I had been walking though D.C because the weather was lovely and I was convinced I needed fresh air. Downtown was buzzing with different things to do and see and I felt like maybe I just needed a distraction from life. I was also supposed to meet Andre at the new coffee shop in town and instead of having him pick me up, I decided that I should just coast along the sidewalk and have time to myself.
My brain the past couple of months had been in overdrive after my last relationship had ended. I felt like I was struggling to cope with everything that had happened but I was slowly and surely getting over it. The walls I had built slowly started to fall when I met Andre about a year ago.
We met at some random house party Wilso was throwing because Taylor is my best friend and had been since we were little. I had always thought Burky was cute, but at the time I was in a year long relationship. He found me winning in a round of beer pong against Djoos and Vrana, and bet that if he was my partner we would be undefeated. So Taylor, who was my current pong partner, switched with Burky and went to go find Tom. Andre and I clicked pretty much immediately and were the undefeated beer pong champs of the evening. We got to know each other between the rounds and decidedly were best friends after that.
My boyfriend at the time was always going out without me, and would lie pretty much right to my face about what he was doing when he was gone. He made me feel crazy and crushed what little trust in people I had left. I would always end up at Burky's at 12 am and we would watch movies and eat ice cream. He always assured me he was someone I could go to if I ever needed anything. I never realized how much he actually meant to me until after my break-up. He slowly stole my heart all of those late nights and early morning skates. He always pushed me to pursue my dreams and find out what I really want in life. He never cornered me and tried to force me into life decisions. And with him it feels like I'm floating or something. And I wanted to tell him that.
So here I am, being a little chicken cause I'm nervous, and taking the long route to the coffee shop in order to buy myself a little more time before I potentially ruin the best friendship I've ever had.
It wasn't long before I showed up to the little shop. The nerves shot up my arm as I opened the doors and saw Andre in the back corner booth. When he heard the ring of the door he looked up and the biggest smile spread across his face, showcasing those cute little dimples and I swear I felt butterflies.
I slid into the booth next to him and he wrapped his arms around me. When he pulled back I just looked at him and he got that cute little quirk in his eyebrows when he raised them.
"What?" he said, gently nudging my arm.
I took a breath, and when I let it out all of those stupid nerves I felt before washed away. This was Andre. My biggest support system and the guy that everything just feels natural and right with. I didn't have anything to worry about.
"I like you." I say confidently and he gets a little confused look on his face as if to say continue. "I like you a lot actually. And I know this seems out of the blue but-"
His lips were on mine in an instant and I wrapped a hand around his neck slightly bringing him closer. It was soft and slow and perfect. He wasn't in any hurry, he slowly tasted my lips and I was shaking from the nerves that seemed to light up in me. Or maybe they were just butterflies. The booth was making our positioning a little wonky and when I turned to face him I hit my knee on the table. We broke apart laughing but when his eyes met mine I sobered up a little bit. His boyish smile graced his face again and I couldn't help but smile too.
He grabbed my hand and brushed his thumb over the knuckles and chuckled. "Took you long enough."
