First Impressions
930 Words
A young man stood near the entrance, looking around as though searching for someone.
Faith raised her hand.
“Derrick!”
The young man noticed them and walked toward the table.
“This is Derrick,” Faith said.
Maya looked at him.
So this was the person who wanted her number.
Derrick greeted everyone before taking the empty seat.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“It’s okay,” Faith replied.
Derrick smiled before looking at Maya.
“So you’re Maya.”
She nodded politely.
“Yes.”
“I’m Derrick.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
The conversation continued, and Maya observed him quietly.
He seemed friendly enough.
He joked with Faith and Ethan, joining the conversation easily.
After a while, Derrick leaned slightly toward Faith and whispered something.
Maya wasn’t trying to listen.
But she noticed the look that crossed Faith’s face.
A moment later, Ethan stood up.
“What happened?”
Derrick lowered his voice.
“I came here on a bike, but I haven’t paid the rider yet.”
Maya paused briefly.
She looked at him.
He had arrived without paying his transport fare?
For a second, it surprised her.
But she quickly brushed the thought away.
Maybe something happened.
Maybe he forgot.
She didn’t want to judge someone she had just met.
Ethan stood up.
“Let’s sort it out.”
The two of them stepped outside.
Maya watched them leave through the glass door before turning back to Faith.
“Everything okay?”
Faith nodded.
“Yes.”
A few minutes later, they returned.
The conversation continued as though nothing had happened.
Eventually, Derrick ordered his own meal.
Maya noticed that he seemed more relaxed after eating.
The evening continued with laughter and small conversations.
By the time everyone was done, the table was cleared.
When the bill arrived, Ethan reached for it.
Maya noticed.
She wasn’t trying to count the amount, but it was obvious the total was quite a lot.
Her eyes briefly moved toward Derrick.
She wondered if he would offer to contribute.
After all, he had also eaten.
But before she could think much about it, Ethan paid.
Nobody made an issue of it.
So Maya let the thought go.
Maybe there was a reason.
Maybe it was simply not a big deal.
After spending more time talking, they finally decided it was time to leave.
Outside the eatery, the evening air greeted them again.
Faith hugged Maya lightly.
“I’m happy you came.”
“Me too.”
“I’ll call you.”
“Okay.”
Before leaving, Derrick turned toward Maya.
“Can I get your number?”
Maya remembered that was the reason he had wanted to speak with her in the first place.
She took out her phone and shared her contact.
“I’ll keep in touch,” he said.
Maya smiled politely.
“Alright.”
They exchanged goodbyes before going their separate ways.
As Maya rode back home, she watched the streets pass by quietly.
It had been a simple evening.
Her first real hangout since coming to school.
She had met new people.
She had laughed.
She had stepped outside the routine she had created for herself.
But somewhere in the back of her mind, a few small questions remained.
Why had Derrick arrived without money for his transport?
Why had Ethan needed to help him?
And why had he not offered to contribute when the bill came?
Maya shook her head lightly.
Maybe she was thinking too much.
After all…
It was only her first time meeting him.
She couldn’t judge someone based on one evening.
With that thought, she looked ahead as the bike continued toward her apartment.
To Derrick, the evening was simply an opportunity to meet someone new.
Perhaps, to him, nothing about the night felt unusual. It was just a casual hangout, a chance to talk, laugh, and get to know Maya better.
But for Maya, first impressions carried a lot of weight.
She knew she was old enough to be open to relationships. She understood that someday she would want to build something meaningful with someone. However, she also knew that not every person she met was someone she could see herself with.
And sometimes, the little things people overlooked were the things that spoke the loudest.
From the moment she first heard about Derrick, she had imagined someone completely different. She expected him to be extremely quiet, maybe someone who struggled to hold a conversation because of how hesitant he seemed when he asked Faith to approach her.
But when she finally sat with him, she realized he wasn’t exactly what she expected.
Derrick could talk.
He had opinions, jokes, and stories to share. Once he became comfortable, his personality showed more. He wasn’t as silent as she had initially assumed.
Still…
Something about him didn’t completely sit right with Maya.
Maybe it was the way he carried himself.
Maybe it was the uncertainty she noticed in some of his actions.
Maybe it was simply the feeling she had after their conversation.
She couldn’t explain it clearly, but she knew that attraction was more than just someone being interested in her. It was about the kind of person they were, the way they handled situations, and whether their personalities felt like they could fit together.
Derrick wasn’t a bad person.
At least, she had no reason to believe he was.
He was simply not someone Maya could imagine herself choosing.
And she had learned that sometimes, paying attention to those first feelings mattered.
- Writer
