Versus

She could hear the person stepping a bit closer to her, so she decided to act like she was done and closed the lid before moving at all. Then she just casually walked away, without so much as a glance. Just because she was raised with manners doesn’t mean the entire world was. She had to keep that in mind, especially in a new place.

Someone made a coughing sound just where she had been standing. She wasn’t sure if it was overdone or just a cough, maybe a coincidence, she wasn’t sure, but it caused Emma to look. “Really, who wouldn’t” she later thought.

Her eyes caught the stare of what she unwillingly had to acknowledge as a beautifully intimidating guy. Just for a second, she thought he could’ve been the guy in the window, back in class. She couldn’t swear it, he was too far away. But this time, she did look over her shoulder, and after seeing no one was there but her, she gave him an irritated look. It was involuntary. She almost felt a smile form, like some stupid teenager with a crush, but she smoldered that quickly. “The eyes can see someone’s beauty, but actions can tell the mind and eyes that they were mistaken.” She often thought. This was one of those times.

His looks became less daunting as his previous actions reemerged into her subconscious. His glare at her now looked similar to what she imagined her look was towards him. As if they had just scolded one another.

Having been raised in the South, her natural Southern charm began oozing out of her due to his obvious rudeness. She didn’t care how good-looking he was, “You don’t treat people this way, so he will get my snobby look in return.”

“That will teach him.” She proudly thought to herself and turned her back on him and walked towards the cashier, who scanned her student card and she was out of there in lightning speed. She gave a side-eye look back at him.

“What a waste,” she thought as she saw the sea-green eyes and slightly teased honey brown hair. His shoulders looked as though they could easily pick her up into the air. “Stop it!” She had to argue with her lack of self-control. “This guy apparently has no manners and to think that God obviously spent extra time on designing him. And there he goes, smearing his ugly attitude all over his perfect outer appearance. Just sad.” Her thoughts still attacking the guy.

She had her water bottle in one hand and now her to-go box in the other. She didn’t look very smooth trying to grab the cold heavy brass door handle, in order to exit the dining hall. She was attempting to balance the to-go box awkwardly on her forearm when she heard, “Here, I got it.”

The voice came from behind her. It startled her so badly that she jerked her arm and the box of food began to wobble dangerously as a hand quickly grabbed it.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He said before she could turn to look at him.

“It’s o…..” the word caught in her throat as she was face to face with the gorgeous rude guy…again.

“Did he have a third hand? Why was getting through a door so beyond me today? And why could he manage himself “AND” me? Ugh…and why did I always perform like a clown in front of the good-looking ones?” Her thoughts were again spinning rapidly.

“Thanks” was all she could manage to say out loud while her eyes were in a deadlock with his. She didn’t blink for a long time, because when she finally did, her eyes felt dry.

He just smiled at her. The smile was small, almost refrained. Like he was in on a secret that she was begging to be told about. His expression seemed taunting and like before, she naturally wore her feelings on her face. She gave him a confused look and shook her head at him. His smile grew bigger, so she just stepped through the door and wasn’t exactly sure what to do next. She opted for walking and doing her best not to fall, flat on her face, in front of him.

As she spent too much brain power putting one foot in front of the other, robotically, she kept playing this guy back in my mind. “Where does a person come from that taps impatiently one second then holds the door open respectfully the next?”

The need to look over her shoulder was becoming overwhelming. She couldn’t hear any steps. Not that she should. Her direction was towards the girls’ dorms only. He would be heading in the opposite direction. But the more she told herself not to look, she wanted to look with a need that was growing by the minute. It was consuming. She felt like her neck was being tugged on by an invisible rope.

“A quick glance like I’m looking out the window. No!” Her thoughts argued while her neck turned involuntarily. He was standing at the Southside double door entry into the male dormitory. His hand was already on one of the door’s knobs. “Was he waiting, or did he just get there?” She may never know. He looked over his left shoulder at her, like he felt her staring at him. When her eyes caught his, he gave the most serious look. His stare held hers the entire time he crossed the threshold of the secret sanctum of the boys.

“Good grief, you BIG idiot.” She said out loud to herself as she jerked her head back forward. She dissected the details at a tormenting rate. He may or may not have been the person looking at her, he was a seriously rude finger tapper, then a polite door opener, and then that look. Was that his normal look or just intended for her? It seemed so full of torment. He had her puzzled. “What was his story?” She couldn’t shake the feeling that his story had to be intense. He just exuded that aura.