Alex clears his throat beside me and I mentally prepare myself for anything he might say.
"Thanks for not putting your car in reverse and driving away. I was worried you were going to make a run for it." He states as we walk towards the small park behind my apartment building. I picked that spot for us to talk because it's secluded and I always feel calm when I'm there.
"Me? Run away from problems? Never." I reply with heavy sarcasm in my voice. I think we both know how I react in awkward situations. "Also, Ann threatened to physically bring me here after I was thinking of ways to avoid you."
"Then I'm thankful she's on my side. Though, she can be intimidating when she wants to be. Ann instantly agreed to help me, but mentioned that if I somehow hurt you, she would dognap Dwight and feed me to sharks." He laughs with a slight nervous edge to it.
In the time I have gotten to know Alex, he has always been confident and outgoing. But right now he's acting more reserved around me and I miss his usual personality.
"So, is it just me or is this situation weird?" I decide to go ahead and break the ice.
"Yeah, just a bit. I don't want to scare you away. Please don't bolt as soon as we start talking about what happened yesterday."
Everything replays in my head and for the first time I don't try to push it to the back of my mind. When Asher said that Alex liked me, I tried to ignore it in case he was just joking or somehow mistaken. Then I tried to not overanalyze the kiss. I did all this to protect myself from getting hurt. But sometimes, it's worth taking the chance.
"I'm not going to bolt. I promise. Scout's honor." I even hold up three fingers and salute.
Alex visibly relaxes and sits on one of two adult swings near the children's playground. It surprises me that nobody is here on such a beautiful afternoon. There's usually kids playing or people walking, just enjoying the scenery.
"Were you even a girl scout?" He questions me as I sit on the other swing.
"No, but still, I keep my promises." I look him in the eyes so he knows that I'm telling the truth. He's wearing a Nike navy blue long sleeve thermal and dark blue jeans. Everything he has on is blue and it reminds me of that one Halsey song.
"All right. Where should we start?"
"Actually, how about you tell me what's in that box first." I point at the medium sized box covered by gold wrapping paper sitting on his lap.
"Nope. You will know what's in here soon enough. You can only unwrap it after we talk." Alex tsks and places the mystery box on the grass to the left of him since I'm to his right.
"Really? Because that's the only reason I'm here. I just want the box." I pretend to pout then roll my eyes to let him know I'm kidding.
"Nah, I think you just want to check me out like all the other times I caught you."
"No!" If I were drinking water, I would have sprayed it all over the place. "Can't believe you brought that up. That's one strike." I warn.
"It's okay to admit that I'm good looking." He winks and I can't stop the fit of laughter that comes.
I feel much more calm now that we are doing our usual banter. My anxiousness has started to subside and I'm ready to be honest.
"I like you." I blurt out.
Hey, that's one way to kick this off. Might as well get the ball rolling. I don't know where that small ounce of courage came from, but there's no turning back.
YOU ARE READING
Kiss with a fist (completed)
ChickLit"What's your name?" He tries again. Should I tell him so he can shut up? Or will he just keep talking. "Fine. Don't tell me. But personally I think we are going to be great friends. Maybe I should tell you a bit about myself so you can trust me. Str...
