Colour | Irby

Part 4

Iris' POV

Are you good at this? Libby asks

We step up to the first hole of the miniature golf course. Green plants surround us on every side, narrowing my view to include just Libby in her white polka-dot dress and the fake grass stretched out ahead of us.

"I'm not bad," I reply. "I play this a lot, so I've had some practice."

She smiles, then kneels down to place her golf ball on the green. Once she's lined up her golf club with the ball, she gives it a put. The ball rolls forward, the aim looking promising, until it hits a bump in the ground and swerves into the cement boundary of the course.

I'm not very good, she signs. I haven't played mini golf since I was maybe seven or eight.

"You're fine," I respond.

I bend over to set my ball on the course, then steady my putter in front of it. A light swing is all it takes to make the ball tumble toward the hole. It rebounds back and forth off the walls before dropping right in.

Libby's eyes light up as she signs, That was incredible!

I'm also impressed with myself. I did not expect it to go in on the first try.

"Thanks," I say.

She looks out to where her ball is, then back to me. Can you show me?

She waits with raised eyebrows and a shy smile for my answer.

"Yeah, sure."

I follow her over to her ball, and she holds her club beside it. I step up behind her and enclose my arms around her, placing my hands over hers on the putter. The second our hands touch, I feel my heart skip a beat, and I suddenly forget what I was about to do, my brain busy thinking about the scent of her vanilla perfume. After a few seconds, I remember my purpose, and she smiles as I swing our arms back, lifting the putter into the air. Then I guide it back down, knocking the ball forward. I unwrap my arms from around her, and she watches as the ball rolls up to the hole. For a second, I think it's going to stop rolling before it gets there, but it just barely tips over the edge and falls in. Libby turns to me with a grin.

"Nice," I say.

You're a good teacher, she responds.

The way her eyes cling to mine gives me a strange feeling in my chest, like I need to breathe deeper to get enough air. It's like pulling away from her stretched out a line that had just connected between us, and now all it wants to do is draw us back together. Mixing that feeling with the confusion I also feel causes nerves to bubble up. It feels similar to a crush, but not exactly the same. It's different than what I've experienced before, and I'm not sure whether it's better or worse, or even what it is. Do I like her? Am I gay or bi or something? I wish I could understand what I'm feeling, but the fear swirling around my head is making it difficult to decipher the emotions running through me.

____________________________________

Libby's POV

The shadows of the trees are the only spots of the park not illuminated by the morning sun. Andi sits on the other side of the picnic table from me, telling me excitedly about her time with Amber yesterday.

"So we were watching Camp Rock, right," Andi explains, "and then the scene where they're Shane plays the song for Mitchie by the water came on, and we sang along to the song, and, well, to put it short, we kissed."

My jaw drops and she can't contain her grin.

I'm so happy for you, I sign. So she's your girlfriend now?