Capturing the Moments

8. you can literally feel the awkward.

It was an incredibly sunny Saturday. And I was sitting on the grass outside the festival grounds, waiting. I had been for about half an hour as I had come here early, just because I was so worried that I'd be late to meet Blaze. 

Anxious, was the only way to describe how I was feeling. Not scared, and not quite excited either. I was somewhere in the middle I guess. You could say I was pretty surprised too. I mean, when I first blurted the question out, I was almost certain that he was going to vomit all over my torso and then reject the ‘offer’ I oh-so smoothly had thrown in his face. With the shaken up and alarmed expression he was wearing on his face, it was literally impossible not to think that.

But I was wrong.

He hadn’t turned me down nor thrown up all over me. Though he hadn’t accepted with open arms either. Instead, he had tightly pressed his sleek cell phone to his ear and listened intently, and rather sheepishly, to the person on the other end. I couldn’t make out what gender the other call participant was, or what they were saying, but whoever it was talking to Blaze sure had him transfixed – and not in the good way either, judging from how his face turned ghostly pale.

I would have tapped him lightly to get his attention and ask if he was okay, but I was more than a little startled at what I had said myself, so I didn’t think of that at the time. So even when I watched Blaze slowly retreat with his vibrant blue orbs still staring at me, all I did was stand and stare back. I didn’t even move until we broke eye contact when he spun around and opened the closest school fire exit door – though it was too late to demand an answer from him then.

Then, in that hallway, I had thought that was his way to decline without sounding rude or insensitive. But as I found out the very next day, I had been too quick to jump to conclusions.

I had just been gathering my Literature books for the day, when Blaze had seemed to materialize behind my locker door, as you do. He had shut it in my face so I could fully see him, or rather so he could see me. He was tense, I could tell from how he was poised with his arms folded neatly, yet tightly across his chest, and the way his prominent muscles which were covered by his short sleeved white t-shirt, contracted.

“I’ll be there at noon.” That was all he said before he sauntered away from me and my confused self. In my dazed state, it took me awhile to figure out what that was all about. When it had finally dawned on me, I was closest then, to having a heart-attack than I ever had been. He had said yes. Was this some kind of sick joke?

I was so dumbfounded that when the warning bell had rang, was only when I realized I had to be somewhere. As quickly as I could, I had rushed to my infamous English Literature class, trying my best to get there before the final bell went, but my attempt was futile. I had come late, again.

It seemed to be that, coming late was the only thing I was ever doing when it came to Blaze.

That is why it was necessary for me to arrive early. I was many things, but I was never one to stand someone else up – friend or not. Though I guess I had overestimated my tardiness. That or Blaze is running late, though I highly doubt that.

Lifting my wristwatch sporting arm, I had a look at the time. He had told me to meet him here at noon, even though the fair doesn’t start until about three o’clock. If we both went in there so early, we would have to help the student body set up whatever was left to do. I didn’t mind as I was part of the student body anyway and besides, I had already been appointed the job of taking the pictures all afternoon, so one more job wouldn’t kill me. But I wasn’t so sure Blaze was aware that he would have to wait another couple of hours, or maybe even help out.