22| Flirt
I looked at her while skating. She's sitting here having ice cream with a 15-year-old, talking about his love life, giving him advice. What planet is she from?
"How long do you think he'll keep my board for?" he asked.
She looked at me. "I think it'll be a while," she chuckled. He groaned, putting his head on her shoulder. She put hers on top and watched me with him. I laughed, shaking my head and coming to a halt.
"Oh, are you done?" the boy shot up.
"No, it's her turn," I said.
"That's fine then," he shrugged, sitting back down.
"I don't know how to skate," she laughed.
"He'll teach you," the kid nodded.
"Charlie," she said warningly.
"Go, go," he sang.
She threw her popsicle stick in the nearest trash before walking over to me, dusting her jeans. "Teach me your ways," she sighed.
"Stand on, facing me," I said. She followed, clearing her throat and shaking the nerves out of her hands. "Why are you so nervous?" I chuckled.
"I'm scared, what if I fall and break my neck?" she looked at me wide-eyed.
"The ramp is like... not that tall," Charlie said.
"It's about 3 feet," I chuckled, extending my hands. She grabbed on but didn't push off the board. "You gotta move the board."
"No."
"Emma."
"No." I pulled her with me and she squealed, grabbing onto me tighter as the board went higher, and higher, and... then she jumped off. "I was gonna fall!" she smacked my chest.
"No, you weren't, just put your weight on the lower end but balance it out," I said. I forced her back on and then we tried the other way. I see-sawed with her over the ramp a couple of times, then let her go in the middle.
"Come back, come back, come back," she said, sticking her arms out to grab onto me.
"You're such a girl," Charlie snorted.
"I am a girl!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto my shirt and stopping herself in the middle as she came back down from the top right. "Try not doing that," she said, glaring at me.
"Then try on your own," I said, pulling her hands off my shirt.
"I'm gonna fall."
"Quit saying that," I said. I pulled her up to one end, then the other, and once she picked up speed and momentum, I let her go.
It eventually came back to a stop in the middle and she grinned. "I did it!"
"Congratulations, you climbed Mount Everest," Charlie said sarcastically.
"Do you want my number or not?" she snapped. He cut out the sarcastic comments after that. "Are we done? I think roller skates are more my thing," she said, looking down at me.
"Go one time on your own," I nodded, stepping back.
"No," she whined. I nodded again and she hesitantly kicked off the board, and she did it just fine. "Oh, that wasn't that bad," she said, looking down at her feet.
"Can I get my board back? I have to go home," Charlie sighed. She hopped off, handing his board back to him.
"Thanks," I nodded.
"No problem-o Romeo," he said, taking the board from me. I looked at him weirdly. "Juliet," he bowed his head at her, grabbing his water bottle from the edge.
"Charlie," she said mockingly.
"I don't even get a kiss on the cheek?" he scoffed, "The audacity," he shook his head.
"The audacity?" she laughed. She threw an arm around his shoulder, walking him off the ramp, whispering something in his ear.
"That works?" he asked.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded.
"Thanks," he smiled.
"Anytime," she smiled, kissing his cheek then ruffling out his hair. He turned pink and then walked away. She laughed and walked back to me.
"I have never seen a bigger flirt than that kid right there," I said, walking to the exit of the park with her.
"Everyone always wants a girlfriend or boyfriend, he's a cute kid, he's nice," she shrugged.
"You're just saying that cause he bought you a popsicle."
"That's not- okay, that's kind of true. But he was good company," she laughed.
"You fucking weirdo," I laughed, "You enjoy the company of a 15-year-old more than you do of people your own age."
"That 15-year-old is a better flirt than a lot of people my own age," she smirked.
"Oh, like who?"
"Like y... you know, every guy I've ever met," she shrugged.
Was she gonna say like me? Who would I be flirting with?
Unless she's flirting with me and she wants me to flirt back.
What if she likes me? Why else would she flirt with me?
