Status: ACTIVE.
I Won't Call This Hell
i can tell by the way you play it off
A body slammed into mine. A string of choice words floated from my mouth as I tipped dangerously towards the ground. The arms around my waist pulled me up, into the torso of John O'Callaghan.
"Is it just me," he started, smiling slightly, "or does this scream déjà vu?"
"God, John," I hissed. Wriggling from his grasp, I picked up the bag I had dropped. "You could have said something."
"I'll be sure to. Next time."
"No! There will be no next time. One of these times someone is going to get hurt." I looked up at him, a humerus grin on his face. "I mean it, John."
"Okay, hon, I won't do it again." The smile didn't move from his mouth. I recognized it: I could always associate it with myself. Or something mischievous. Or both.
"Bye!" I muttered, turning on my heel. I walked briskly, my only bag swinging at my side. I had passed three stores, maybe twenty people, when his voice called out to me.
"Hey Lynn!" I stopped walking, reluctantly, even if I did not want to.
"Yea?"
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
I was in the mall, surrounded by people- many of whom were watching John and I. It was likely that I knew none of them, but people are nosy, and I couldn't stop them from watching. I wouldn't know how to stop them. I was very aware of an elderly couple, seated on a bench a few feet from me. I could hear the woman talking to her husband, saying how this was cute-so-cute-what-a-cute-couple.
I couldn't turn him down, not here, with all of these people as witnesses. One of them could recognize him, and word could spread like wildfire. I couldn't ruin him like that. I did not want that. I wanted this moment to disappear, to have never have happened. I wanted my mind to clear, for my thoughts to stop crumbling together and making it impossible for me to think straight. Think logically. I knew three things. 1) Yesterday I was confused. 2) Five minutes ago I was pissed. 3) Now, I was confused and pissed at myself because I was flustered. I could not win. I could not think logically, obviously, since only one thing was bold in my mind.
I cannot turn him down, not here.
I nodded my head, and I didn't know if it was enough for him to notice. He did.
Apparently, so did the hopeless romantic of a woman sitting with her husband. "Kiss her!" she cried. Her husband laughed, squeezing her hand and talking to her in a gravely voice, "Oh, Aggie.."
It was as if John had anticipated the woman's words. He ambled towards me, just as the woman commanded. I felt the heat raise to my face, as he kissed the skin beside my mouth. His thumb brushed across my tinted cheeks. "Thank you," he breathed.
I nodded, looking down, continuing to bob my head up and down slowly. "I'll call you later," he said, squeezing my arm. I looked up and watched him walk away, almost as if he had accomplished something.
Whatever, I thought. He was going to bask in his cocky glory, and I was headed out the doors of this place. Home was my destination, where I would curl up in my bed and scream at myself for breaking my own rules.
"Is it just me," he started, smiling slightly, "or does this scream déjà vu?"
"God, John," I hissed. Wriggling from his grasp, I picked up the bag I had dropped. "You could have said something."
"I'll be sure to. Next time."
"No! There will be no next time. One of these times someone is going to get hurt." I looked up at him, a humerus grin on his face. "I mean it, John."
"Okay, hon, I won't do it again." The smile didn't move from his mouth. I recognized it: I could always associate it with myself. Or something mischievous. Or both.
"Bye!" I muttered, turning on my heel. I walked briskly, my only bag swinging at my side. I had passed three stores, maybe twenty people, when his voice called out to me.
"Hey Lynn!" I stopped walking, reluctantly, even if I did not want to.
"Yea?"
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
I was in the mall, surrounded by people- many of whom were watching John and I. It was likely that I knew none of them, but people are nosy, and I couldn't stop them from watching. I wouldn't know how to stop them. I was very aware of an elderly couple, seated on a bench a few feet from me. I could hear the woman talking to her husband, saying how this was cute-so-cute-what-a-cute-couple.
I couldn't turn him down, not here, with all of these people as witnesses. One of them could recognize him, and word could spread like wildfire. I couldn't ruin him like that. I did not want that. I wanted this moment to disappear, to have never have happened. I wanted my mind to clear, for my thoughts to stop crumbling together and making it impossible for me to think straight. Think logically. I knew three things. 1) Yesterday I was confused. 2) Five minutes ago I was pissed. 3) Now, I was confused and pissed at myself because I was flustered. I could not win. I could not think logically, obviously, since only one thing was bold in my mind.
I cannot turn him down, not here.
I nodded my head, and I didn't know if it was enough for him to notice. He did.
Apparently, so did the hopeless romantic of a woman sitting with her husband. "Kiss her!" she cried. Her husband laughed, squeezing her hand and talking to her in a gravely voice, "Oh, Aggie.."
It was as if John had anticipated the woman's words. He ambled towards me, just as the woman commanded. I felt the heat raise to my face, as he kissed the skin beside my mouth. His thumb brushed across my tinted cheeks. "Thank you," he breathed.
I nodded, looking down, continuing to bob my head up and down slowly. "I'll call you later," he said, squeezing my arm. I looked up and watched him walk away, almost as if he had accomplished something.
Whatever, I thought. He was going to bask in his cocky glory, and I was headed out the doors of this place. Home was my destination, where I would curl up in my bed and scream at myself for breaking my own rules.
♠ ♠ ♠
I hate my computer. It hates me, and this chapter.