Another Love Story

Chapter III: The new guy in town

My alarm goes off and I panic. I’m late. I’m terribly late. I stumble out of bed, put on a blue T-shirt and my favourite red skirt, I fix my brown curls, brush my teeth, slide down the stairs and grab my backpack. My mother, bless her, tries to tell me but before she can, I’m already out the door. And as I slam our front door shut, it hits me. Why am I rushing again? For what am I late? As I see the children playing in the street and hear the laughter all around. I try to act cool, act like I belong there, like I knew what I was doing. But half of the children had already noticed me, including my little brother. Brad of course happily accepted the opportunity to point and laugh his little ass off. Slowly and somewhat confidently I retreated into the safety of my home, or so I thought. My mother welcomes me back with a snide comment, a kiss, and a smile from ear to ear. 

School’s out for summer, remember? Well, I didn’t. My bad. I should be complimented on my due diligence. My sense of responsibility. I didn’t want to get in trouble for missing school or being tardy. The fact that there was no more school for two months, well, that is just a tiny detail. Have I bullshitted my way out of it yet? Because I can keep on going, I think we have established my expert level of talking myself out of something, or do you need more examples? No, we’re good. Good.

As I sit there wallowing in self-pity, because I might not have as much swag as I thought, my phone goes off. A text message from Sandra. Sandra, is one of the girls on my volleyball team. She’s my favourite striker, don’t tell anyone, I’m not supposed to have a favourite. But it just clicks with her. I never have to ask her what she’s going to do, we just kind of sense it. It also shows in our performance ratings. Ever since I took over as team captain and passer, Sandra has gotten up to 20% more passes and her scoring rate has gone up by 18%. I think I’ve bored you enough with the statistics. Sandra texted because she was wondering if I was free to play a match that afternoon. Seeing as it was only the first day of summer holidays and my summer job didn’t start until halfway through the summer, that meant I didn’t really have any plans. Luckily for her, the first week of summer is always a slow one. And I was excited to play, it had been a while since nationals. When volleyball season is over, we don’t really get together to practice, we’re happy to finally have some free time. On the other hand, I haven’t been able to just watch a game without joining in since, well, ever. In all my fussing about and excitement, I never even asked who we were playing. As it turns out, our rival team, the Yellow Bees, were our opponent. I didn’t really care who we were playing, as long as I got to play. And as we were setting up I paid more attention to what was going on around me than anything else. I couldn’t seem to focus. Which wasn’t really normal for me. When I play, I mean business. I get in the zone. I love playing, but I always play to win. It’s just how I roll. Oh God, how I roll? What is this, the 80’s? Sorry about that. Back to looking around, I mean time to focus, too late.

For a split second I got a glimpse of emerald green eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. I guess all eyes sparkle in the sunlight, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, there was something about those eyes. Maybe it had to do with who they belonged to. A mystery that would keep my mind occupied for some time. Even though my curiosity was at a peak, I had to focus on the game at hand. It’s not because the season was over, or that we had won nationals, that it meant I didn’t want to kick some ass. That also meant I had to focus, no distractions, definitely no emerald green distractions. I couldn’t help but peek over my shoulder. The only thing I could gather was that mister emerald green was popular with the girls. At any given moment in time, there were about ten girls hovering around him. Apparently, they were as intrigued with those eyes as I was. 

