The Ice Melt

After the bumping incident, every time we’re passed each other I always tried to manage a smile at him or greeted him. Sometimes he smiled back a little, some other times he just nodded cooly. But that was okay. As long as I get a slight response from him, I am totally fine. Well. I don’t really mean to get close to him, but that’s just me. I just can't help myself to try to get my way to someone I have a crush on and never had enough patience to continue having a crush on someone I don’t know. And counting the last summer break, I already have a crush on him for more than four months without approaching him in any way.

Now I realized that he just got a few close friends at the campus, and it was only with them that he usually talked or walked together. There were three of them, all of them are also at their senior year, and the boys are usually sitting next to him at the cafeteria, or in the reading aisle. One of them is Pax, my theatre club senior, also in the same major as him. So, if I spotted him alone, meant that the boys are not around and in this semester it happened a few times a week.

A week had passed after the incident. One day I saw Clayton sitting on the corner seat of the reading aisle in the balcony of our college’s building, with two empty seats beside him. As usual, nobody dared sitting beside him except his close buddies, which I have not seen for today. He looks perfect, as usual, wearing a black V-neck short-sleeved t-shirt and dark blue jeans, as blue as his eyes.

Every seat on the reading aisle was occupied, except the two seats on his sides. When I was going to find another place to read, my mind shouted, ‘He knows you already, Anita, guess he won’t bite if you sit beside him, right?’. You’re right, mind, and it might be the perfect time to get a chance to talk to him more.

I looked down at my clothes, an oversized brown tank-top I wore as a mini dress, and cropped short-sleeved cream knitted cardigan. I felt like I had to tap myself at the back for choosing pretty decent clothes today, not some usual old loose t-shirt and jeans. C’mon Anita, you can do it. Good chances don't come twice, so let’s just give it a shot today.

I took a deep breath and walked into his seat from the back.

“Sorry, is this seat occupied?”. I carefully said after tapped him in the back and pointed at the empty seat on his left.

“ Nope”. He answered shortly without looking at me.

“ May I sit here? Every seat is occupied, except here”, I reasoned.

“ Sure”. He answered without taking his eyes off his books.

I sat on the seat beside him. I opened my books and started reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was one of the old books that almost buried him alive last time. I read the classic copies, it was from the 1960s, and started to get lost in the readings while trying to forget the heavy pounding my heart was making when I realized that Clayton was less than a meter away. Well, to be frank, he didn’t even look at me at all, even just a glance. It was me who had this over-nervousness when it comes to everything Clay-related. Every rumor I heard was right, he’s never been easy to approach.

Then I read the book for another 15 minutes before I suddenly heard someone speak to me from Clayton’s direction.

“So you are really reading those ancient books?”.

“Eh? What do you mean?”, I turned my face to him, looking a bit puzzled.

His handsome face was looking right at me with one of his eyebrows tilted up rather mischievously. He tied his wavy long hair into a messy bun again today, and his unkempt, wavy chin-long side locks made his perfect face looks more tantalizing to my eye.

“I thought you were giving those old books for charity back then, not for your own reading material”.

Huh??? Does this mean that he ACTUALLY remembered the bumping incident? And moreover, remember that it was ME, the ‘shortie’ who bumped him?

“What? Of course not. When I bumped into you that time, I was just borrowing those books from the library, so I can read them all.”

“I see. So you like vampires, eh? Last time I saw you also bringing Interview with the Vampires, and a few other vampire stories in that tower of books”.

OKAAAAY…could anyone please pinch me, slap me in the face, kick my butt, or whatever?? Am I dreaming?? AM I REALLY having a conversation with Clayton Sommers????

This better be real, or I’m going to eat hundreds of sleeping pills if it’s just a dream so I will stay in this dream and NEVER, EVER wakes up. And he even still REMEMBERS the title of books that almost buried him? Even if this is real, it’s even BETTER than any dream I had these past 20 years…

“Well, I like it. Actually, I’m doing research for the theater club’s play. We’re gonna perform The Bram Stoker’s Dracula next November.” I answered while looking at his perfect face. My goodness, he looks sooo fine, and it was really challenging to stare into his eyes for more than a few seconds. I always have my face automatically turned away, or looking at other things before it turns red.

