Carrie goes out, almost every Friday. I mostly stay in our hostel room, but the few times that I follow her, I stay in the corner of the room. Though guys come to ask me to dance with them or join them to drink, I refuse them all. Except for this one guy.
It was around 11 pm when he came to meet me. He was a tall and good-looking man, with brown, curly hair and a full red lip. Don't ask me why I was looking at his lips. He was a little tanned, but all in one, he was attractive.
It was not his looks that attracted me, though it was a little bit. It was his charm. He had an aura around him that made me attracted to him. The way he spoke and how he chose his words, was so good.
Of course, he was the one who approached me first. Like usual, I was sitting in the corner of the room, looking around, when he came. He came with a very sweet smile. I looked at him puzzled. I was wondering why he was smiling at me.
He waved to me and complimented my dress. I smiled back at him and thanked him for his compliment. I tried ignoring him as I did to the other guys, but he did not leave me like others would. I furrowed my brows at him and all he did was laugh. What was funny?
"What is wrong?" I asked him.
"Nothing, just your expression." He said, smiling.
I did nothing but stare at him. I was trying to figure out why he was still here with me. Wasn't I rude enough, like others would say? Wasn't I giving a negative vibe? I did not want to talk to anyone, why was he still here? He did not say anything, but sat close to me and looked around, still smiling.
"I don't feel like talking to anybody, so why are you still here?" I asked him, trying to sound rude enough to keep me away from him.
"I wasn't talking to you, was I?" He said, smiling still.
I bit my lip in disappointment. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone. I had to do something real quick to get him out of my sight. If I leave, there would be nowhere for me to go. I couldn't leave the party alone, I have to go with my friend. Maybe striking up a conversation with him, that will make him move. That will do.
"Sorry, what is your name?" I asked him. He turned to look at me. He was surprised but kept on smiling. Was he not tired of smiling?
"I… I am Lucas" He said, like he was looking for the right word to say. How can he be thinking of his name? Was he nervous?
"You are a friend of Cassie, right?" He said looking straight into my eyes. That was a little weird, so I shifted my gaze to the people dancing in front of us.
"uh…" I Cleared my throat. "Yes. How did you know?" I asked him.
" I am her course mate," He said not shifting his gaze from me. Why does he keep on looking at me? It was making me nervous. That was the first time a guy would make me nervous.
"I have seen you a couple of times with her." he continued "You know what they say about you?" That caught my attention, as I looked at him. I wanted to know.
"What?" I asked him.
"Well, do you want to know?" He said, turning his smile into a smirk. I did not like it. Hated the feeling of being manipulated.
"I don't care, if you don't want to tell me, then don't," I said shifting my gaze again, to the dancing people, folding my hand. He gave out a little chuckle.
"There, there. Don't be sad. Alright, I will tell you" My attention turned back to him. "They call you the 'anti-romantic loner'"
"what? I am not a loner, I have friends. Three to be precise." I protested, raising my hands.
"Well, not a lot of people know that. This is the first time I am hearing that. Look, being a loner is not only about how many friends you have but also how you communicate with others. Do you get it?" He said, raising one of his brows. I nodded but still, I disagreed with him.
"Okay, why don't you do this? Try and have a little conversation with at least two people in your department, and tell me whether their perspective of you will change."
"I don't believe you. Nothing will change"
"Why don't you try out the challenge and give me some feedback?"
"Okay, challenge accepted," I said, as we both shook our hands.
Unknown to us, Carrie has been watching us do a long time. She stepped right in front of us and I shook in surprise.
"Oh my goodness, Carrie. You startled me" I said trying to catch my breath.
"Oh hey, Lucas," She said waving at him, totally ignoring me. "What are you two…" She pointed her fingers at us, looking at the both of us suspiciously. Lucas just smiled. What is with him and his smiles?
"Nothing can't I talk to anyone?" I asked her.
"You can, Lizzy, but it is unusual for you to."
"Well, today is different. I guess" I rolled my eye, while Lucas just kept on looking at us, still smiling.
"Anyway, sorry to interrupt, but, it is time to leave." I looked at Lucas, not wanting to leave, but I had to. I did not want to go to class late and go back to the hostel, without my best friend.
I and Carrie waved him goodbye, while he nodded at us. On our way back to the hostel, I thought about our discussion. I smiled to myself. He was different and I liked it. I could not wait to talk to him, next time.
But wait, I don't have his number…