How Did We Get Here? ✔️

3. The past

3. The past

"Can I take you out this Saturday?"

Sky looked up from her study notes to see Callen bending over her shoulder. His hair was too long and was falling on his forehead. He was beautiful. It wasn't the first adjective that came to her mind when thinking about men but Callen was.

The way the left corner of his mouth was slightly more turned upwards than the right when he smiled, the way his eyes were popping, alive with flickers of a thousand emotions at once, a mix of happiness, anxiousness, shyness but confidence as well. She wondered why she had never paid more attention to eyes before, they could reveal so much of what one was feeling.

"What?" She realized she had zoned out in her observation and hadn't heard what he had asked.

He pulled the chair that was beside her and propped his head in his palm before smiling at her.

"Can I take you out this Saturday?" He repeated.

"Like, on a date?"

"Yes on a date." He chuckled.

"It won't involve hot drinks right?" She teased.

He laughed and shook his head. "No hot drinks, I promise."

"Sssshh"

Oh right, they were in a library.

"I uh, I actually have plans this Saturday." She whispered.

"You do?"

"Is that so surprising?"

"No, I just meant... Whatever. How about Friday then?" He proposed, still sounding hopeful.

"Friday's great." She offered him her most sincere smile and he returned one.

His eyes then fell on the book she had closed on the corner of the library table. Sky always brought a good novel with her to distract her from her studying during the ten minute break she allowed herself after two hours.

"Thirteen Reasons Why." Callen read. "What's it about? Thirteen reasons why I find you incredibly interesting?"

She rolled her eyes but she was still smiling. She then proceeded to tell him the book was about a girl who left thirteen cassette tapes to explain her suicide.

"Suicide huh?" He was rubbing the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable for a reason unknown to Sky.

She nodded, frowning slightly. "My best friend Kiera recommended the book to me. I'm only at the beginning."

"Oh! Well, once you're finished, I'd recommend If I Stay by Gayle Forman. It's my sister's favorite book and I'll admit it made me ... tear up with masculinity."

Sky laughed. She hadn't expected Callen to give her a book recommendation. He was more well-known for his sport passion, and swoon-worthy looks that had made more than one woman fall for him.

Sky was well aware of his reputation on campus. It was no secret he had had his way with a lot of girls in the first three months of the year. Then he had dated this girl named Liv and broke up with her two months later. She knew he probably only wanted one thing out of her, and it wasn't book recommendations, but she still wanted to go on a date with him. If not for her then for Kiera.

Her best friend was unhealthily obsessed with Callen and she would literally kill her if she found out she had turned down an opportunity to hang out with him for a night. And after all, she wasn't forced to do anything with him, she could just enjoy the night and if it turned out he expected more, well he would just be disappointed and that would be the end of it.

"Sky? Did you hear what I said?"

She shook her thoughts away and looked into the grey of his eyes for a second but was intimidated by the intensity of his gaze so she looked away quickly.

"Sorry, I was thinking about something else." She apologized.

"I bet you were wondering where you hid your condoms." He teased and she laughed.

People shushed them again.

"It's probably not the best place to talk huh?" Callen observed, getting up from the chair before sliding it back under the table. "Here, let me give you my number and we can text about Friday alright?"

Sky nodded, trying to bite back her excited smile and Callen scribbled the number on a piece of paper she had used as a mock paper.

"See you Friday Sky." He whispered, putting the pen down. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, you look hella fucking cute today."

He left a blushing Sky behind him as he marched out of the library, his own heart beating oddly fast. He just hoped he wouldn't fuck this up, unlike everything else.