*Geek Boy*
I arrived to the library fifteen minutes early.
For a moment, I stared at the ceiling of my car, remembering the expression on the lawyer's face as he brushed past me into the living room. His features had been set in stone, serious, while his demeanour was cold, detached. I'd watched silently as he'd marched into our living room, dressed in a foreboding black suit and clutching a leather briefcase. My mother hadn't spoken except to remind me to leave the house.
It was too much for me.
Taking a deep inhale, I stepped out of the car, locking it behind me. My breath caught in my throat as I scanned the parking lot.
Ellie's silver Porsche sat empty across the parking lot. A closer look at the number plate confirmed my prediction. I'd only ever seen it a few times since most of the trips to school consisted of her car sharing with her best friends. But I could never forget anything that had to do with Ellie.
She was already here.
My heart sped up, beating erratically as I approached the library doorway. As I nodded at the librarian at the front desk, I thought about my message to Ellie this morning.
It had taken me at least ten minutes to figure out how to respond. The moment i'd seen her message, the words scribbled perfectly in a way that allowed me to imagine her saying them in reality, my mouth had dried up and, for a moment, I could do nothing but stare in awe.
Ellie Kent--the Ellie Kent of my seven year crush--had messaged me on Facebook.
It was impossible.
Something I'd dreamt of for years had happened in mere seconds. It would have taken her only a moment to write the words that shook my entire universe. Only a moment to make my heart stop beating.
But one look at her profile had confirmed the truth: she was out of my league.
I'd seen her profile many times, but it had hit much harder this time.
Ellie's friend list was endless, stuffed full of cheerleaders, jocks or just plain attractive individuals. There was a myriad of photos where she was tagged attending a social event--parties, pep rallies, school games, you name it, she'd been there. Pictures and videos flooded her profile, the most prominent of which was a party that took place last night.
While I spent my Friday nights revising and working, she went out with her friends.
So out of my league.
To add to it, the amount of dancing, cheerleading and gymnastic competitions she'd won were extensive. Every few posts, I would see another image of her holding a trophy or posing with a medal. There were pictures of her in ballet costumes, cheerleading uniforms and dance outfits. And in correspondence with the costume, there was a matching trophy.
She was perfect.
And even if that was as close as I would get to knowing her, I was grateful.
Air conditioned air hit me as I entered the main library. I strode through the aisles, dodging bookshelves, as my gaze skimmed over my surroundings in search of Ellie.
I'd spent ages thinking about today--how I would act, what I would say. To gaze at her from afar was one thing, but to be talking to her was another. For the first time, I would be in the presence of my crush, with all of her attention focused on me.
I imagined what she would look like. Maybe she would smile as I strode in, her beautiful face lighting up into that unforgettable grin.
I wish.
As I turned around the corner of a bookshelf, I stopped.
My breath caught the moment my eyes finally halted on her.
Ellie's sleeping face was the most beautiful image I'd ever set eyes on.
Her head lay rested on her arms, pressed down on the table. Her eyes were shut, her long lashes brushing her cheekbones. Air flew in and out of her slightly parted lips. The scent of fruit and something more feminine, drifted over to me, smacking the breath from my lungs.
Quietly, I heard her mumble something.
My heart stopped the moment I deciphered what she had said.
Impossible.
There was no way she had said that.
Without thinking, I stepped closer, quietly taking the seat opposite her.
I watched as she shifted, her eyes fluttering open. Slowly, her face lifted from the nest of her arms, her eyes, still blurry from sleep, met mine.
Wow.
My heart hadn't stopped escalating since I'd sat opposite her. My thoughts were still full of what I thought I'd heard her murmur as she slept.
It couldn't be possible.
"Hey," I greeted quietly.
Ellie's eyebrows furrowed, her sweet face puckering in confusion. She blinked several times, pouting slightly as if she were trying to come to terms with the situation at hand. Then, rapidly, her gaze cleared. She sat up abruptly.
"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" she gushed. She shoved a hand through her tousled blonde hair, her manicured fingers hurriedly fixing it. "I didn't get much sleep," she explained. "I really didn't need to fall asleep!"
I smothered my smile. From the red quickly rising to those flawless cheeks, I could tell she was genuinely embarrassed.
"It's alright," I replied.
Her cheeks grew more pink by the second. She bit her lip, looking up at me from beneath thick lustrous lashes. "I'm really sorry," she murmured.
I struggled to still my expression.
She was so cute.
"It's fine," I replied.
My eyes locked with hers for a moment and I felt my heart beat escalate.
I cleared my throat. "So, should we begin?"
She nodded quickly.
I pulled some revision books out of my bag, placing them on the table in front of us.
"So, what exactly are you having trouble with?" I asked.
She bit her lip again. "Would you think I'm dumb if I said everything?"
I bit back a smile.
So adorable.
And so out of my league.
"No," I replied. "You're not dumb, period."
Her eyes widened slightly as she met my gaze. "Thanks but no thanks. I'm a total idiot."
