Halle was chatting away on the bus ride home but I was too distracted by the feeling of the eyes of the boy who had somehow wound up seated directly behind us. Something about another party, a chance for her to spend some needed time with her boyfriend, an opportunity for me to "get back out there" and mingle--as if I'd ever been searching for a boyfriend, as if I wasn't already fated to someone else. When the bus came to my stop, I stood and heard Charles rise just behind me.
When our eyes met, it was awkward.
Turning forward, I hustled off the bus, aware of the fact that this was going to be a painful experience for both of us.
I would have to reject him and convince him all at the same time and, as he began walking up the slight incline toward his house, I found myself hesitating,