WHISTLE 

Now mesmerizing emerald green eyes or not, as soon as I heard that whistle I was focused. It’s the only way I know how to play the game, either I’m all in or I’m on the bench. And I’m never on the bench. Fine, I do confess that during the time-outs I might not have been as focused as I was during the season. But, I am only human. At the first time-out it was eight to zero in our favour, so I felt that meant I could indulge in a little distraction. Despite my best efforts to remain calm, that was easier said than done because as soon as my crystal blue eyes met his emerald green ones, a shiver went down my spine. I had to catch my breath and snap out of it fast, we had a game to play and win. I’ll admit, my Olympic-like concentration might have taken a direct hit after that first moment of eyes meeting, but we did win the match with three to nothing in games. So overall, not that bad. Meanwhile it seemed as if every girl there had noticed mister emerald green. As he was being overwhelmed by pretty girls who basically threw themselves at his feet, I just thought to myself it was probably for the best. It’s not like I would have a shot with a guy who could have ten girls on each finger. Unless he was gay, then I’d probably be a shoe in. Oh, snap out of it woman! At that point Sandra and I had already cleaned up half of the field. And I wondered, why wasn’t she throwing herself at the mercy of mister emerald green? Because I have a big mouth and a non-existent social filter, I asked. A timid smile appeared on her face, she shook her head as she told me that mister emerald green was her cousin. Although she really liked him, she already loved him, but only in a way that is appropriate for family. I couldn’t help but let out a loud chuckle, while in the midst of it all I had lost track of mister emerald green, I felt another shiver run down my spine as I looked up, I was suddenly faced with him in all his emerald green glory. 

As both mister emerald green and I was simply standing there, gazing into each other’s eyes; Sandra jumped in as the silence had started to grow awkward, for her anyway. She introduced her cousin. That is how mister emerald green became Victor. Victor. Sounds like a strong name, for some reason that was the first thought that went through my mind. Sandra invited him to come with us as we went to celebrate our well-deserved win. As Victor would soon come to realise, for him, that meant spending an evening out with ten teenage girls who were very interested in him. With very interested I mean that the poor boy didn’t get a minute of down-time. It seemed as if he had gotten on a merry-go-round that didn’t want to stop turning even though he desperately wanted to get off and had been puking his guts out for the entire ride. Also keep in mind that ten teenage girls on a sugar high and after pizza, is not as fun as it might sound. But he didn’t seem to mind, he even looked as if he was enjoying himself. Although after enduring two hours of it all, he did look at me with those emerald greens and asked if I knew of a place less crowded and a lot quieter. It threw me off at first; I didn’t expect him to show any interest in me. But there he was, asking me to save him. It did seem appealing. Getting alone time with the boy every girl in town seemed to be mooning over. And he wanted to spend some time alone with me. Apparently, miracles still happen. Too corny? Fine, I take it back. But I was curious as to the reason why he would want to spend time with me. Or if I was reading too much into the situation and the poor boy just wanted to escape the ‘terrifying ten’ (= my nickname for the volleyball team minus Sandra and me, of course). 

There are moments in life where you have doubts and questions, thoughts about certain situations. The doubts, who you in turn, want to be taken away and the questions you have to be answered. The thoughts you might long to express or bury as deep as you can. A lot of those times people either don’t ask those questions or address those doubts or leave those thoughts unspoken, usually it has something to do with fear. Fear of the answer you might get, fear that your doubts are justified or simply that your thoughts are too weird or outrageous to be said aloud. At other times, you know that if you don’t express your doubts and thoughts or ask your questions, you’ll just end up regretting it for the rest of your life. This was one of those moment, where if I didn’t ask my question, I would regret it for the rest of my life. 

So I grew a pair and asked Victor why he turned to me to save him from the ‘terrifying ten’. He got all quiet and I soon started to regret asking him my question aloud. As he came to a halt, so did my heart. Did I just embarrass myself beyond measure by assuming that he might have an ulterior motive for wanting to escape the ‘terrifying ten’? Or is he fumbling for words because I make him as nervous as he makes me? As he timidly smiled at me, I couldn’t help but wonder, imagine even, if it was the latter. He let out a small sigh and asked if I was always that forward. I told him I was and replied if he always answered a question with another question, or if he just did that when he was nervous? And as his cheeks started to flush bright red and the timid smile appeared on his face once more, I knew that mister emerald green, also known as Victor, was actually interested in little old me. Once the sense of unease started to lift, Victor shook his head, took my hand, looked deep into my crystal blue eyes and told me that there was something about me he couldn’t quite put his finger on. That he didn’t know if it were my penetrating crystal blue eyes, that first caught his attention. Or if it had been my poise, elegance and focus during the volleyball game or the confidence I exude on and of the field. He found me to be as a force of nature, you know it can be dangerous for your health, you know that you can get hurt, but you can’t deny the beauty or attraction of it all. 

