A Certain Romance (Reimagined)

The Date

That was totally out of line for him to say. If I was going to put up with him for X number of months, then I needed to correct him on the things he said, so he would be at least a little tolerable. I mean, if he was already following me around school whenever I moved an inch, then he wouldn't have a problem saying the right things to keep me around. Nearly was I enjoying the manipulative part of this. Ashton was so new to this world, I could make him do anything and believe anything. Evidently, he wanted to fit in and be cool and accepted, so he was willing to do anything for that acceptance. Another easy check mark for me. 

"Right, American women do not like to be disrespected." He cleared his throat before grabbing my books and holding them like a gentleman. Cute, but different for me to experience with a guy. Michael and Luke would make me carry their books, never kind enough for a gesture like this.

"Or any women for that matter." I reminded him, spinning around on one foot, cutting him off from walking any further. Our chests slightly collided.

"Are you going to Calum's party tonight?" He brought his hand up to my bangs to place them back where they were, allowing me to catch the scent of his cologne. Sunshine by Paul Smith, I liked it. Different and unexpected. I loved the scent, it was better than the Old Spice that guys here usually doused themselves in even if they could afford the most expensive bottle of cologne. They were basic.

But, Jesus Christ, did Ashton's scent catch me off guard. I had to take a second to close my eyes and just breathe to regain my equilibrium. "I was thinking we could go together after we eat...?" I opened my eyes slowly, one hundred percent afraid to make eye contact with him and feel that sudden sense of self-consciousness again. Before, I couldn't be fucked to think about how my eyelashes looked or if my knees were ashy, though maybe I was becoming a different version of myself that cared about vanity and lust. 

"Oh, yes, that's a good plan." He started walking again, guiding me with him as his hand was placed on the small of my back. Oh no. 

I grabbed my books from his hands, no longer feeling the need to continue walking with him. "It's a date! I can drive. I'll text you later so you know what time to be ready."

So, I began walking in the different direction. Probably the wrong direction. 

"Should I dress nice?" I heard him shout over everyone. 

"Do what makes you happy." I yelled over my shoulder.

In a weird, creepy, dark corner was Michael watching the conversation unfold. He shot me a quick thumbs up before disappearing. 

A success so far. 

-

"So...cheerleader, huh?" Sam sat on my bed as I looked at my appearance in the mirror. After the game I came home to get ready for my "date" with Ashton. I skimmed my closet carefully in search for something that would be visually stimulating to Ashton. A dress? No, it was just burgers and a house party and I didn't want to get noticeably bloated either. So I settled for jeans, a red silky camisole, and a leather jacket. The red would be just enough to catch Ashton's eye. Scientifically speaking, men were attracted to bright colors like red. They were not attracted to the scent of tears. Nothing was a buzzkill like tears. I didn't plan on crying and I could think of the last time I even cried. 

Sam was home for the night to take a break from the grueling pressure of being on campus the night before a game. It came with parties and all the girls he could ever want, but he wasn't interested in that. He just wanted to play a good game tomorrow, then come back home and sleep for twenty-four hours. While other college guys were whoring around, Sam seemed bored and unimpressed with those usual activities. He had a girlfriend too, but I wasn't sure how serious they were because she never came around and only spoke about her twice. I couldn't get into his head to figure out what he prioritized and that could be why we were never close. I didn't understand and much less did he understand me. A sad feeling to not know your own sibling.