Save Your Heart

“Name one activity that makes you really happy, like so happy you feel almost invincible to the world whenever you’re doing it.” He said as he sat across from me on my bedroom floor. It was our fifth night in a row hanging out with each other since the night we met. I will never forget that night.

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My friend and roommate, Natalie had dragged me out to a bar to hang out with her and a few of her friends. I’m not the partying type of girl. I rarely ever go out to clubs or bars. My idea of a good time is cuddling up on the couch with some close friends and watching a movie or talking the night away. Natalie’s idea of a good time was always going out with a few of her fake friends, partying the night away, and hooking up with some guy she barely knows by the end of the night. Almost every Sunday morning I run into another guy making his way out of Natalie’s bedroom. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of going out with Natalie, but she refused to let me stay home alone this particular night. As we walked into the bar, Natalie was happily and drunkenly greeted by a table of girls and guys. They all looked alike; tall, brunette, and tanned to a crisp. Natalie was so much prettier and nicer than the people she chose to spend her time with. Like them, Natalie had long, brunette hair. However, her skin was pale and flawless. The way she presented herself was so sophisticated whereas the crowd she was with were just the opposite. I never understood what she saw in them. Just as I predicted, I sat in a lonely corner while Natalie giggled and flirted amongst her crowd.

Out of no where, a guy got pushed into me. “Excuse me?!” I yelled waving my hands in the air. He turned around and the breath got knocked out of me. I know that sounds so cliche. Believe me, I never thought of someone being able to take one’s breath away, until I saw him. His eyes were what got to me; they were a clear blue with a tint of green in them. Then I noticed his kind face and dark blonde hair that went down to his jaw line. He was tall and extremely skinny with a little bit of muscle in his arms. “I am so sorry! Some guy pushed someone who I was next to me which resulted in me...well...you know the rest.” He chuckled. “I’m sorry though. Are you okay?” He put his hand on my shoulder. It felt as if an electric shock moved through my body.

“Oh yeah. I’m fine.” I managed to say after finding my breath again. “Thank you for asking.”

He smiled at me, then looked around curiously. “Are you all by yourself?”

“No...Well technically, I’m alone over here. But I’m here with my friend who is all the way over there...” I paused and pointed towards Natalie who was standing next to a new guy. We both watched as she flipped hair hair around and laughed at his jokes like a pro. For a few seconds, I felt bad for myself, since she did want me to come with her to spend time with her. “...so you could say I’m all by myself. Yeah.”

The guy slide into the booth that was next to mine and grinned at me. His smile was even breathtaking and so nice. “You’re not by yourself anymore. I’m Derek.”

The smile I gave back to him was probably the goofiest looking smile he’s ever seen. I just couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t even digest in my mind that someone as charming and cute as him would want to talk to an awkward and boring girl like me. “I’m Rylin.” I guess you could say, from that moment on, everything else was history.