Bite, p.7
Bite, page 7
So why was he signaling me? Looking around the campus, there are way prettier girls around here than plain old boring me. Okay maybe I’m not giving myself enough credit here but guys like him should be talking to girls like Stacy or Tiffany. You know, girls who never leave the house without their face done and their hair looking perfect. My contribution to the world of beauty is brushing my hair and if I remember throw on a little lip-gloss and that’s it. I don’t have time for to put on a whole bunch of products and then take an additional thirty minutes to do my hair. I’m going to school not to a runway show. I don’t have time for all that fuss. Looking at my ensemble now, I cringe and wish that maybe I should have taken a little more time to put myself together. Yeah it was raining this morning but that’s no excuse for me walking out the house looking like a wet rag. Now that totally confirms it. Sam can’t be here for me. Maybe he is just being polite and wants to say a quick hello and then be done with me. Then a thought occurs to me; what if I wasn’t the one he was signaling at all? There are other people around us and maybe he’s here to see someone else. I could be putting myself in a situation where I’m about to make a total jackass of myself. But when I approach him, all my fears melt away as I watch the slight grin on his face grow into a full-blown smile and I finally accept that I am the one he came to see.
The moment I’ve feared about this this morning is finally upon me. I wondered what would happen if I got a chance to talk to Sam again and now I have that chance and it’s scaring me to death. What if I sound like an idiot? I’m so nervous that my palms are getting sweating and I quickly wipe them on my pants nonchalantly so he doesn’t think I’m a weirdo or anything. I finally reach him and even though I’m feeling weak, I wave as I manage to say, “Hi.”
Sam smiles, “Hello. Surprised to see me?”
I’m ecstatic to see him but I want to try a second attempt to appear cool (I’m not taking one step this time). I hold up my head with confidence hoping it will help shake off my nerves and grin as I say, “Yeah but I am glad to see you.”
Oh geez I’m not good at flirting and I think my face gives me away that I suck at this because he laughs but he does it in a way that doesn’t make me feel bad. He glances briefly down at my feet, “How’s your foot?”
I can’t believe that he remembered from the other night and I beam from his concern. “It’s okay. Not as bad as it would have been if you didn’t help me.”
“Glad to be of service. I’m also relieved that you did sustain a more serious injury. I was concerned that it might have gotten swollen or something.”
“Nope,” I say while I wriggle it a little. “See, no harm done.”
I know the girls are watching and I’m sure I look silly wriggling my foot and I can even feel Stacy’s look of disapproval on the back of my head. What can I say? I’m out of practice on the dating a new guy routine. He must have felt my uneasiness because his eyes casually pass in my friends’ direction and then he looks at me as he asks, “Do you have any more classes today?”
I mentally do a victory dance for making Monday’s schedule light because I am done for the day. The beginning of the week is hard and I didn’t want to start it off being bombarded with a full day of classes. I smile up at him and reply, “No I don’t have any classes this afternoon.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Do you want to go for a walk with me?”
Okay someone pinch me to wake me up because no way this is really happening. No way this totally gorgeous (sorry Adam, Ian & Rob but he just won the totally gorgeous man alive contest) guy wants to spend time with me. I want to scream like I was a little girl and Justin Bieber just passed by. But here he is waiting for me to respond and I’m hoping I don’t look like a total idiot by just standing here grinning from ear to ear. So as calmly as I can I reply, “Sure, I would like that.”
“Great,” he says with a hint of relief.
“Let me grab my bag and let my friends know that I’m leaving. I’ll be right back.”
“No problem. I’ll be here waiting.”
I smile praying I don’t look like a dork before I turn and quickly head back to where the girls are waiting. As soon as I reach them, Tiffany is ready to burst at the seams but I’m so grateful she doesn’t embarrass me when she keeps her cool. She squeezes my hand but doesn’t hide the excitement in her voice as she asks, “So what did Mr. St. James want?”
All the girls are staring at with anticipation, except for Stacy who is slightly agitated but manages to keep a straight face and more importantly her mouth shut. I let my gaze fall back on Tiffany and smile as I say, “He just wanted to say hi and he asked me if I would take a walk with him.”
“And I know you said hell yeah right,” Diane responds enthusiastically. When I nod, she softly squeals while saying, “That’s my girl. Good for you Gina.”
I giggle as I say, “Thanks. We’re gonna go now so I’ll catch up with you girls later.”
“Have fun and relax. Be yourself Gina and he’ll adore you,” Diane encourages, as Tiffany and Amber are really fighting now to contain the urge not to jump up and down.
I wave and start to leave but Stacy gets over whatever is bothering her (I’m sure she’ll tell me about it later when she’s ready for her dramatic moment) and reaches into her bag and pulls out her lip-gloss. “Wait; let’s make these lips scream desire before you go.”