“So, you’re performing? Who will you be?”, he asked. I could see some enthusiasm slipped inside his voice. I know he really loves acting, just like me. But he is a big actor, he played so many different characters in movies, got nominated, even won awards for it, while I’m just a college stage actress, who is only known by a few loyal fans of our college’s theater group.

“Well, we were still in a pre-casting phase. But I’m aiming for Mina Harker’s friend, Lucy Westenra.”

“The girl who was bitten by Count Dracula while she was sleepwalking?”, he replied.

“ You read this book too?”, I asked him with amazement.

“Umm..well, I planned to say yes so I would look cool, but that would be a lie. Nope, I saw the movie, where Keanu Reeves played Jonathan Harker ones. Too lazy to read the book..”, he answered and grinned widely.

OKAAAAAY…he smiled at me! My gosh, he has a very nice smile, and his perfectly white teeth would always make any dentist proud. Take a deep breath and stay calm, Anita. Get yourself together.

“Hahaha.. me too. Actually, it’s the first time I read the book, but I've seen the movies four or five times since I was little.”

“You WATCHED Bram Stoker’s Dracula when you were little? Were you born into the Addams Family?” he chuckled a little.

“Nah, I just happen to like classic horror movies since I was little. Dracu la, Friday the 13th, The Omen, Poltergeist, Child’s Play, you name it”. I blabbered nervously.

“Well, I thought you’re some kind of easy-going cheerful kind of girl, I never thought that you’re actually into classic horror movies”.

“Hey, I AM an easy-going cheerful kind of girl. Since when a cheerful girl isn't allowed to watch horror movies? Or maybe I should wear all black, wear goth makeups like black lipstick so it’ll match ?” I argued.

“Okay, okay… you win. I agreed that sometimes personality types and appearances have nothing to do with movie preferences. Are we cool?”. He asked and smiled at me.

“We’re cool”. I smiled back, trying to hide my nervousness when he looked deep into my eyes.

And we both went back to our own reading materials. I buried my face deep in the pages, tried to hide my face away as much as I could from his gaze. I felt like my face was burning. I must be looked like boiled tomatoes, all red and sweaty.

Holy angels, could you all please help me?? My heart was racing, blushing hard and my face felt like it's gonna explode any second. But I didn’t know how I could get away from here… How on the earth could I managed to argue with Clayton, about unimportant things, in our FIRST conversation? I’m such a stupid girl…

“Hey… do you hear me?”, suddenly his voice ran into my ear again.

I panicked, trying to take a deep breath before I answered, but failed. I almost choked because of that and then coughed.

“Ugh… Yes? Sorry, what was that?”, I stuttered.

“May I know your name? I’m Clayton Sommers, Philosophy, senior year”, he looked at my eyes deeply and gave out his hand.

MY GOD…if after today you decide to take me away to heaven, I’m ready God… I already felt the best day of my life… Clayton Sommers just asked my name personally!!

But, on second thought, NO!!!!! I won’t go to heaven if I can’t talk to this beautiful creature anymore… Oh please dear God, I revising the wish, please spare my life, give me a long lifeline...

“Sure, I’m Anita Meyer, Classic Lit second year. ” I grabbed his hand and shook it firmly.

“Anita, that name matches you well somehow. Just call me Clay”. He smiled widely when we shook hands.

It was the most precious, most amazing smile I ever saw in my whole life. I smiled back at him and realized that our hands were still holding each other. I was afraid that my hand’s gonna be sweaty if he keeps holding it like that, then I release mine and suddenly turned my face away, trying to get back into my book. I hope that my face didn’t blush too bad, so he didn’t find out that I’m extremely nervous at that time.

We were back into our reading after that “official introductions”. Not long after that, he tapped me lightly on the shoulder and said he had to go to his class.

I said see you next time, and he replied with a big smile. It was such heaven.