Just You and I (ASTRO Sanha)

11

We all walk out of the chicken shop and say our goodbyes as the older members leave first. Sanha stays with me.

"I'll walk you home." He then asks me which direction my house is and I lead the way.

We take a nice stroll under the moonlight. In the beginning, we're silent. It's not an awkward silence or anything either. It's a 'taking in the atmosphere' type of silence, like it's natural that we're both not talking.

Sanha speaks up breaking the silence. "Did you have fun today?"

"You asked me that earlier." I nudge him.

"I know, but I mean dinner too. Did you like hanging out with the other members?" We walk side by side as I reassure him that my time spent with them was one of the best times I've had in a while.

"Would you say we're friends now?" He asks, catching me off guard for a second as my foot trips on the same pothole he tripped over earlier.

We both start laughing, until we realize that he's holding onto my arm, which had stopped me from plummeting to the ground possibly breaking my face.

His hand gripped tightly around my arm and the other holding onto my shoulder.

He blushes and I regain balance.

"You're cheeks become a pretty pink color when you blush, you know." I say nonchalantly which only causes him to blush a deeper color.

"You didn't answer my question." He says cleaning his throat.

"Sorry I was busy tripping over that stupid pothole." We chuckle again. "Um..I would like to say we are? Unless you think differently..." I say with my voice trailing off towards the end.

"I don't think differently!" Sanha blurts out. He clears his throats again. "I just-I mean..." He searches for the right words until he finds them.

"I'm glad. I was hoping we would be friends." He smiles his toothy smile and I smile back.

We reach my house and we stop at the front of the apartment complex.

I say thanks for walking me home, but before I turn to open the door, he stops me.

"Ah! I was wondering if you and I could..if we could eat lunch together from now on?"

"Of course, I'd love that. Rocky too?" I ask.

"Well...actually Rocky has outside lunch privileges so he leaves campus Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday so he can eat and then practice a bit. He stays to eat with me on Monday's and Friday's..." Sanha nervously scratches the back of his neck and looks down.

"Okay, well I guess I can keep you company while he's gone too." He looks up at me and looks a little surprised and then his surprised face turns into a happy one.

"I look forward to tomorrow's lunch period then!" He cheers.

"Same here. Good night, Sanha. Walk home safely." I say as I open the door and walk in.

Tomorrow at lunch I can officially say I am going to sit with my friend.