Caught By Her Eyes

Ellie rested her head against the cool stone wall of her university's history building, taking a slow breath and thanking the universe that she was finally here. She allowed herself be grounded in the stillness of a rarely empty hallway. It was Friday and she only had one lecture left before she could spend the weekend curled up in her window seat, with a good book. The only thing moving her forward was the thought that soon she would be able to check out for a few days and live vicariously through someone else's fictional drama. Life seemed to be draining her lately and Ellie was mentally exhausted. She was sick of thinking so much about her every word and action. When had things become so complicated? As if on que, her Prince Charming came around the corner, throwing a heavy arm around her shoulders. Ellie reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled in the direction of their next class. Michael had been so excited to be taking all of their general education courses together, but some days she felt like she should've given herself space to grow her circle a little. It would be nice to have at least one other friend here on campus. The happy couple walked as one, watching the dust dance in the sunlight streaming through the windows and enjoying a comfortable silence. Ellie took a deep breath, choking a little on Michael's musky body spray. Her internal dialog was running through the daily mantra, listing off all the reasons she was so lucky to have him. Michael was dependable and kind. He always made her laugh. Everyone thought they were destined to be together, he'd been her constant companion since elementary school. When he finally got up the nerve to ask her out last fall, of course she said yes. She couldn't think of a reason not to. After all, he was her best friend. Isn't that how all the stories go? The tried and true friends to lovers cliche. Who could be better for her than her actual best friend? The fairytale was writing itself. Michael pulled out Ellie's chair before he took his own seat, because of course he did. He was always a perfect gentleman. Ellie sighed quietly to herself, lost in her own head. She didn't hear Michael as he prattled off potential weekend date plans. "Ellie, baby?" he shook her arm gently, chuckling. He didn't notice her tense at the term of endearment as she was snapped back to reality. "Hmm, yeah? Sorry." She blushed. He deserved so much better than this, the unwelcome thought whispered to her conscience. "I guess I'm a little distracted today. What were you saying?" Michael shook his head fondly, his brown eyes twinkling. He wore his love for Ellie proudly, he couldn't hide it if he tried. He interlooked her fingers between his own, bringing her hand to his lips for a soft kiss. Ellie fought the urge to be impatient, just waiting for him to repeat himself. "I said, the drive in is showing romance genre classics Saturday night, I don't recognize any of the movies but I know someone else who would be living a dream to attend" Michael teased with a wink. He was making plans for things he had zero interest in, because he knew they were her favorites. The guilt consumed Ellie once more. Michael paused for a reaction. When she didn't immediately become overjoyed at this suggestion, he moved on to his next idea. "Or, if you aren't in the mood for that, we could go to Mark's thing. I know that isn't exactly your scene, but it could be fun?" Ellie groaned internally at the thought of a crowded party. Michael was absolutely correct in saying parties weren't her scene. The idea of being trapped alone together in a dark car for hours, however, seemed infinitely worse. So much for hiding up in her room with that book. "Sure. Yeah, I could be up for that, I guess. It'd be fun to do something different." Ellie said with as much fake enthusiasm as she could muster. Michael grinned happily, obviously excited for their weekend plans. As the teacher took his spot by the blackboard to begin his lecture, Ellie zoned out once more. She wondered if this numbness was just part of growing up, or if she was truly incapable of love.