always separated – me with the noisy, obnoxious boys, her, lonely.

We’d been at the same school since year seven, but it was year twelve that I suddenly realised what all the boys had been overlooking. Beth, the girl who was beautiful, kind, loving. The girl of my absolute dreams had been near me for years, and I had completely failed to notice she existed. That is, until she literally fell for me.

Okay, so when I say she fell for me, I mean in the literal sense.

Technically, she fell on top of me. We had been standing in line to check out books for a research assignment in the library. She was shivering, which is what I noticed first, as the library was quite warm. Then her legs went to jelly, wiggling all over the place. I’d put my books down on the counter, and stepped in front of her, asking “are you alright?”. She didn’t reply, her face ghost white.

Her legs had finally given way beneath her, and her body crashed downwards. Slamming her head on the counter, I’d caught her just before she hit the ground. Lowering her body the rest of the way to the ground, she lay there for several seconds before opening her eyes.

Those few long seconds that she was unconscious, I realised how beautiful she was, her face so peaceful. It was shattered when she had woken up. Tears streaming down her face, she had curled into a ball on the floor, arms covering her head. When she had uncurled, her face was red and blotchy, imprints of the carpet on her right cheek. Bottom lip still shaky, she laughed.

“The room. It’s spinning.”

Lost for what to do, I sat behind her, sat her up and leant her against my chest while she got her surroundings back, and the room stopped spinning. When a bit of colour had returned to her face, I stood up, picking her up under the arms. One of her arms had wrapped around my waist for support, the other hand gripping mine as we wobbled towards the common room. I had been completely calm – one of those people who have a level head when something goes wrong.

Staying at the library with Beth meant that I had missed the bus.

“Have you got your license?” Her face was dazed.

I nodded, and watched as she fumbled in her skirt pocket, and handed me car keys. “Can you drive home with me please?”

I nodded again, and took the keys she offered. I picked up her bag, mine, and balanced her body against me. We had stumbled out to the carpark, I’d unlocked her car, slid her into the passenger seat and chucked the bags in the back.

“Thank you.” Her voice was so quiet, barely a whisper.

I had started her clunky old red Ford, and realised I had no idea where to go. “Which way?”

“Straight.”

She looked exhausted, head resting on her window, eyes barely open.

“Next left.”

Fumbling for the indicator, I pulled into the street, recognizing it as mine.

“Number forty five.”

No wonder I hadn’t realised Beth lived so close to me, even though we had shared the same street, she lived way down the other end, while I lived on the corner of the main road.

Slowly crawling down the street, Beth had closed her eyes. I had turned into her driveaway, turned the car off. I had remembered what my mum had taught me about being a gentleman, and had walked around and opened her door. Her head had dropped to her chest, the sound of the door waking her. I had held my hands out, and helped her shaky body to the front door. I knocked, her dad had answered. His eyes had widened at the sight of his daughters shaky, pale body.

His eyes darted to me accusingly.

“She fainted in the library.”

His look had changed from one of accusation to one of concern. Beth’s legs shook again, her hands gripping mine tighter, and he quickly stood behind her as she dropped slightly, but managed to stay upright. We both had helped her in, laying her on the couch.

I walked out of the house, and grabbed her bag from the boot, handed the keys and bag to her dad.

“Thankyou….” His voice had trailed off when he had realised he didn’t know me.

I held my hand out, and shook his. “I’m Jesse”.

“Brian Penderghast. Just call me Brian though. Thanks for helping my daughter Jesse, you’re a good man.”

“No problem.”

From memory my face had flushed at this point, I’ve never been good at taking compliments. I’d walked home, stunned. She was gorgeous. So polite, quietly spoken. Her body was small – when I’d been supporting her I could easily wrap my arm around her, and easily hold her body weight. Her hands were soft, her features gentle, delicate.

She was the girl of my dreams, and it had taken her falling for me, quite literally, for me to realise it.