Is this guy for real? And are we sure he isn’t gay? Two very important questions, that at the time did float around in my head, but had to make room for a huge chemical reaction that is inextricably paired with hearing those lines. There isn’t a girl or women on this earth that wouldn’t simply melt when hearing them. Did I say on this earth? Scratch that, make it in this galaxy, it will be more accurate.  

A minute had passed by and my heart was still pounding, it was ear deafening, I was sure of it. But Victor didn’t seem to hear or mind. Or was it because he had been standing there for what must have seemed a very long minute, waiting for me to reply. So, all I could think of was to tell him what was going through my mind. I didn’t tell him all of my thoughts, I’m not a complete and utter nutcase, telling him all of my thoughts would just have scared the crap out of that poor boy. So, I only told him about the thoughts that came to mind after he had declared his interest in me. I explained that I didn’t quite know how to respond, that it was overwhelming and above all unexpected. And that beyond our physical traits and the few hours we had spent together talking about random things, we didn’t even know each other. Not really. He agreed, but added that it didn’t change how he felt about me. On the contrary, it made him even more curious about me. He continued to tell me that he wondered if it could be the kind of love you read about in books or see in the movies. Or if it were just teenager hormones gone wild based on physical attraction and an awful lot of mystery. But that no matter what I said or did, he was eager to find out which of the above it would be. He wanted to get to know me, he didn’t want to rush into anything. At the same time, he didn’t want to lose momentum. For, what if I was the one? Would we really want to waste time? 

At this point I started to feel taken aback. This was going terribly fast. And he was extremely good at making it all sound so very romantic. Although I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad, I couldn’t deny the beating of my own heart. The only question left asking was if I would start to pull away before giving the poor boy a chance, before it even started. Or if I would be able and willing to throw the dice and see where they land. Did I find it more important to protect myself from any and all potential harm or was a chance at that mind-blowing, all-consuming love more important? Was I scared of the getting hurt part, or of what I knew I could feel for Victor? It was all very exciting and alluring. Maybe, just for once, I should throw caution to the wind. Isn’t that what Joy and Josh wanted me to do, encouraged me to do? They wanted me to live a little. Should I? Overthinking and overanalysing every single little thing, that is just how I roll. Again, so sorry for the 80’s reference, just let it slide.

Victor pulled me closer, and even though my first instinct was to push him away, I let him put his arms around me. I figured it was time for me to take a chance on life, on love. As I gazed into his enchanted emerald green eyes a sense of calm filled me. It was reassuring, in a way it made me feel like I had made the right decision. And as his lips touched mine, my heart skipped a beat and I felt a flutter in the pit of my stomach. Could it be that this was a love that would be all-consuming and mind-blowing? The kind I had read about in hundreds of books and seen in thousands of movies. The kind of love I knew my parents had, the kind of love everyone wants. Or was it going to be a love that would destroy what was left of my heart and leave me defeated, alone and depressed? 

‘Life isn’t worth living without love princess, it is a risk you have to take.’

The advice my father gave me as a little girl resonated in my mind. I hadn’t thought of it for a while. I hadn’t really listened to my heart in a very long time. Sooner or later, I would have to trust again so I can let people in, more importantly I would have to learn how to trust my own heart again. As Victor walked me home, he held my hand and started telling me all about himself. He seemed so excited, like he was sure that there was something there between us. As if there were no risks in baring his soul to me, as if he was sure that I wouldn’t hurt him. It was endearing and baffling at the same time. He didn’t just tell me about where he was from or what his parents did. He also told me about what he hoped to achieve in his live, what his aspirations were. He told me his deepest fears and his biggest dreams and he did so without hesitation. Even though it felt as a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders as I had decided to open up to Victor and the world had changed in a matter of second; it had brightened, I could still hear that little voice in the back of my head, warning me to tread carefully, that I had just met this boy and shouldn’t be too eager to trust him or his intentions. Kind of sounds like I have issues, doesn’t it? Oh and I do, you don’t even know the half of it. But bear with me and to you I will reveal my deepest and darkest secrets. 

