𝐷𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠

14

{Quîncy}

Î bîte my lîp, takîng a deep breath.

"Lîsten, Î've been thînkîng about ît for a long whîle now."
Î begîn calmly.

Sîlence.

Î take that as a sîgn to contînue.

Though Î am very nervous.

Î've spent weeks rehearsîng what Î'd say to her.

How Î'd say ît.

But now as Î stand here before her, out of breath and pantîng, my mînd îs blank.

Completely.

"For the past couple of months, you've been on my mînd more than a frîend should have been. Î've been thînking of ways Î could sort of express my feelîng wîthout makîng everythîng weîrd....Ît wasn't supposed to happen that way."
Î get a lîttle frustrated.

Nothîng ever comes out the right way.

She îs stîll sîlent.

Î don't even try to explaîn more.

Î'll just end up embarrassîng myself.

Suddenly Î'm all hot agaîn, thîs tîme because Î feel her eyes borîng înto my soul.

Always makes me nervous. Î wîsh Î knew what she was thînkîng.

"Geez, îs ît hot în here or what? Can you pop open a wîndow or somethîng?"
Î start panîckîng, shootîng up.

"Quîncy, honey."

Î absolutely love ît when she talks all softly to me.

Ît makes me feel all gooey on the însîde.

Ît also relaxes my frazzled mînd.

My mother used to talk to me lîke that.

"Î can't take ît."
Î breathe, startîng to pace.

Any of thîs.

The anxîous feelîng Î get îs somethîng Î've never experîenced before.

Î've never broken out înto a sweat out of nowhere before.
Î've never felt a rush of calmness rush over me just because Î felt someone's eyes on me before.

Î've never felt such a strong connectîon wîth anyone.

Never în my whole lîfe.

Î thînk all of thîs but when Î open my mouth to say ît, my voîce seems to get stuck în my throat and Î end up chokîng like a lunatîc.

Suddenly Î feel her hand on my shoulder.

"Here, sît back down."
Her voîce îs în my ear.