Distraction

Glasses

One morning, Charlotte's at her locker, taking out books and putting them in her bag. She has a croissant in her mouth -because she had no time to eat breakfast today and she had grabbed it on her way out- and a travel mug filled with some green tea on the little space that's free in her locker.

She suddenly hears whispers and giggles behind her, but she's too busy to even bother to look around.

Out of nowhere, someone appears next to her, their top half blocked by her locker door. She doesn't have to look at the shoes to know who it is.

"Morning, Char." Henry says, suppressing a yawn in the process.

"Mhm, hmhm." She hums back.

He chuckles, "You thought you were late again, didn't you?"

"Mhm."

He snorts, takes out his phone and starts to scroll through the news feed while he waits for her.

After making sure that she has everything, Charlotte hoists her bag over one shoulder, takes the mug out of her locker and closes the door. When she looks up at him, he smiles, that toothy little smile of his.

She stares.

Her mouth falls open.

The croissant falls on the floor.

She barely notices.

Henry stares at her in concern, "You okay?"

No answer. You can practically hear the crickets chirping in the background.

"Uh, Char?" he says with a tiny, confused smile as he waves a hand infront of her face " Your breakfast's on the floor."

She blinks.

Then she slowly looks down at what had been her breakfast and she finally snaps out of it.

Her face warms up (why is that even a biological reaction?) and she quickly bends down to pick up the croissant. After throwing it into the trashcan behind her, she turns back around, finding Henry's eyes still on her.

His eyes, which are now framed by a pair of black rimmed glasses.

And surprise, surprise. He looks really good wearing them.

Really, really good.

She doesn't even know what the glasses do, that they are able to make him just extra good-looking, but he sure as heck looks fudging great.

She knew that he was going to start wearing glasses of course. She had been the one who told him to go to an optometrist when he had complained about his eyes. And he had told her a week or so ago, that he was getting glasses, and probably contacts (because Kid Danger can't be running around in glasses at the same time that Henry Hart had gotten glasses. People aren't that stupid to not take notice).

But seeing him wearing them was...something.

Why does he look so good and sexy in them?

Why do they seem to enhance the color of his eyes more?

It's annoying.

Wasn't he already good-looking enough?

"Hey, Char? Are you okay?" he asks again.

She blinks and shakes her head, trying to come out of the daze, "Uhuh."

That's pretty much all she can say at the moment.

Because Henry in glasses is just

Hot? Amazeballs? Perfect?

Gooosh.

"It's the glasses, isn't it?" He asks abashedly when she keeps staring. He touches the rim for a split second, "I look weird, right?"

"Uh."

Talk girl, talk!

She swallows thickly and tries to smile, " No, uh, no...T- they look...fine."

That's an understatement.

Henry stares at her and she hopes that he doesn't notice how flustered she is. But how couldn't he when she keeps staring and stammering.

His eyes roam over her face, seemingly trying to figure out what she's thinking. But thankfully Jasper interrupts.

"Hey guys, have you- Dude, are you wearing glasses?"

Jasper bounces up and down in excitement as he asks Henry if he can try them on. And just like that, their usual brotherly scuffle ensues as Jasper tries to take Henry's glasses off.

She's feeling pretty relieved that Henry's attention has diverted from her. But she's already wondering whether she's going to survive this day or week of school, with Henry looking like that.

Yes, I will! she thinks resolutely.

She stands straight and a determined look makes its way onto her face, as she watches Henry taking a picture of Jasper wearing his glasses, both of them laughing.

She's Charlotte.

Cool, collected Charlotte who can act indifferent even if there's a storm of inner turmoil inside of her.

Charlotte, who doesn't get all jittery because of some guy (although, her mind tells her, Henry is not just some guy).

She can totally survive this week and forget all about this little moment of infatuation she had with Henry...and his glasses.

Yups, I can do this!

During third period however, a girl whispers (very loudly) to her friend, that Henry looks 'really, really hot' in glasses.

It brings up the image -that she's been successfully suppressing for two whole periods- into Charlotte's mind again, and she can barely concentrate for the rest of the day.

It gets worse when she sees Henry again and gets assaulted by the view of him, those glasses and that wonderful smile of his.

-------------------

Tbc.