Summer vacation had started off with a rather unexpected turn of events. It could be uttered that it was convenient that Victor came to town just after my friends had decided that it was time for me to get a life. You could almost say it was set up that way. But those things don’t happen in real life do they, life isn’t so neatly organised. Could it be argued that it was faith or that life has a way of working out when you open yourself up to it? Am I reading too much into it or am I right to worry? All that nonsense about how good things come to those who wait. That’s just what we tell ourselves and others so we can justify why we all diligently follow the rules. I’m starting to freak out, all those questions, doubts and thoughts I talked about earlier; there back. But these are the kind you don’t have to ask right away, these are the kind you ponder about, the ones that keep you awake at night. Enough with the crazy.

The very next day I met up with Victor and we went to the town pool. The weather was great and the pool wasn’t all that crowded. We hung out, talked until lunch and I started to grow more comfortable around Victor, I started letting down my guard. Bit by bit. As the days had turned into a week, I figured it was time that Victor met the rest of the group. They all conveyed the impression of liking him, on the other hand with this lot you never really know for sure, unless you ask them. So, after sending Victor home I submitted myself to the group’s verdict of Victor. It appeared as if they were unanimous; they liked him and just like that, he was approved. I of course had a lot of questions. Like on what did they base their opinion? Were they putting my best interests first? Because it shouldn’t matter that Victor’s father is a hot shot lawyer that represents movie stars and could get us tickets to movie premiers. But who am I kidding, of course that mattered, the point is that it shouldn’t. After posing my questions, it was Lucas who was most eager to answer. He said that they had based their opinion on facts. Facts that were related to me and not to movie stars. He said that they all liked Victor because they had watched him like a hawk. They had seen the way he looked at me, how he cared for me and respected me. Basically because he seemed to worship the ground I walked on and that was the only thing that mattered to them. Josh jumped in and added that it was because Victor treated me like a princess. 

He treated me like a princess?!

I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. As Victor was given the okay by my friends, we started spending more time together. And brick by brick I let Victor tear down the wall that I had built over the years. I was still careful, but I could feel that I was starting to take more risks with him. One night I even told him about my father’s accident. How he died, how it had left scars on my heart. That the death of my grandfather not long after that had done some irreparable damage. And that with Josh I had thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel, but it turned out that Josh was just strike three for the men in my life. Victor didn’t offer his opinion or advice, he just listened and thanked me for trusting him with my past. He expressed that he hoped that I would continue to trust him in the future. After opening up to Victor and telling him some of my secrets, you know what happened? Nothing, Victor didn’t hurt me, he didn’t break my heart, he didn’t run away or get taken away from me. He didn’t betray my trust. He was always there when I needed him or when I just wanted him around. Though in the back of my head I started to think that this was all too easy. I also thought that maybe, just maybe, easy was what I deserved after everything I had been through. No complications, no second-guessing, no worries. For once in my life, perhaps I could just enjoy it while it lasted. So, I started to let it consume me. We started spending every minute of every day together and I didn’t even get sick of him. In two weeks time we had become inseparable, Victor was my best friend and I could trust him, I could rely on the fact that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. I started to feel a change in myself. It scared me, but it was also invigorating. My life was changing and with my seventeenth birthday just around the corner, it felt as if the world was at my feet. To make things even better, my birthday coincided with the start of the summer festival in town. It seemed as if it was going to be the perfect birthday. And this year it wouldn’t just be me and my friend. This year, I actually had a date.