Pedestrian |✓

|28| c h i p s

"So. . . When did you start liking me, freshman year?" I asked casually as I looked up at Austin who has his arm over my shoulders. Hmm. His arm over my shoulders... I tried to suppress the squeal that threatened to escape by pursing my lips tightly together.

Just the thought that a few moments ago, we experienced touchdown makes me wanna jump and jump until I ran out of breath and just fall to the ground with a silly grin on my face. It's so overwhelming, how a simple action, a few words can change a day. Heck, it even changed almost everything at once.

"Someone's over-confident," he chuckled lightly as he ruffled my hair. I pushed his hand away and groaned. "But you said it yourself! You said, you found me cute way back in freshman year."

"Well, Angela that doesn't mean that I like-liked you back then. I liked someone else that time." He what? 

His eyes are trained on me. Expectant, calculating. And I am left, then again - speechless. Or rather not courageous enough to spill the words that swam rapidly in my head.

"Oh," was all I managed to say. I know that the disappointment was far too obvious for him not to notice, but I'm tired of hiding my feelings so I let it be. I let him know how I feel, though not through words but through the evident pout on my face as I look anywhere but him.

Suddenly the trees became more interesting, the swings and the random cars passing by. Especially the blue beat-up truck with a loud sound. Yeah, more interesting than hearing how he liked someone else that time.

"Hey," I heard him say. His voice was just above a whisper so I pretended not to hear. God this is infuriating - how unreasonable someone becomes just because they like a person. How irrational I became in just a few minutes. I blame the kiss really, but not that it wasn't good...

"Hey," he tried again but I continued to ignore him despite the sound of annoyance from him. Well whatever. "Anna." His voice sounded a little threatening which made my blood boil to another level.

I harshly stepped out of his grasp and threw him a hard look. "What? So now, you call me Anna."

He chuckled and shook his head lightly as a small grin played across his lips. "You're making a big deal out of this y'know. I mean yeah, I liked Fiona back then, but of course. She was my girlfriend." Even with the word was emphasized, I still couldn't help the pain that surge through my chest.

Gosh what the heck is wrong with me?

I shook my head and sighed. I walked back to him, smiling shyly as I peaked at him through my lashes. "I'm sorry. I'm being so... I... It's just that I'm always so insecure 'bout myself that... I dunno. It's just so weird feeling like this."

Smiling softly at me—a gesture that made my throat feel like it's being deprived of air and oxygen—he gently tilted my chin up with his finger and tapped my nose. "That was a long time ago. There's no need to be insecure about the past. I'm no poet but I want you to trust the present, believe the future and not to be insecure 'bout the past. Get it?"

I playfully rolled my eyes at him. "You're always so demanding."

"Never said I wasn't."

Chuckling loudly this time, I stuck my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes at me, but an amused grin played on his lips, making me smile back.

I looked up the stars that are shining brightly above us. Glistening and sparkling against the dark skies. I sighed contently and wondered how possibly it is for someone to feel so contented at one point in their life. It could last for a year, a month, a week, probably a day or even just a spur of the moment kind of feeling, but that point  feels just so surreal.