Don't Let Me Down

“For the last time, Alex,” she said, spitting out my name and causing me to flinch slightly. “I want you to just leave me alone.”

She was angry. Frustrated even. Even as she threatened me, she knew as well as I did that I wouldn’t leave her alone. I was in love with her. Infatuated. And there was no way that I was going to take no for an answer.

Now don’t get me wrong—I wasn’t going to force myself on her. I couldn’t imagine doing that. Just the thought made me sick. I just wanted her to…I don’t know. Give me a chance. That was the best way I could explain it.

“Now Hannah,” I said, watching as she rolled her eyes. “All I’m asking is that you just go on one date with me. Please.”

Her dark blue eyes focused on me, standing in the doorway of her apartment.

“And all I’m saying is no,” she said. “Why can’t you get it through your thick skull that I’m not interested?”

“Because,” I said. “You’re lying to yourself. You want this. Just admit it.”

She was even angrier now and she shoved me hard. I stumbled back and before I could get in the way, the door was slammed in my face. Rejected. Again.

I had lost count of how many times she had slammed that door in my face.

I had first met her at a bar. Probably one of her reasons for rejecting me. She probably believed that I was some creepy stalker or someone that spent every night at bars looking for his next victim. But I wasn’t. I normally didn’t go to bars. One of my friends had dragged me along, before quickly abandoning me for some half naked girl on the other side of the crowded room.

She had been sitting at the bar by herself, and I took a seat a few seats from her. I happened to glance at her. She was gorgeous. And not in a fake super model kind of way. To some she would look like most any other regular girl, but to me she shone brightest in the whole room. Cheesy, I know.

But as soon as I saw her, I was hooked. Her blue eyes—so dark—had turned towards me in a nervous way. She caught me staring and I saw a tinge of pink in her cheeks as she looked away quickly, hiding her face behind a curtain of her dark brown hair.

I thought I had scared her off, but a moment later, she was looking at me again. And this time she looked annoyed.

“What?” she asked. Definitely annoyed. My eyes met hers before shifting away and I focused on the drink that I was holding in my hand.

“Nothing,” I mumbled. “Sorry.”

I turned away from her. But I knew she was still staring. I could feel her eyes on my back. I turned around, confirming my feeling.

“What?” I asked, mocking the way she had questioned me just moments before. Her face flushed instantly. And I saw this glint in her eye. Anger. I smirked at her, and she looked away. I chuckled softly and she glanced at me. “I’m Alex.”

“Hannah,” she said.

Later that night, I found myself back at her place. She had asked me back up to her place and I couldn’t help but see this nervous flicker in her eyes. But I said yes and the next thing I knew we were pressed against each other, just inside her apartment, lips pressed together.

I didn’t normally do things like this, but there was just something about her that made me feel different.

And before I knew it, she was pushing me away from her, breathing heavily.

“I can’t— ” she said, avoiding my eyes guiltily. “I can’t do this.”

“Hannah…” I said, hesitantly.

“Just get out,” she said sharply, her voice louder now. And I did.

But after that night I couldn’t stop thinking about her. The very next week, I found myself at her apartment door, trying to convince her to give me a chance. Just one night. But she rejected me. And I was persistent. I showed up every other day at her apartment. And every other day I was rejected.

I thought for sure that she could feel this magnetic pull between us like the one I could feel towards her. But each time I was rejected, my hopes were growing smaller. Especially after that last rejection. After that last one, I had finally decided that I needed to move on. I was going to ask her out one more time. Once more.

----------------------------------------------

I knocked on her apartment door as was usual and waited for her to open the door. I knew that she knew that it was me, but she opened the door anyways and I stepped forward quickly putting myself in her doorway so she couldn’t shut the door on me.

“Alex,” she said. “When are you going to give up?”

“When you agree to go out with me,” I said, not feeling the need to mention that this was the last time I would ask her.

“We’ve been over this before,” she said. “My answer is still no.”

I looked over her face carefully, studying it. She looked tired.

After a minute of silence, she sighed.

“Well?” she said.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re awfully silent,” she said, before adding: “for once.”

My eyes locked on hers.

“So you won’t go out with me?” I asked.

“That’s what I’ve been telling you,” she said. I looked away and nodded my head.

“Well then,” I said. “I guess that’s that. I’ll see you around.”

I backed out of her doorway before turning away from her. Walking away. I didn’t think I’d feel like this. It almost felt like a break up, even though we had never been together.

“Alex,” she said before I was out of ear shot. I turned around to look at her. She had stepped out of her apartment towards me. And I saw something in her eyes. Something I had not expected. Was it sadness? She took another step forward. “Are you going to come back?”

“No,” I said simply.

“Why?” she asked. I looked at her like she was crazy.

“Are you serious?” I asked. “You’re asking me why?”

She nodded her head.

“Because you keep rejecting me,” I said.

“You’re really giving up that easily?” she said, her lips curving upwards ever so slightly.

“I can only take so much rejection,” I said, not sure what to think of her answers. She smiled at me, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“I like to make guys work for me,” she said. “The only way I know if they’re actually interested in me is when they are persistent.”

“So what are you saying?” I said slowly. She smiled at me.

“I’ll go out with you, Alex,” she said. I couldn’t help the grin that spread onto my face. “I think you’re the most persistent guy I’ve ever met.”

“What can I say?” I said taking a few steps so that I was standing directly in front of her. I reached out carefully until my hand met hers and I held onto it. “When I want something, I work hard to get it.”