[4] Me and my comfort Zone

◔ Maze ◔

I was never a party crasher. I didn't even attend my graduation party. I even skipped all those frosh events organized by my institution like ziplining, rock climbing, rafting, boating, etc. You could say I am a whole package of boredom.

Actually, I was away from all this cause the crowd always brought bad happening to me. And I hate messing up life over nothing.

I live my life in my own conditions.

And Ryan always needed to keep himself busy in mending the mess I keep on composing for myself.

As before, I always wanted to hang out with a group of friends. so people from different groups tried to approach me only.

I was really a fool then. I always used to welcome them, though I knew that they were never meant to befriend me.

But I don't know what keeps me going on with my hopes.

And guess what, every time I defied Ryan, I would surely fall into trouble and later ended up crying on my foolishness.

 It took me a bit of time to realize but now I know it for sure. And also I am no more that weak and helpless Maze who was easy to be bullied. I am now a hundred times stronger than before. 

So now if anyone wants to throw a brick piece at me I will answer them with stones. So now I am no more scared to be bullied anymore.

And I got some nickname because of my attitude, like sassy, snob, boring, slut. Some even say I am fooling Ryan along with other rich boys.

Arghh !!!.....Humans and their words........

 My world is too small due to my fewer friends actually having one and only friend, my stupid restriction ethics which was obviously created by me, and finally poverty which doesn't allow me to visit around randomly and waste money.

★..............................★

I was sitting in a corner of the party where all were eating, dancing, and having fun circling around the bonfire.

I could see how much Ryan love all this. He just had to avoid all this to accompany me. I really feel bad for him.

Sometimes I wonder how does it feel to be too clever that people would never try to betray you anymore.

A soft male voice brought me back to reality.

"Hyyy"

I turned my head towards the direction of the sound coming from.

 "Maze right?" The owner of the voice again said while moving to my side.

 I stared at the handsome yet unknown face in front of me.

"Um... May I know who are you?" I bit my lower lip rummaging through my memory to confirm this black-haired lad's identity. But seemed like I really don't know this guy at all.

"No..but I do know you," His mischievous tone made me even more wary.

I thoroughly scrutinized the person standing in front of me. Tanned skin, brown eyes shabby hair on top of his head, subtle stubble on his rectangular face with a prominent jaw.

I tried to see through his soul, What was his motive for flattering me unnecessarily like this? 

"Ahem.." A light cough brought me back to reality again.

Controlling my shock, I revealed to him one of my sweet pleasant smiles, "Thank you."

I tried to read his brown orbs but failed. He seemed quite decent and his sugar-coated words were sweet to hear. But even after rummaging through my recollection, I couldn't find him in any part of the memory.

"Let me introduce myself, I am Ian. You can say I am..I mean was your senior in high school," He grinned at me revealing his shiny white teeth.

Okay, now that explained why and how does he know me. Perhaps he might be my senior as it was a kind of reunion party among our college friends... not my friends, all of them were Ryan's friends. 

During my high school days, I was really an introverted type of girl. As no one used to like me either, so I didn't even bother to talk to any of them.

"Would you like some barbecue and beer" 

 I awkwardly nodded at him intending to state a positive response.

"But I don't drink please,"

It feels sarcastic to him that I don't drink. But he respected my word.

"Okay, how do you like your steak?" Ian asked me after a short discussion with the boys in charge of the barbecue.

"Medium," I softly mumbled. 

"Me too," He grinned back at me. 

After about ten more minutes, our order was ready.

Ian handed me a plate of freshly barbecued lamb steak "Maze, can I request you something?" 

I nodded while blowing a piece of hot meat before eating. 

The steak looked delicious and juicy. It was garnished with a piece of cucumber and a thin piece of shallot. 

As I put the meat piece inside my mouth he said, "Let's go out tomorrow." 

His sudden and straightforward manner of asking caught me off guard.

I coughed to stabilized my state as the piece of meat stuck on my throat.

I stared at him confusingly. Wasn't it too much for him to ask me out only after trading two sentences between us?!

Ian seemed to grasp my thoughts.

"No no don't take it otherwise. It's just that tomorrow is my birthday. So I thought if my new friend aka junior could come, I would really have been happy. " He said with a smile on his face.

"Okay just tell me the location I will be there" I replied to him without any second thought.

He got way more excited, "Roasters Bistro by 5 o’clock"

"Now that we are friends, Can I request you one more thing?" 

I again looked at him confusingly 

"Just try this beer. It's a low-alcohol beer I mean with little or no alcohol content."

I looked at him stiffly. I wanted to say "NO" but something attracted me to take it.

Before I could stretch my hand, he came close to me and hold my jaw in one hand tried to feed me the beer a little bit forcefully with his other hand,"Trust me and give it a try,"

The moment the beer touched my lips it more tasted like vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the soybean with a bad medicinal smell.

I coughed out the beer.

My tongue started burning a little. But he laughed at my reaction and kept forcing me to drink it.

Soon a stiff hand grabbed Ian's hand to stop him and pushed his hand away giving it a hard twist.

"Stay out of her" Ryan was so loud that everyone started staring at us.

"But I was just...."

I didn't stop there to listen to whatever they were discussing and rushed out of before it can be more embarrassing.

Passing Ian a warning gaze, Ryan ran after me.

Now that sucks. I know Ryan was worried about me. But I hate it when he took stands for me. I want to take my own stand by myself.

"Wait Maze" He called me out.

I got angrier. He needn't have to create a scene over there. 

"What do you want to say?" I knitted my brows and looked at him

"He was forcing you to have..."

I cut him off.

"Shut up.. don't even dare to talk to me again..he was not forcing me..he was just my new friend who tried to make me taste something new" I retorted back 

"What friend? He is not your friend for god sake Maze. I know him. He is my friend. And try to understand for a sec, he was just making fool of you.."  

"Owww!! If he's so bad then why are you still his friend? So basically, there is no problem if he is your friend, all your prohibition only works in my case?!" I spat rolling my eyes.

"Are we fighting over a stranger?"

"No, we are fighting cause you are ordering me. You can't decide what I can do or not..." With that, I kicked his car so badly that I hurt my leg.

Ryan rushed to me, crouched down to check my leg but I shove him down with a kick. His hand fall on the rock and got cut..

"Sorry sorry. I didn't mean to.."

Now he cut me off in the middle anger evident on his face. His brow met, jaw clenched as he got up and walked towards the driving seat.

"I know Maze. Just sit in the car" I didn't say much..after a silent driving we reached my place.

I forced him to enter my house and bandaged his hand...

He looked at me and tried to talk.

"Don't think I have forgiven you for what you have done" with that, I kick him out of my house...

At this moment I don't feel bad for him. He just hurt my pride there.

And for now, nothing matters anymore, I'm already in my comfort zone. And that's my home sweet home.

Besides thinking about these things, I do not want to deprive my peaceful sleep.