Bitter, Sweet, Repeat

8 -- Sweet Dreams

Sophia tapped the tip of her pen against her notebook; increasingly darkening one spot on the page. Staring out the window out into the sports field, her mind wandered to Connor. She glanced over to an empty seat beside her and returned to gaze out the window. He wouldn’t return to class for a few more days. Thoughtlessly, she gnawed on the pen cap. The last bell to dismiss classes brought her back to reality. Just as the bell stopped, the door opened loudly. Heads around the room whipped up and there were sharp gasps. A few girls squealed.

Lazily, Sophia looked up, pen still in her mouth. She caught eyes with the figure at the door. “Nathan,” she whispered under her breath with wide eyes. Clearly her reaction was what he was looking for; his taunting smirk greeted her.  Mortified, she quickly pulled the pen from her mouth, wiped the spit from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and gathered her things into her bag. A book dropped to the floor. Casually, Nathan strolled up to her desk, bent down, picked up the book, and handed it to her in. “You never answered me,” the corner of his eyes slightly wrinkled from his amused smile.

Slinging the canvas bag over her shoulder she looked around the room, “Can you not talk so loud?” Curious eyes glanced over at them. She snatched the book from his hands and hugged it to her chest.

“I’m not.” His hands were tucked into the pockets of his unwrinkled khaki pants, his sweater fit him perfectly, and she noted his un-scuffed shoes. He was a department store manager's dream mannequin – well dressed down to the last detail.

Pulling her eyes from him, Sophia briskly walked out of the room. Nathan wasn’t far behind. “Sophia,” she could feel his muscular arm against her as they walked. Stopping beside one of the main buildings, she used a sharply cold tone with him, “What?”

Surprised by the abrupt stop, Nathan quickly composed himself, “Look at this way, if you don’t like me, you don’t even have to see me again.”

“Except that you look like Connor,” Sophia retorted with an arrogant chuckle. “So…”

“So, I’m nothing like him,” Nathan shot back. Their eyes narrowed at each other, not with distaste, but with pride. Neither one wanted to step down and bow down to the other. Clearing his throat, Nathan tried to relax the tension in his body but it seemed to be more difficult that usual. She knew, with out really knowing, exactly where to hit him. Hearing the annoyingly rhythmic tap of her fingers against the hard cover of the text book in her arms didn’t help him calm down either.

“The Von Welt brothers are all the same,” she thought snidely.

Suddenly an arrogant smirked crept its way onto his face, “Are you scared you’ll fall in love with me?” He took a step closer to her; removing what little space was left.

Taking a step back, Sophia stared at him disbelievingly. “No,” her firm voice matched her firmly clenched fist which was only appropriately accompanied by and equally firm foot stomp to the ground.

“Then you’ll go out with me?” Nathan’s persistence was admirable but it wasn’t going to win him any points with Sophia.

“No,” she began to walk out into the main quad.

“But the other day you wanted to hang out.” He had a point and Sophia knew it.

“That was different,” she argued.

“How?”

“Last time,” her words stumbled as they left her tongue. “Last time we were just being friendly.”

He thought of his few stolen kisses and goose bumps ran up his arms. Her kiss was addictively soft and innocent – not ravaging lustful like his last few encounters with women.  Yes, last time was certainly friendly. “And this time I’ll be friendly as well,” Nathan, again, was only a few inches away from Sophia. The feeling of his warm breath brushing against her face was enough for the chills from the wind to disappear only to be replaced with another, slightly unfamiliar, chill.