"How chivalrous." Lauren rolls her eyes as Joey opens the door for her and steps out of the rehearsal room and into the brisk Fall evening air. The sun is just starting to set so it's a little colder than earlier.
They walk in silence for a few minutes but Joey appreciates the lack of talking so his brain has time to process what just happened in there. There was touching and looking and, if he wasn't mistaken, maybe a moment between them?
He breathes out slowly and runs a hand through his hair. He's never had that much interaction on a personal level with her before and it made him feel vulnerable. When he had to touch her face and she looked at him like that he thought his heart was going to stop. And then when she grabbed his leg? Joey tries to suppress his thoughts a little as he's reminded that the girl in question is walking right next to him by the way she scrapes her shoes along the concrete.
It was definitely embarrassing for the both of them, he could see how uncomfortable she was, anyone could. But that doesn't mean Joey didn't enjoy it. When there was that look between the two of them though, it was a feeling Joey hadn't really felt before, as far as he was aware. He felt exposed, but in a good way. Like she could see all of him.
He stops his train of thought and clears his throat; this was not the time to be thinking about this when she was right beside him.
He decides to say something and break the silence.
"That choreography's a little awkward, huh?" He says nervously, feeling butterflies starting to appear in his stomach. "A little?" Lauren laughs and he joins in, thankful for how natural this felt. "Yeah, I don't know why we have to do all that stuff."
Joey feels his mood drop a little at that last comment; he knows it was awkward but it still hurts a little that she dismissed it so easily. He doesn't reply to her after that, not out of spite but just from not really knowing what to say. He wishes he could talk to her forever but forcing a conversation is always painful, and he doesn't want that feeling with Lauren.
Suddenly as they're walking the sun gets lower in the sky and casts a golden glow over the campus. It shines directly onto Joey's face through the trees and he smiles at the warmth it brings with it. Just as he's appreciating the surroundings and the beautiful natural lighting, Lauren slips her hand into his. She doesn't say anything, she doesn't even look at him. She just grips his hand tightly in hers and doesn't let go.
Joey feels his heart pound in his chest and his mood dramatically lighten. He looks down at her but she doesn't look back. He smiles to himself and squeezes her hand back, letting her know that whatever she's reciprocating, it's mutual.
Joey has never felt even a glimmer of hope that Lauren would ever feel the same way about him, so this is brand new territory. He feels his heart flutter a little as he strokes the skin on her wrist lightly with his thumb; he's built up situations like this in his head since he had first started liking her and this is exactly how he pictured it.
Just as he's soaking up the happiness he feels in this moment, it's all cut short as Lauren's hand slips out of his grip. He stops walking as she stands a few steps ahead of him, clearly refusing to meet his eye line. She looks uncomfortable and stressed.
"I'll see you later Joey, thanks for today." She mutters and before he can reply she spins on her heel and hurries away and into her dorm building. Joey watches her go, hurt and confused. "What the fuck." He whispers to himself in frustration before leaving that spot and walking over to his own building.
***
Joey rinses his hair in the shower, letting the water run down his face.
He doesn't usually have showers in the evening but he needs a space to himself to think.
