Light of my Life

Double Decker

LAUREN

I hiked down the corridor with my shoulders hunched and my eyebrows creased, not noticing the other students shuffling by. The dimmed light cloaked us all as hazy, evanescent shapes, so each person was nothing more than a passing figure in the dorm hall.

The way last night's date played out had buried me in masses of regret and humiliation. After my wild performance at the movie theater, I would never be hearing from Alex again.

I couldn't believe that I had ruined it. Out of all of the ways that date could have gone wrong, I hadn't prepared for the possibility that I would literally blow it. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life. Heat crept onto my face even then as I reminisced on it while shambling down the hall.

My heart had felt heavy all day. When I was in class, I wrote notes rigorously to distract myself. I had attempted to forget what happened, but it stuck like a shadow, following my every move, creeping stealthily behind me. I was devastated beyond hope and reason. My feet stumbled across the badly carpeted floor, trying their best to carry me to my room. Once there, I could wallow in self pity privately.

Turning the final blind corner to get to my dorm room, my eyes widened in shock, as I recognized the figure that stood against the wall by my dorm door. A worn out baseball hat hid most of his face.

"Alex!" I smiled brightly. My tense shoulders loosened and my pace quickened. The sight of his face by my dorm left me starstruck, and genuinely surprised. He looked up from his phone and stuck it into his pocket, pushing his hat back so the hallway light hit him directly, reflecting in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I stopped by to see if you wanted to go on a bus tour of New York with me, Alyssa told me that your class got out in ten minutes, so I thought I would wait until you got back to ask," he stared blissfully, and I looked warily back, searching his diamond eyes for a hint of hesitation. Why wasn't he revolted by me? Why was he asking me on another date, after the first one went so poorly?

"Alyssa didn't let you in?" I questioned. He leaned against the wall we stood next to, his hands dug deep into his jean pockets. 

"She was just leaving when I got here, going to the gym. I guess I didn't have incredible timing," he chuckled. 

"Yeah, this is when she usually goes," I mumbled back, my brain searching for a logical explanation for why he had come back. And awkward silence formed around us, Alex broke is abruptly.

"So, about that bus tour? I've never been in New York long enough to really get a feel for it." My movie fiasco must have not scared him off, but why? If the roles had been reversed, I wouldn't have wanted a second date.

"Sure, let's go," I complied curiously. We strolled back out of the dorm complex, and down the New York street toward a bus tour station. He grabbed my hand to hold, and I let him, wondering why he would offer such a gesture. His interpretation of me should have been horrible. Whenever I was with him I blundered through our discussions, passively agreed to everything he said, and threw up. I thought of a way to kindle conversation. "So, you've never been in New York long enough to take a bus tour?"

"Well, I've never had someone like you to go with," he grinned cheekily. I gawked at him, letting go of his hand in confusion. Had the first date even happened? I decided to use this occasion as a fresh start. Maybe on this date I wouldn't mortify myself. We halted at the station and waited for the next bus to arrive. "But actually, this will be the longest the band has ever been in New York for a tour, we have three whole weeks until we leave." My heart rose up into my throat. 

"Only, three weeks?" I squeaked out.

"This is the longest amount of time that we've even stopped at a location. We usually only stay for three to five days. But, New York has a larger population, which means we get paid more if we stay longer. Management's all about the money." Alex explained. He rested against a light post, his hands jammed into his navy blue coat pockets to keep warm.