Though they were walking side by side, the awkward silence that dominated Evan and Caddie hours ago came back. Both of them were too bothered by how they acted earlier, that they couldn’t get themselves to speak.
Evan couldn’t believe his persistence. Caddie wasn’t his friend. She was a stranger. A rushed acquaintance. A person you talk to out of convenience.
Convenience. Evan thought. Am I really acting like this because of convenience? He began to weigh the pros and cons of his insistent gestures. What if I look like an opportunist? Maybe she’s thinking I’m actually one.
Little did Evan know that Caddie was doing the same thing. She couldn’t believe that her stubbornness was overthrown by this stranger. Exactly. Evan is just a stranger. He acted according to his humanity.
Humanity. Caddie thought. Am I less humane than this guy walking beside me? She began to worry about what impression she was giving him. Not that it mattered, she thought in her own defense. Maybe he thinks I’m nothing but a spoiled brat.
Evan shook his head, stopping his mind from overthinking. He glanced at Caddie, wondering how she’s handling his jacket. Her fingers were on the shoulder part of his jacket. She was probably fixing the way the jacket fell on her shoulder, but the expression on her face made Evan curious.
“Does my jacket make you feel that uncomfortable?” he asked with a slight tone of annoyance audible in his question.
Hearing the tone of his voice made Caddie panic. What is it this time? She stopped fixing the jacket, and replied calmly, “I’m just fixing it.”
Uttering her reply, Caddie walked faster, gaining a significant distance from Evan. She didn’t want to bother Evan more than she intended.
Seeing her pace forward made Evan feel guilty. Why is she creating a distance now?
“Wait!” Evan exclaimed. His steps became quicker– intentionally quicker.
Caddie didn't want to stop, but he shouted again.
“Are you that anno…?” Caddie’s statement became incomplete as she felt Evan’s fingers touch her nape. He flattened the jacket’s collar on her neck.
Evan noticed that the jacket’s broad shoulders hung heavily on Caddie’s shoulders, making her appear too small.
“Why were you walking too fast?” Evan asked, as he continued to fix the jacket on her shoulders.
No answer.
Realizing how he’s gesture was affecting Caddie; Evan apologized quickly, and removed his fingers from the jacket. Without second thought, he paced forward, not bothering to look at Caddie’s reaction.
Caddie stood frozen in her place. The feeling of Evan’s touch on her nape gave her chills. The kind that shocks and soothes you at the same time. The kind that makes your heart beat twice its normal rate.
The kind that makes you wonder why you’re even thinking about it that much.
At that moment, Caddie realized the amazing scent surrounding her. The scent was like a fresh blend of white pepper and bright blue-violet flowers, warmed with cedar wood. I’m sure I could get used with this. Becoming conscious of her jumpstarting imagination, Caddie took a deep breath, and paced forward.
Little did she know that Evan was dominated by anxiety. He neither knew what to do nor what to say. What was that about Evan? You shouldn’t be giving meaning to such trivial matters.
