The Many Loves of Samantha Greene

16 | Andrew: Part One

"So, you're friends with Jessica, right?"

The conversation got off to an awkward start.

"Yeah. Best friends. Our mothers were best friends growing up, and I guess the relationship was just passed down." I laughed. He didn't laugh.

Why didn't he laugh?

There was an awkward silence for a moment before I tried my hand at conversation again.

"So, have you met Jessica?"

Why was I only capable of talking about my best friend?

"Yeah, a few times when she came to family reunions with Kevin. She seems great."

"Yeah, she's the best."

"Yeah."

Silence.

I was starting to become nervous, and I decided to try one more time to lighten the tension.

"Have you--"

"I'm sorry, I'm being completely awkward, aren't I?" Andrew interrupted. "Like, I can feel it. I know I'm doing it. I'm just really nervous."

"Nervous?" I laughed, looking over at the insanely attractive man who was driving the car, with flowing hair and shining eyes. "Why would you be nervous?"

He snorted.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? Kevin told me that his girlfriend's buddy was hot, but he didn't tell me that she was so drop-dead gorgeous." Andrew shook his head and I felt myself blush at the compliment that he didn't even seem to realize he had given, "I'm just caught off-guard. It's hard to talk to beautiful girls, especially for someone who hasn't dated a ton of them."

"You haven't dated much?"

"I didn't say that, I just haven't dated girls that look like you."

This conversation was one of the strangest and yet most wonderful conversations I had ever had. A gorgeous man was sitting across from me, his eyes on the road, hardly looking at me, and yet he was throwing compliment after compliment out like they were some sort of disease.

And yet it made me more comfortable.

I thought back on every boyfriend I had ever had. None of them had been nervous around me. They had been smooth-talkers, boys who knew that they were hot and that any girl would kill to go out with them.

"Hey there. Samantha, right?"
"Samantha. Samantha Greene."
"Well that's an awfully beautiful name.. I'm Tyler. Tyler Vanzy."

Tyler hadn't been even remotely nervous.

"Well I've definitely seen you around school and you seem really chill. Do you want to hang out sometime?"
"Sure, why not?"

"Great. We can go to dinner if that works for you...say, Friday night?"

Mason had been the signature cool guy.

"Samantha, right?"
"That's me."
"Sorry, that was a little more forward than I usually am. I just figured that I would have to do something exciting to get your attention."
"My attention?"
"Well, yeah. You're drop dead gorgeous, I mean...I had to face my fears and talk to you eventually, right?"

Liam had been an immediate compliment king.

"You're beautiful. Was that too much?"
"Not at all."