Greendale's Oddest Human Beings

Deep Brown Eyes

    It was Saturday night, which meant that Abed and Ruth had spent pretty much the entire day together. It was as fun as it always was with the cereal, TV shows, and movies. The two friends were incredibly in sync at that point; they laughed at the same time, often said the same thing at the same, etc. This is why Abed was so thrown off when Ruth suddenly said something that had nothing to do with what they were watching or why they were getting up.
    "I talked to Sam on Wednesday night," Ruth said. Abed turned to look at the young woman who sat beside him. "Hm?", he asked, urging her to elaborate. "I talked to Sam and he gave me some good advice." Abed tilted his head and attempted to read Ruth's face, but she kept her head turned to the TV and he wasn't exactly an expert when it came to facial expressions.
    The man thought for a moment before saying anything. "You said that you don't like Sam," he stated. "I never sa—," Ruth went to deny what Abed had said, but he cut her off. "We were in my dorm in the same positions we are in now and you said 'I don't like Sam; he's too bright.' I asked you what that meant and you said tha—," "Okay, okay," Ruth said with a sigh, accepting defeat. "I guess I did say that I don't like Sam, but he actually gave me some good advice." Abed tilted his head and Ruth turned towards him. "I think that I was maybe possibly wrong about Sam," she admitted. Abed didn't respond, so she continued. "Against my better judgment, I asked about the 'like like' situation and he said that I shouldn't spend time on something that causes me so much unnecessary stress."
    "Why were you stressed?", Abed cut in. "I... I'm not sure. Maybe because I have a hard time not knowing things? Maybe because having more information than anyone else keeps me from feeling worthless?" Abed looked Ruth in the eyes and tilted his head to the side. "That's a very truthful answer," he stated, "I've really never seen you as the self-reflective type." "Probably because I'm not," Ruth said with a sigh. "But Sam somehow made me change that... at least at that moment."
The two sat in silence for a moment, both staring at the TV. "You said you don't see me as the self-reflective type," Ruth said suddenly. Abed nodded. "Mhm." "What type of person do you see me as then?", Ruth inquired. Abed seemed a bit taken aback by his friend's question. Not many people asked what he thought of them. Usually, he was told not to speak his mind.
    "I see you as a type of person who doesn't want to fit in. Kind of like Bender in The Breakfast Club," he said, "He was a great character... not just because of how he seemed to be to everyone else, but because of how he really was." Ruth kind of liked that answer. She liked Bender, but there was one question she still had. "What do you mean 'how he truly was'?", she asked.
    Abed paused for a second. He never really seemed to think about his answers before giving them (especially when he was giving his opinion), but something made him want to truly say the "right" thing... whatever that was. "He was kind... and... special...", he said in a hesitant tone as he actually looked her in the eyes. He never looked anyone in the eyes. So why was he doing it to her?
    Ruth's heart fluttered. Why did her heart flutter? She didn't know... or maybe she did, but she didn't want to acknowledge it. Abed's deep brown eyes looking into her own made her feel a way that she never had before. What did that mean? Is that what "like like" meant?!