Twenty minutes later, there is a knock on my door.
The first thing I notice when Joshua steps inside is that he has applied cologne. Neither of us has showered since the hike, but he has changed into a plain, white t-shirt and smells like the mall.
My intense physical reaction to this bit of sensory input is bewildering; all of my internal organs twist up with each other. He sprayed himself with cologne before coming to hang out with me.
My head swells with power and exhilaration.
"Did you enjoy yourself on the hike?" Joshua asks me. He is as skilled of a conversationalist as I am, which puts me at ease.
"It was amazing. Thanks for inviting me." On my phone, I show him a breathtaking shot I captured at the peak of the mountain, a thick, gleaming rainbow melting into the vaporizing froth of the waterfall.
"It was good to get off campus. I'm halfway terrified to go anywhere ever, but at the same time, it can be really isolating being stuck here all the time." For whatever reason, I'm not embarrassed to tell Joshua the truth about myself and my vulnerabilities.
"I know what you mean. It's easy to get stuck in the LC bubble," he returns.
We are standing in the middle of my dorm room, and it's partly awkward yet also surprisingly comfortable to be here with him. I dare to observe Joshua's face for a prolonged moment; his complexion is slightly pimply and reddish, a pronounced nose protrudes from the middle and his plump lips are an unusual shape. He has applied a touch of gel to his medium-length, dirty blond hair, and I enjoy the way it spikes, hangs and flops around with no clear direction. With every inhale of his sweet cologne, my stomach swirls. This is ridiculous.
"Who's your roommate again—Krista?" he asks me.
"Yeah, Krista. She's out at a party."
"Do you guys get along alright?"
"We do. She's pretty easy going, and we hang out a lot with a few other people from Forest. I don't really party though, so sometimes I'm a little excluded on the weekends."
"I get you. I'm not into the partying scene much either, to be honest."
A quick surge of relief flashes through my chest, and I smile at him.
"How is Josué as a roommate?" I ask, breaking into a little giggle. There's an immediate understanding between as to the cause of my amusement—Josué's eccentricity.
"Ehhhhhh..." He makes a long utterance of multiple vowel sounds that ranges from deep to high pitched, and I cover my mouth to prevent myself from bursting into laughter.
"He is an interesting guy, let's just leave it at that," Joshua remarks.
"I've gathered that much." I feel my cheeks warm and glowing, but for once in my life, I don't think I'm blushing bright red. It is completely blowing my mind that there is a boy in my dorm. Perhaps he is not the boy of my dreams, but it is exciting nonetheless.
Joshua tilts his neck to the side to examine the stack of books on my desk, placing a hand gently over the top one.
"You're a lit major, right?" he inquires.
"Probably. I'm not sure yet, though." I gesture vaguely to the space between my desk chair and my bed. "You can sit down."
He sits on the edge of my bed, appearing slightly uncomfortable. I can't know this for certain, but everything about our interactions tells me almost beyond a reasonable doubt that this is all new for him, too.
"You sit as well," Joshua suggests, patting the bed next to where he is, unable to make eye contact with me. He readjusts himself as I join him.
We chat freely about our classes, most of the conversation focused on making fun of our required first-year seminar course.
YOU ARE READING
A New Reflection
Teen FictionNatalia Stevens is smart, nice and shy-and this is exactly how everyone sees her. Even day-to-day conversations with friends and classmates are difficult, and guys certainly don't pay her any attention. During her senior year, Nati begins to notice...