Who is to say she's flirting and this isn't just her personality.
"When do you flirt with a guy?" I questioned.
"Mm, when I like him," she said, linking her arm with mine. She has a habit of doing that, I've noticed.
"No shit," I scoffed, "But how do you flirt? How does he know that you're flirting and not just being friendly?" I asked.
She looked at me suspiciously before answering, "I don't really know. I just sort of... I get more touchy, I make fun of them a little more, and I compliment them a lot. I'd be like 'oh, I like your shoes' or 'oh, your hair looks nice' or- you have a pimple," she said, touching my forehead.
"Thanks," I laughed, "I'll keep a lookout for that one if you ever flirt with me."
She laughed, shaking her head, tucking her hair behind her ear, "Sorry, I just observed out loud," she waved her hand dismissively.
"Um, I just give off a different vibe. A guy knows when I like him, the mood just shifts when we're alone.
And I blush. A lot. I smile a lot more, actually.
And Kendall says I put my hair behind my ear or fidget with my earrings a lot, but I guess that I do subconsciously," she shrugged.
"So, you're an obvious flirt," I nodded.
"I guess," she smiled, "What about you?" I sighed.
How the hell do I answer that?
Next time, don't ask questions you can't answer when asked, Nathan.
"Uh, I don't normally beat around the bush unless I'm nervous to tell them I like them." I'm having to think back to how I used to flirt with Chloe because I haven't flirted with anyone since.
Until now. When I tried teaching her how to skate and realized a 15-year-old can flirt better than me.
"I try impressing her, making her laugh, I get a little more touchy too, uh... I make it obvious but, I don't know, depends on the girl too. I kind of play off of them but at the same time, I'm a little..." What is the word?
"Dominant?" she asked.
"I'm dominant?" I inquired.
"You're intimidating, so I think you're dominant in a relationship. You just have like a... big personality, I guess. Like, you stand out in a crowd, that's a better example," she chuckled.
"How?"
She clicked her tongue, falling into thought. "Like my first day at school, I noticed you really quickly. You draw people in, I think. You drew me in, I wanted to know you, it's like magnetic," she explained.
She's drawn to me. Whoa, good going, Nathan.
"I drew you in?" I asked in shock as we left the park and started heading to her house.
"Yeah, that's why I asked to be your friend, that's why I introduced myself to you specifically, it's also why I followed you out when you ran. I thought you would've noticed," she shrugged, watching her feet as we walked.
"I think I wasn't looking," I mumbled.
"Well, you should have been," she grinned.
"Hmm, I wish I did," I said more to myself.
"Are you going to stay tonight?" she asked as we reached our block.
"I don't think I should. It'll be a hassle for you and your mom," I said, "I think I'll go home."
"I don't want you to go if you're only gonna come back tipsy. Just don't go," she shrugged, "It's fine by us."
"It's funny I don't remember you asking your mother," I scoffed.
"It's funny you don't remember her telling you to take the guest room," she said, giving me a pointed look.
"I should really get back home because I um..."
"You didn't tell your dad you're staying at a friend's, did you?" she stopped walking and stared at me in shock.
"No?"
She pushed me, harder than I thought she would. "Nathan!" she yelled.
"What?!" I exclaimed, taking a step closer to her.
"Don't you think he'll be worried about where the hell you went? What if he thinks you're like- I don't know, dead?!"
I rolled my eyes, "He doesn't think I'm dead, and I'll go confirm that I'm not tonight," I scoffed.
"How do you take this so lightly? He could be worried sick, Nathan," she sighed, her voice softening.
"Trust me, he's not worried about me." She eyed me quizzically. "Come on," I pulled on her hand, forcing her to continue walking. I didn't let go of her hand till we reached her place.
"So, you're not staying?" she asked as we stepped into her house.
"No, I think I'll take my stuff and head out." But if I know my father, which I do, I'll probably be back here tonight.
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