Stay Close, Don't Go

Usually at parties, I’m the last one to be direct about things, or people, and I usually wasn’t the type to spot someone in the crowd and want to meet them. Of course, being in England and all, things currently weren’t what they usually were and I was slowly drifting from what I would normally do.

As of right now, Tom hadn’t moved. His eyes were still focused on me, only blinking now and then. I was staring back as I moved slowly through the room. I didn’t feel like making it so completely obvious that I was walking in his direction.

As I watched, someone came up behind him. The guy, who had shaggy hair, spoke in Tom’s ear and pointed in another direction. Even as he was being spoken to, Tom’s eyes remained on me.

The guy continued to talk, as if explaining something, and his face looked concerned. Tom’s face fell and he blinked, turning his face away from mine to look at the guy. He said something to him and within a moment he had disappeared from my sight.

Slightly frustrated, I looked away from the spot Tom had just been in and I looked towards where I thought he might have gone. I couldn’t see any sign of him though. Now halfway across the room, I turned sharply to head back to where I had come from but came in contact with someone.

“Why hello.” The voice, like all the others here, had an accent. This one sounded like a mix of more than one though. I looked up in to the face of Oliver.

Behind and around where we were was a group of people, mostly girls, including Mercy. I plastered a small smile on my face and made my voice kind, “Hey.”

Mercy, as if to regain attention, stepped forward and smiled at me before speaking, “Oli this is my friend Madison. Just moved ‘ere from the States.”

“No wonder yeh didn’t look familiar.” Oliver said with a chuckle, “Well I’m Oliver.”

He smiled as he spoke, his words smooth and careless. And to add to it, he was, admittedly, attractive. I wasn’t too surprised to see him with so many girls around him.

“I’m Madison,” I said, returning the smile. He had that type of charm to turn my forced smile in to one I couldn’t hold back. It was odd.

Though conversations whirled around me, I was still distracted. Only Oliver was able to momentarily hold my full attention. I loosely held my spot in the conversation before me as I took a sip of whatever Mercy had given me.

Oliver stepped close to me and slung a tattooed arm around my shoulder. He leaned his head near me and whispered in my ear, “This is a party, love, why yeh actin’ distracted? Yeh need to get drunk and loosen up.”

His breath sent chills down my neck and back, plus the awkward weight of his arm around me only made me a bit more shy instead of less directed.

Oliver’s arm was still around my shoulder as I looked around the room, my eyes spotting Tom’s back near the door to the backyard. He turned around as he talked with someone, and as if like a magnet, our eyes were connected again. He didn’t keep his eyes on me though, not directly anyways. Tom’s eyes flickered between me and his brother for a moment before he looked away and walked somewhere else with the guy from earlier.

I felt slightly guilty then. Remembering what the girls had told me about people using Tom to get to his brother made me feel uncomfortable standing there with Oliver’s arm around me, even if it was just a playful gesture. Plus, I was receiving glares form the girls around so I shrugged off his arm and turned, heading towards the front door.

Now, as I was exiting the house, it was my turn to feel eyes on me. It wasn’t the general looks people gave me for being new, this was the feeling of someone studying me. This time, as I looked over my shoulder to see Tom clear across the room, I was the one to blink and look away.

&&

It’s now Saturday. Janie ended up ready to leave about the same time I went outside. She was mumbling angrily about her sister calling and needing her home. Mercy, to say the least, was mad we pulled her away from Oliver.

In a way, I’m sort of glad I didn’t meet Tom at the party; yet in another way I wish I would have. Glad I didn’t because I wouldn’t know what to say, and wishing I did because I couldn't get him, or his eyes, out of my mind.

“Muffin?” I heard my mom ask, holding out a delicious looking blueberry muffin. From my spot on the couch, I leaned forward and took it from her as she sat down. “What’s on your mind, Buggie?”

Buggie was an interesting nickname she’s called me since I was little. I used to call everything Buggie, so I guess things like that stick. When I didn’t respond right away she spoke again, “It’s a boy isn’t it. We’re here for a few days and you’ve got your eyes on someone, that’s rare. Dish.”

Normally, I didn’t talk to my mom about boys. It wasn’t because I didn’t want her to know, it’s because usually all the guys I meet turn into friends. I’ve only had one boyfriend, and that wasn’t even too serious, and I usually don‘t like many guys. I’d rather just be one of the guys.

“I haven’t even met him.” I muttered looking at her. She just smiled and I could tell she had something to say but was waiting for more of an explanation. “I feel like such a creeper for knowing who he is. He’s cute, you should see his eyes. He’s really shy, though. But I get the feeling he wants nothing to do with people.”

“Well last time I checked, we both know someone that often wants nothing to do with people.” She said, eyeing me. She did this a lot; hint this, hint that. “Now you can either wait around half the year for him to approach you, or you can be in charge and walk up to him.”

I looked at my mom with my eyebrow raised. She knows I don’t like just approaching people. It’s embarrassing, I prefer being introduced or accidentally meeting people. Of course, not all accidents have to be unplanned, I need to keep that in mind.

“We’ll see.” I muttered finally and took a bite of the muffin. That was my little hint-hint to my mom that I didn’t really want to talk anymore.