Tough Love

Part 1

Ashlyn

The lecture was suffocatingly dull. I was entirely zoned out, counting the minutes until I could escape, when I finally noticed her.

She was sitting a few rows over, looking completely out of place. She was taller than me, dressed in a long, flowing skirt that clashed entirely with a vintage Beatles t-shirt. A pair of thick, oversized glasses rested on her face, but it was her hair that demanded attention—stark black, save for a sudden shock of pastel blue in her bangs. She had this quiet, closed-off energy about her, like she didn't want to be perceived by anyone in the room.

Naturally, that made me want to talk to her.

The second the bell rang, she was out of her seat and out the door. I grabbed my backpack and navigated through the crowd of students, trying to keep sight of that blue hair.

"Hey! Hold on!" I called out into the hallway.

Up ahead, she paused and turned her head slightly to see who was shouting, but the moment she saw me, she looked away and kept walking.

I picked up my pace, finally catching up and falling into step beside her. "Hey. You didn't stop. Why?"

She didn't break her stride, her eyes fixed straight ahead. "I didn't hear you. Sorry." Her voice was defensive, entirely matching her guarded posture. "What do you want, anyway?"

She was lying—she had definitely heard me—and she was entirely bordering on rude. Part of me wondered if I should just walk away, but I've never been great at backing down from a challenge.

"I just wanted to introduce myself," I said, keeping my tone light. "Maybe be friends."

She let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Right. In your dreams."

I stopped walking, forcing her to pause a few steps ahead of me. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she muttered, adjusting the strap of her bag. She looked anywhere but at me.

I wasn't about to be shut down that easily. I dug a pen out of my pocket, grabbed a torn piece of notebook paper from my bag, and scribbled down my number. I stepped forward and held it out to her.

"Here," I said, keeping my gaze steady on hers. "If you change your mind and actually want to have a conversation, call me sometime."

She stared at the paper for a long moment before hesitantly taking it. "Yeah. Alright. Maybe."

She turned to leave, but after a few steps, she glanced back over her shoulder. "My name is Kiara."

"Good to know, Kiara." I offered a small, confident smile, then turned and walked away toward my next class.

Four hours later, I was still thinking about her. Kiara. It suited her. She looked like the type of girl who would never give me the time of day, and honestly, I didn't even know if she was gay. I was probably just wasting my time.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sudden vibration of my phone on my desk. I glanced at the glowing screen. An unknown number.

Unknown: hey um is this... the girl from class?

I couldn't help but smile.

Me: My name is Ashlyn. And yes, it is.

Less than a minute later, the phone rang. The same number. I cleared my throat and answered. "Hey. What's up?"

"Hi," a quiet voice said on the other end. "I... just wanted to say sorry about this morning. It's not like me to be rude."

"It's cool," I said, leaning back in my chair. "I just wanted to meet someone new. You seemed interesting, so I figured, why not?"

There was a hesitation on the line. "Why me, though? Just wondering."

I paused. I didn't want to come on too strong and scare her off, but I didn't want to lie, either. "Like I said, you seemed interesting. And honestly? The blue hair caught my eye."

I heard a soft exhale on the other end, almost like a suppressed laugh. I couldn't see her face, but I pictured her smiling.

"Well," I said softly. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," she replied.

We both said goodnight and hung up. I set the phone down on my desk, staring up at my ceiling. I didn't entirely know what to make of Kiara yet. She was sketchy, a little rude, but undeniable intriguing. Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.

The next afternoon, I got to the lecture hall ten minutes early. I wasn't entirely sure why my heart was beating a little faster than usual as I claimed a seat closer to the middle of the room, leaving the chair next to me empty. I pulled out my laptop, pretending to review the syllabus, but my eyes kept darting to the heavy wooden doors.

With three minutes to spare, she walked in.

Kiara was wearing a bulky, oversized cardigan today, her blue bangs pinned back. She scanned the room, her expression as guarded as yesterday. When her eyes landed on me, I offered a small wave and patted the empty chair beside me.

For a second, I thought she was going to ignore me and hike up to the back row. But she hesitated, adjusted the strap of her bag, and made her way down the aisle.

"Hey," she mumbled, sliding into the seat. She smelled faintly of vanilla and old paper.

"Hey yourself," I said, keeping my voice low as the professor stepped up to the podium. "Didn't think you'd actually sit by me."

"I almost didn't," she whispered back, pulling a notebook from her bag. But this time, when she looked at me, the sharp defensiveness from yesterday was gone. Instead, there was a faint, almost nervous smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

The lecture was just as dry as the day before, but I barely noticed. The entire hour felt charged. Every time she shifted in her seat, our arms almost brushed. Every time I glanced over, I caught her looking at my laptop screen before quickly looking away. It was agonizing in the best way possible.

When the class finally wrapped up, we packed our bags in silence. We walked out of the building together, stepping into the crisp afternoon air. The tension between us was thick, and I knew if I didn't say something, she was going to walk away again.

"So," I started, stopping near the edge of the quad. "Are you always this quiet, or am I just intimidating?"

Kiara stopped, turning to face me. A genuine laugh slipped out of her. "You're definitely a lot. I'm just... not used to people being so persistent."

"Well, get used to it," I said, grinning. I took a chance and leaned against the brick wall of the building. "I've got a two-hour gap before my next class, and I desperately need coffee. You busy, or do you want to come tolerate me for a little longer?"

She bit her lip, looking toward the campus coffee shop across the lawn, then back at me. The guarded walls were slipping, just a little.

"I guess I can tolerate you for one cup of coffee," Kiara said softly.

"Lead the way," I replied, feeling a rush of victory. As we started walking, our shoulders brushed, and this time, neither of us pulled away.