10 It's About Me & Him

As she turned off her night lamp to finally doze off after a tiring day, she quickly went through her cell phone that was buzzing continuously throughout the day. Who was texting so much? She thought to herself. She unlocked her phone to see she had three missed calls from Zoey.

The girls however had decided they will meet up to study for their upcoming module in the library the next day so Ashley decided she will talk to her friend in person.

__________________________________________________________

Ashley was strolling down the corridor on her way to enter the reading library when she caught sight of Sam's red-headed friend who was with him the other day. Her steps slowed. She paused to look if Mr Handsome was around. Upon entering the reading library, she took a quick scan inside as well. Guess what they say is correct, it really does come down to who you look for in a crowded room but he was nowhere in sight, however, she found Zoey sitting anxiously at the same place where Sam was sitting the other day.

"Hey!" she whispered to Zoey, taking a seat beside her but Zoey seemed off with a frown across her face.

"Did you talk to him?" Zoey snapped

"What? Samuel.. Umm yeah he seemed nice. What's your problem?"

"Please tell me you didn't give him my reference!" she frowned

"Of course I gave him your reference. Who else do I have in common with him?"

"Ashley, he hates me. Look, me, Angela and Sam were like a trio in high school cause we had most of the classes together, Isaac wasn't as close with them but when Angela and Sam broke up, I started hanging out with Angela alone cause she wasn't comfortable having Sam around after that which is why he thinks I chose Angela over him or something. "

"No no no! You look, Zoey. All this happened in the past. Okay? and it doesn't even involve me so will you please stop making this about you or Angela and help me by being MY friend the same way you were there for Angela? This isn't about her anymore, it is about me and him!"

It was only a matter of minutes when she casually glanced up and her eyes met a familiar set of eyes from across the crowded room, coming her way. She stiffened, all senses suddenly alert but neither of them smiled instead he was looking at her quite sternly as if he was trying to read her. It was crazy, she *knew* it was crazy but she couldn't seem to control herself every time he was near her. She felt her pulse racing again. Chill ran down her spine as she got goosebumps, scared she was turning red again, scared she had her feelings written all over her face. She quickly turned her head down, like she was concentrating on her anatomy book. "If he likes me he will say hi to me this time. Hell, I am a girl, he should try to woo me too after I ran across an entire pathway just to say hi to him."

But she was led with disappointment when he casually greeted Zoey just beside her and completely ignored she was there, grabbing a seat exactly behind Zoey so the two had backs facing each other.

"WHAT A JERK!" Ashley thought to herself. "How could he be so mean to me? After spending the past 24 hours crushing so hard over him, this is what I get?"

It was after two minutes when she felt him turn around to catch a glimpse of her again but she kept her eyes locked on her book, doodling with a pencil in her hand as she tried not to look in his direction.

He then stood up and quietly bent over Zoey's shoulder on the other side from where Ashley was and asked in a slightly louder voice, "Do you have a pencil?"

Zoey's eyes widened. She looked at him confused. After the past three months holding a grudge against her, he was not only greeting her but also asking for stuff? Ashley with eyes still focused on her book had now stopped doodling. "Was he trying to get her attention by speaking loudly so she could hear him?" He then murmured in Zoey's ear still audible to Ashley as she was right beside them, "I wanna say hi to your friend, Ashley but I get nervous around her so could you divert her attention on us and then maybe I can start a conversation with her?"

Just when Ashley had thought he was a jerk, he had managed to leave her in awe again. "Hey, Ash!" called out Zoey in a whisper as she nodded to him.

Ashley turned her head towards her left, seeing him standing right beside Zoey, waving her a hi, smiling sheepishly as he could only manage to say with his voice breaking, "Do you have a pencil?"

She handed over the one in her hand while admiring the angel in front of her as he nodded in a thankful gesture turning scarlet as he did so. They looked at each other for a few seconds trying to get the most they could, noticing the little details of each other like how he had a little brown freckle on his forehead between his brows before Ashley quickly turned her face back in her book again before he could say another word to her. She bit her lip trying to control her smile. She loved teasing him, loved leaving him in desperation for her.

He quietly seated back. After about 5 minutes she slowly gazed over her shoulder to see if he was actually using the pencil, only to find him playing with it as he studied his surgery book. He turned his head around and dropped the pencil out of embarrassment when he saw her watching him, smiling shyly as he met her gaze with Ashley's eyes shining.