Blue Polo, Red Face

"You just smashed my toe, Lyn!" That hurt like...You know what? That hurt like being hit by a high speed bus on your birthday!" I yelped as I staggered around on one foot, dragging the other injured one behind me. She rolled her eyes at my performance and stared at my other friends, who were breathless from laughter.

"Don't be such a Sarah Bernhardt!" she told me as she patted my shoulder and started to walk away. I smiled to myself and followed along like a puppy. My two other friends, Em and Bee, had finally stopped laughing long enough to catch up to us as we walked through our mecca of clearances and half off Ugg boots. As we all kept walking, a flash of blue caught my eye, and my eyes widened. It was my guy friend from work, Tim Id, and he was chatting on his iPhone. He seemed as oblivious to me as a man watching the Superbowl. My heart pounded felt like a boiling volcano as it is about to erupt. My eyes darted from my friends walking ahead of me to Tim, and I prayed that they wouldn't see what I was doing. I took a huge inhale of fresh air, trying to appear calm, even though my pulse rushed like a bull towards a red cloth. I watched like my mind wasn't even attached to my body as I took a few faltering steps towards my friend Tim. I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Tim?" I asked timidly with what I hoped what a confident and energetic smile. He turned around, his blue polo shirt catching my eye. I could only stare at him for a few seconds before he smiled wide at me and held his arms out for me to hug him. For a moment, I was paralyzed with shock. Here I was, falling like a skydiver for this guy, and he wanted to hug me. I came back to myself and took advantage of the moment, rushing into his arms and wrapping mine around his neck. He held me close for a second, brief but long enough for me to smell aftershave and light traces of cologne clinging to his polo. We let go, and I sighed, loud, feeling like the ocean without wind.

"How's it goin'?" I began the conversation.

"Eh...can't complain...except my shoulder! Stupid surgery!" he admitted as he rubbed it with a wince. I nodded and watched him put his phone into his pocket.

"It still hurts?" I asked in growing sympathy. He nodded and looked up at me. His short curls flopped back lightly against his ears, and I restrained myself from reaching out to touch it, to ruffle his messy hair. I bit my lip and looked away for a second, finding something interesting in the floor. Oh, look, a dirt speck! I thought to myself sarcastically.

"So...how's the guitar coming?" he asked me, changing the subject. I trained my eyes back on him with a beaming face. He smiled at me, and I could see the sparkle in his eyes.

"It's grrr-eat!" I said. "I'm learning how to play some really cool songs! The only problem is, one of them has some difficult chords, and it's hard to play what you don't know..." He laughed after I said that, and I hooked one of my fingers through my belt loop, stuffing the rest of my hand into my pocket.

"Hey, let me give you some advice, 'kay? Learn the C Minor chord. It's in almost everything you'd wanna play," he said as he showed me what fingers to use for the notes.

"I had no idea that you even played! I thought you only played soccer, all day and all night!" I shook my head to clear the shock. He chuckled with his usual deep voice, and I was as motionless as a Grenier Guard in Britain to keep from blacking out. He had the cutest laugh. In fact, he had the cutest smile, cutest eyes, cutest fashion sense, cutest...Oh, speaking of...

"Speaking of, how's soccer this season?" I asked him, curiosity killing the cat. He shrugged casually, though I could tell he wanted to spill his guts to me.

"It's cool. I don't really play because of my surgery, but...the times I do play, the coach is really impressed!" he finally said to me, raking his hand through his brown hair. I mentally slapped myself to keep my concentration on his words and not on his adorable face.

"Woah, congrats, Tim! I'm so proud of..."

"Where were you?" The words of doom reached my ears from behind my back, and I closed my eyes. "We thought that you were right behind...Oh! Who is this, Ar?" Tim and I both turn at the sound of Lyn's voice behind us.

"Uh..." I tried to begin, but she cut me off.

"He's cute! How do you know him? Do you like him? Does he like you? Are ya'll going out? Oh, wait, no you're not. You can't be! Ha! That's funny! So...who is he? C'mon, don't leave us waiting! Tell us! Jeez, Ar, don't keep this! Stop being so quiet!" she rambled. Her smirk told me all, and I tried not to fall down dead with a heart murmur right then and there.

"Yeah, Ar! I agree with Lyn! He is totally cuteness! Who is he?" Em wanted to know. My other best friend Bee just stood there and waved lightly to Tim; otherwise, she spoke not one word. I thank God for her silence every day.

"Uh...um...hi?" Tim said quickly and hesitantly before me. Lyn and Em put their arms around or on my shoulders, and I closed my mouth from where it was hanging open like a fish caught by a hook. To make me feel even more like crawling into a hole, Lyn put her hand out to Tim.

"I'm Lyn! What's your name?"

"Um...Tim...I guess..." he answered quietly.

"Tim, I'm so sorry! These are...my..." I stopped for a short moment before managing between gritted teeth, "friends." He looked like a deer stuck in the headlights, and I pitied him for having to meet all of my friends that day. He started to walk away, but froze as he glanced at me. I stared back into his eyes, which looked apologetic.

"Listen, my friends and I are going to see a movie. I gotta go, alright?" he told me. I bit my lip again and nodded slightly, just to show I was listening to his voice. He gave me one last hug, and I resisted the urge to beg him to take me away forever. I took that minute to shut my eyes tight and think of the time we first met at work. Before I knew it, I heard him whisper in my ear, "I'll see you at work tomorrow. Oh, by the way, practice that C Minor chord tonight. See you later, Ar Ar." With those last words, he let me go and slowly walked away, hands shoved into his pockets. I watched him leave, feeling like Katherine Hepburn, and I glared cruelly at Em and Lyn, who were sheep in the field after they chased the wolves away. Bee had a look that said, "I am totally and completely sorry for them." I silently turned and stormed away, their seemingly harmless giggles echoing after me like the Grand Canyon walls. Well, such is a day in the life according to moi, Ar Door.