I felt a small smile inch over my face. "Not in my opinion," I replied.
At that point, red permeated her cheeks and I imagined skimming my finger over the warm skin.
I cleared my throat and straightened. Reality check Will, stop being creepy.
"Alright, let's start with the basics."
***
"I totally get it!"
Watching Ellie's face light up made my heart flutter. I watched as she glanced up from the workbook, her gaze meeting mine. Her eyes sparkled, as if awaiting approval.
I couldn't hide the smile that twitched onto my lips. "That's good."
For the first time during the entire time period, I glanced behind her, my gaze touching on the clock. The hands read 5:25.
Three hours.
Three hours had sped by like mere minutes.
My mood was immediately dampened when I realized it was nearing 6:30, the time of my science revision class.
My gaze returned to Ellie, who was scribbling down an answer to one of the questions.
My chest ached. In just a moment, this dream would be over. What I would give for just one more hour. In my mind, I imagined brushing her golden locks behind her ears and tilting her chin so her gaze met mine. She would flash me that perfect smile and I'd--
Snap out of it Will.
Suddenly, a loud grumble rumbled through the air.
I glanced up at Ellie.
Her cheeks steadily reddened until they glowed a neon pink. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm so sorry. I haven't eaten since this morning."
I brought my fist to my lips, attempting to smother a chuckle. She just looked so darn cute. Her face still glowed red and she'd stopped writing, now staring at the table.
And then inspiration hit me.
Maybe this dream didn't have to end just yet.
"Would you like to grab a snack?" I asked.
She glanced at me, eyes wide. Rapidly, she shook her head. "No, I don't want to bother you."
I bit my lip to hide my smile. "I insist. There's a cafe upstairs." I glanced at my watch. "Besides, the tutoring session should have probably ended by now."
She seemed to deflate for a moment. "Oh," she sighed. Immediately, she perked up. "A snack would be great then."
I nodded. "Have you finished with the sums?"
She nodded, sliding the book across the table. As I reached for the workbook, for the barest second, my skin brushed hers. A jolt of electricity ran up my arm.
I cleared my throat, pulling the book towards me.
After a few moments I nodded. "They are all correct. You now know basic AP Calculus."
A shy smile inched across her face. "Thank you," she murmured.
I averted my gaze from her face.
This was harder than I'd imagined.
Quickly, I returned my textbooks to my bag.
I stood up. "Should we go?"
She nodded, packing her books into her bag. "Yeah."
I led the way to the cafe, the entire time avoiding Ellie's gaze. Just looking at her face made my heart beat rapidly.
The cafe was mostly vacant, with only a few people spattered over the space. I weaved around the tables to a secluded spot near a window. I pulled out a seat for Ellie be for dropping down opposite her.
Ellie bit her lip, staring down at her long manicured fingernails.
"So," she began, "Do you come here often?"
I glanced back at her, at those large pearly blue eyes. They were like glancing into a cerulean blue ocean, wishing you could explore its depths. My gaze flickered back to the window.
"Now and then." Understatement of the century. Though it took second place to Justin Markson's 'hot' description of Ellie. Now calling Ellie 'hot,' that's a real understatement. "It's a good place to study."
Ellie fiddled with the menu, biting her lip.
Before I could torture myself thinking of something to say, the waitress walked over, smiling down at us.
"Hey, I'm Mindy and I'll be serving you today. What would you like?"
I nodded to Ellie.
She stuttered for a moment as she glanced through the menu. "Um, an apple and cherry smoothie please."
The waitress scribbled the order down before turning to me. "And yours?"
"Black coffee for me," I replied. My gaze fell on Ellie. "And a milk chocolate muffin please."
Smiling, and mentioning something about a special deal today, the waitress wandered off.
I was too busy trying not to look at Ellie to pay attention.
Her chin rested on her palm, her forearm vertical against the table. Her gaze was on the view outside. The sun touched her perfectly, making the billions of facets in her eyes glitter.
She was so perfect.
In a few moments, the waitress was back, placing our orders carefully on the table.
Ellie eagerly pulled her drink towards her, sipping from the straw.
I glanced at the muffin and prayed this would go well.
I pushed the muffin towards her. "For you."
Her eyes widened. "Oh, Will, I can't take that."
My name on her tongue made my heart escalate. I gulped.
"You're hungry. Besides, I can't eat it, I'm not really that into chocolate."
Hesitantly, she took it. I watched, holding back a smile, as she took tentative bites.
Placing the muffin back onto the table, she shot me a smile. She brought the smoothie to her lips, taking a quick sip.
"So, tell me, is this your first time tutoring?"
And just at that moment, as the sun hit her face, making it glow, my breath whooshed from my chest. In my mind, I remembered what she had said as she slept:
Oh, Will, my hero.
***
Hi guys, hope you liked the chapter :) And for all those wondering, the romance will be kicking off soon ;)
God bless xxx
Yemi Everest