The Uncertain Something

I

06 December 2018. I'm in this crowded room full of college students –I mean, who else would be around me in a state college campus–, sitting on a rusty old chair, unceasingly tapping the back of my phone, and just waiting for the photo-shoot to be done for the day.

I sigh as I open a text message:

Hi! This is Paulo and I'm headed back to my dorm, I'll just text you again when I'm already at the place.

      8:41 pm. I still feel drained as I fix my bag on the way to McDonalds. I'm supposed to be excited or anxious because I'm meeting with someone I barely know, instead, I'm all tired and mad at myself for what happened at the school earlier.

      I'm finally here in what I like to call 'The billion dollar real estate company'. I look hard at the menu even though I'll end up ordering crispy chicken sandwich ala carte and water –because I only drink water, coffee, and booze–.

      It is a relief now that I'm out of school grounds; god this last semester in college has been pretty uptight. I don't know how I still manage to schedule drinking booze every week and now I almost forgot to do the public material for the upcoming photo-shoots. I guess I'll just do it while I'm waiting for him.

      9:06 pm. Well that was easy. "I'll send this one right away", and when I realize I said that out loud while being alone, a message pops up:

I'm already here at McDo. I'm ordering.

And another:

Wait, I just went out, are you here outside?

      I search the crowd outside right after reading his text; and there he is with his vintage looking glasses, wearing an orange shirt –Which for the record is my favorite color, but has nothing to do with anything, I just thought of that for no apparent reason– I look at him through the glass as I text him:

Hey, 2pm.

      He sees me, sitting on a very comfortable but probably not sanitized fast-food chain chair, wearing a dark blue oversized closed neck shirt tucked in slacks with my perfectly long uncombed hair and the ever-present bushed face.

He goes back inside so I grab my things while finishing my water. I turn around and he's already in front of me –that was fast–.

"Hi", he smiles

"Hi,"

He extends his arm for a handshake. We walk outside, and I notice that we ordered the same sandwich. I just noticed. Now I feel anxious, I have to say something, fast.

I look at him while we're walking and ask, "So where are we headed? I'm not really familiar with the places around here"

He answers, "It depends. Do you want a chill vibe or somewhere loud?"

I gasp, still trembling a little on my mind, "I always prefer the chill vibe; after all we're just going to have a beer."

"Okay then," he points out a street not far from where we are, "there are plenty of nice pubs around there."

      He's talking a lot while we're walking, either he doesn't want things to be awkward or he's comfortable talking with me because I may not know him personally but one thing's for sure is that he's not a chatty person.

He kind of mentioned it to me that he's not the person who usually starts a conversation; but right now? I don't know. He seems to have a say on a lot of things. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, I'm just a tad surprised that I'm not doing all the talking because that's what everyone expects of me.