Enamoured

Enchanted Night

It was already 10 p.m. and I was still twisting and turning in bed. I couldn't fall asleep thinking about my encounter with Ryan. I'd be lying if I said I didn't find it mysterious. How did he know my name? That was so weird to me. I tried to fathom all sorts of plausible reasons in my head but nothing could be concluded. The more I thought about it, the creepier he started to look. I had my quota full for stalking experiences in my past and I knew better than to see the signs when I would see them. Would Ryan stalk me though? I felt stupid for thinking that way.

Luckily Clara forgot to ask me anything at all after class. But knowing her, I knew she'd ask me about it in the foreseeable future.

I slowly raised my hand to touch my face. As soon as my fingers touched my cheeks, I realised they were still burning. It couldn't be fever, right? Or I was probably just thinking too much and my head started to hurt.

I had always wanted to know how it'd be like for Ryan to talk to me for the first time. Everyone was crazy about him so the thought had crossed my mind too. I thought there would be the perfect situation, at least a less compromising one. I had a crush on him the first time I had seen him but I preferred not doing anything about it.

Those eyes... There was something about them, which made me vulnerable for a second. Even if it was just a matter of a few seconds, it sent chills down my spine.

There was one thing which crossed my mind again though, how did he know my name?

He was the last person I had expected to actually know my name. I was a class topper yes but a low profile one. Should I ask him about it? "Oh come on Dior, you can barely get out a word when he's in front of you!" I thought to myself. Who was I kidding? I got rid of that thought.

Realising that I wasn't going to get my sleep any time soon, I quietly got out of bed not to wake up Clara. I tiptoed to my wardrobe and pulled out some clothes. I got into my sports outfit and shoes, not to forget my hoodie. One step at a time and I finally sneaked out of the room.

Not much to my surprise, there was a lot of students outside, still walking around, eating, or doing sports. The night air was just perfect for me to get out of my thoughts. I walked casually breathing in the sweet scent of the night while looking at the big trees and the stars. I took off my hairband from my wrist and started tying my hair up in a ponytail. As I walked towards the jogging track, I looked up at the sky to enjoy the magnificent view of the stars. The chilly air was somehow reassuring. I had always been a star-lover, ever since I had been a kid. For a moment, I just stood there, near the jogging track, looking at the sky. I wondered what it was like up there. Astronomy had always fascinated me.

"Hey you," someone caught me off-guard from behind.

As I turned around, I was bewildered. To my surprise, it was Ryan Cooper, again. I just stared at him, agape. I suddenly closed my mouth realising it was open out of shock. And he was alone. Wait a second, is it just a coincidence?

He was looking at me with a serious expression, "Can't sleep?"

"Not really," I was so shy that I couldn't even look at him.

He grinned and that was when I saw his killer smile. I realised that the glasses fitted him perfectly. I liked how he didn't use gel to style his hair, the right kind of freestyle. He was wearing black jogging trousers paired with a black hoodie. And his shoes... It then dawned upon me that I was checking him out without even realising it so I quickly looked away.

"Do you want to go sit for a bit?" Well that caught me off-guard. What was I going to talk about?

I looked up at him and nodded. I could feel my pulse racing and luckily it wasn't in broad day light otherwise he'd have seen my red cheeks.

We walked to the nearest bench at the jogging track and he waited for me to sit down first. I reluctantly sat down and he sat next to me. Not too close, just the right distance in between. Gentleman much? I wondered why he was talking to me though as he always ignored girls. He was known for hanging out only with his bunch of hot friends who were nerds and popular too, each being a master in their own major. As expected, the other students around kept casting glances our way which made my cheeks burn even more. That was the kind of attention you'd get when you were around Ryan Cooper. Go do your jogging dudes!

"What are you thinking about?" he asked me thoughtfully.

"Nothing much," my voice was barely audible. Was he looking at me all this time? I needed to stop zoning out. Suddenly my fingers were so interesting to look at so I stared at my lap.

"That wasn't nothing," he grinned. He was so cute the way his eyes twinkled. Suddenly the chilly air started feeling like summer already. I could feel my cheeks heat up. It was surprising the way I would respond to him. It then crossed my mind to ask him how he knew my name. But how was I going to ask him that? Probably some other time. For some reason, I didn't want to know at this particular moment.

"Doesn't it bother you to always have people looking at you?" I finally asked.

"It bothered me at first but then I couldn't be bothered," he said casually.

Couldn't be bothered.. about the number of girls asking him out everyday?

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" I asked, surprised.

"Getting lost in your thoughts again."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I was stunned. That was it! I had to get out of here!

Actions spoke louder than words as I was suddenly on my feet. That definitely caught him off-guard. He hurriedly stood up too and I saw that he was surprised, judging his shocked facial expression. Wait, was that disappointment that I could see in his eyes? Did he actually want me to stay longer?

"Uh I'm sorry I have to rush. I've got uh homework? Yeah homework! Nice talking to you. See you around!" I didn't even give him time to respond, turned around and started to walk with hurried steps.

"Dior," that stopped me in my steps. I slowly turned around, embarrassed. I was running away again and we both knew it.

"Yes?" I didn't have the courage to look up at him. He slowly walked towards me, still not too close.

"Sweet dreams," he said in a gentle comforting voice.

I looked up at him. He was looking at me straight in the eyes. I started to forget about the number of people around us who were looking at us curiously, or looking at him rather. Those coffee brown eyes again. His gaze was comforting on this chilly night.

"Thank you. Same to you, Ryan," I replied, still looking at him. The more I looked him in the eyes, the more it felt weird. It was a new sensation, electrifying but serene at the same time. Was I getting drawn to him or was it just the scenery and atmosphere?

That was when I knew I had to break away. I smiled and turned my back to walk away, embarrassed. I could feel his gaze on my back. That was how I got back to my dorm without looking back once. Was he still there waiting for me to keep walking until I was not more in his sight? Or rather, the right question would be, would I even be able to sleep at all?