When Love Takes a U-Turn

The first day I met him, I flipped. Honestly, one look at him and I became a lunatic. It's his eyes. Something in his eyes. They're blue and framed in the blackness of his lashes, they're dazzling. Breathtaking. His hair is just as dark, but he seems to have gotten it cut shorter over the years, so it doesn't fall into his face when he leans forward. He has this thing where he bites his lip when he's concentrating on something that he wants or is nervous, or just plain happy. He looks like the sun. So fucking beautiful it makes you dizzy.

He sits across from me in our little café, reading a book. As if reading a book isn't a good enough distraction for him. When I get up to order my drink, I hear him mutter something along the lines of “You'd think someone would come by here soon” under his breath. When I turn around with my coffee, he immediately blushes. I can barely contain my laughter.

I make my way back to my table and sit down, watching him out of the corner of my eye. When he finally puts his book down, I'm not surprised to see that he's staring right back. I take a sip of my coffee, which suddenly tastes sweeter than ever. “What?”

He clears his throat before responding. “I said that your tea is getting cold.”

My mouth drops open a bit, and I try to hide my grin behind my mug. “Yeah, uh...” My eyes wander down his body, taking in the sight before me. The hem of his shirt is rolled up a couple of times and there are sweat stains on the top of it. I'm glad he's wearing shorts underneath because there is no way I could be subtle about checking out his legs. When my eyes meet him again, I realize we've been caught. Shit! I clear my throat and try again. “I should probably get going.” My fingers itch to reach across the table and run them through his hair. I want to kiss him so badly. But the thought sends chills down my spine.

He gets up and pulls my chair closer to his. “Wait,” he says, and I know I shouldn't wait. I should go home and finish my homework or study for my English test or something else that doesn't involve sitting across from the hottest guy I have ever seen. Except I can't. I can't walk away now, I know what I want and I need to do this right. So instead, I close my eyes, lean forward, and press my lips against his.

For a moment, we just stand there, kissing. His hands come up to cup my face, pulling me even closer until all I can smell is him. He smells like cologne, but underneath that is his scent of him. It's intoxicating. My heart is beating loudly in my ears. After a few seconds, though, he breaks away and takes a step back. His eyes seem impossibly big and wide. I don't know how much longer I can keep looking at him. He opens his mouth, probably to say something, anything, but nothing comes out. Then he turns and walks away, leaving me standing alone at our table. I watch him leave, my hand shaking as I pick up my mug. What the fuck was that?! Did I just ruin everything?! No! This is fine! We will work it out!

By the time I head home, it's already almost midnight and I still haven't talked to him. I mean, I tried calling him, but his phone went straight to voicemail. I guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought I was. I let myself in with my key and then make my way to the kitchen to grab some food. I eat quickly, then head upstairs to collapse onto my bed. Maybe I'll be able to sleep, but I doubt it. I toss and turn for hours, trying to calm my nerves. Eventually, exhaustion wins out and I drift off to sleep.

---

When I woke up the next morning, the room is freezing. I'm not even in my pyjamas. I rub my eyes groggily before sitting up and glancing around. Where the hell am I? I'm pretty sure I remember falling asleep on the couch last night, but that doesn't explain why I feel like I've been hit by a train. I swing my legs over the side of my bed before standing up and making my way to my closet. I pull out an oversized hoodie and some sweats and throw them on. I slip my feet into my sneakers before grabbing my bag and heading downstairs. When I enter the kitchen, I find it empty. Not surprising, considering I woke up a couple of hours ago.

I rummage through the fridge until I find something to eat. I grab a banana and some strawberries out of the fruit bowl and head back upstairs. I decided to check my phone again, but only to see if there are any new messages. There aren't. I sigh and set my phone down on my desk, turning on my laptop and starting up another email. A notification pops up on the screen and I click it, curious to see who texted me. It's a message from Michael saying hello. I reply and continue to type out the rest of my email before closing the computer and leaning back in my chair. I wonder why Michael walked out on me. Could it be that he's seeing someone else?

What went wrong ?