Lessons On Love

3: Future Boyfriend Or Future Enemy

Chapter 3: Future Boyfriend Or Future Enemy?

            There was only one reason guys were scared of me, but that reason alone was enough to make Marshall’s friends desert him and run for their lives when I gave them the cue to get out. “Wait! Guys! Don’t go! You can’t leave me alone here!” His eyes shifted over to me when the blue door slammed behind them, and swallowed the obvious lump inside this throat. “So now... now what? What do you want from me?”

            “It’s quite simple.” I took a step toward him. “I came looking for you because I heard you were good. The best.”

            “The best what?” He gave me a dumbfounded look before his cheeks suddenly turned a little rosy and he smirked – almost shyly. “Re- really? Girls talk about that kind of thing behind my back? Who told you? Was it Melanie? Ashley? Jillian?”

            “It was Todd,” I said. “Todd told me.”

            His jaw dropped and he widened his eyes at me with a look of utter disbelief. “But... that’s a guy...”

            “Yeah, is it surprising?”

            “Well I... But I...” His face drained of color. “Unless I was so drunk last weekend that I... Wait. That’s not possible. It can’t be!” Shaking his head so that water droplets shook out of his blonde hair, he brought his eyes back to meet mine. “What are we even talking about in the first place?”

            I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, quickly reminding myself I was trying to fall in love with this idiot and not kill him. “Basically,” I explained, “and I’m going to get straight to the point. I want you to make me fall in love with you.”

            “Wait, what?!”

            “You have one month.”

            “Hold on. Back up.”

            “During this time, you’re allowed to–”

            “Wait! Stop! I said stop!” I paused, not exactly pleased that I was being interrupted, but generous enough to let this one time slide. “Repeat what you said earlier – right after the sentence about getting to the point.”

            “I want you to make me fall in love with you.”

            “You mean, you want me to fall in love with you.”

            “Are you deaf?” I tapped my heel impatiently. “I said I want you to make me fall in love with you. It would be simple for someone like you, I’m sure. Since you do it on a daily basis.”

            Marshall was stumped by my words and for a moment, stood quietly thinking it over before he raised one arm in the air. “Question.”

            I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Do not strangle him. Do not strangle him. Do not strangle him. “Yes,” I said. “Marshall.”

            “Well first of all, you sound crazy, but for conversational purposes, you’re saying you want to fall in love with me even when you obviously don’t? But why?”

            I sighed. It was a fair enough question and since I needed his help, I presume it would be reasonable not to hide anything from him. “It’s complicated,” I began, but before I could fully explain my situation, I heard the voices from outside the shower room penetrating through the walls.