Oh man here she goes taking control as usual. I groan but I know just let her have her way instead of arguing with her because all it will do is put me in a foul mood and I want to keep the good vibe I have so I can enjoy my time with Sam. I keep still as she applies the gloss to my lips and when she is satisfied, I nervously shift on my feet as I mumble, “Thanks I guess.”
“Trust me Gina it’ll work. You’ll thank me when he starts to look at you as if you’re total eye candy.” Stacy lets out a naughty giggle before saying, “Now go over there and make us proud. And don’t forget to pucker your lips after you say something so he’ll get the message that you’ll want him to taste the cherry flavor of the gloss himself.”
She purses her lips to show me what she’s talking about and the way she’s doing it is not sexy at all. I pout a little as I respond, “You want me look like a fish?”
The girls snicker as Stacy rolls her eyes, “No I was just showing you how to seduce him that’s all. I’m just trying to help. This is the first guy that showed an interest in you in months and I don’t want you to fall into your moody phase and blow it.”
“Stacy damn it what the hell is wrong with you,” Diane interjects while Amber glares at her.
Tiffany is equally annoyed, “She didn’t have PMS Stacy. You know damn well why she was upset.”
“I know that but she’s got to move on sometime. Again I’m only trying to help,” Stacy says defensively.
“And I appreciate it Stacy thanks,” I quickly say before they start arguing.
I smile at her and she beams as she responds, “See Gina appreciates what I’m doing without getting overly sensitive. You girls really need to lighten up otherwise you’ll all have wrinkles by the time you hit thirty.”
Now I know that’s my cue to leave especially when I see the expressions on their faces. I don’t say another word as I wave goodbye and head back over to Sam. Despite her pissing the girls off, Stacy has put new pressure on me and I feel I have to really work on my flirting technique. But I don’t want to be like her when it comes to dating. I’m not trying to get Sam into bed with me. I just want to hang out with him and take things slow and see if there’s a spark between us before even approaching that next step. I want him to see that I’m interested in him for more than just his body and his good looks. And I want him to be interested in me for everything I have to offer. I don’t want him to look at me as eye candy. Okay scratch that; who am I kidding? It would be nice if he found me desirable but I don’t want that from him right now since all we’re doing is going for a walk. Maybe if we were on a date then yes but I also want him to be interested in all of me and not just the sexy vixen I could be if the mood is set just right (oh yeah like I have a lot of experience in that department). I’ve seen enough romantic movies to know the kind of moves to throw on him and who knows maybe I’ll be able to make his eyes roll into the back of his head. Just the thought of Sam and I in each other’s arms puts a smile on my face but I have to put my fantasies out of my mind since all we’re doing now is just going for a walk and I have no idea what’s running through his head. Sam could just want a simple harmless friendship and Stacy is building it up to us heading to a motel room for a cheap fling. And the sad part about it that I’m kind of excited about that idea but I remind myself again that I’m not that type of girl. Ugh I am totally confused and I start to think if I should tell him we can hang out another day so I can go home and get my head right. I look in his direction as I get closer to him and something about his expression is once again making all my anxiety disappear. I shouldn’t let Stacy screw up my head. I’m going to relax and see where the afternoon takes me.
I nearly run to where Sam is waiting but I force myself to go back to the playing it cool role so I pace myself as I finally reach him. “Okay I’m ready,” I say as I give him a big smile.
He returns the smile as he murmurs, “After you.”
I’m about to take a step towards the passenger side of the car Sam is standing next to until I notice that he is facing away from it as if we’re really going to leave it behind. I want to go for a walk with him for sure but a car like this shouldn’t be left in front of the school or anywhere for that matter unattended. It’s one of those expensive foreign cars that I’m sure he locks up because I know he wouldn’t want to park it on the street. That would be too much temptation and he shouldn’t take any chances. I’m not saying someone would unquestionably try to steal it but if it were my car, I wouldn’t leave it out of my sight for a second. I look at him with curiosity and in a nervous tone I ask, “What about your car? I don’t think you should leave it here.” I smile at him sheepishly as I murmur, “I’m only giving you some friendly advice.”
Sam sighs as he replies, “It’s my brother’s car and trust me he’s not far from it. It’ll be fine.” He smiles at me again as he softly adds, “Besides it turned out to be a nice day and I don’t want to be distracted with paying attention to the road while talking to you.
I wasn’t expecting that answer and the butterflies in my stomach are fluttering away. He wants to totally focus on me and I mentally thank Stacy for the lip gloss since I convince myself it must have totally enhanced how I look knowing damn well it didn’t. Maybe he really does like me and this is the get to know each other part and it’s something different than the typical dinner date. I smile and we don’t hesitate a second longer as we finally get on our way.
I am glad the rain had stopped and the sun is out shining brightly making today another picture perfect day. But I feel silly that I have my rain boots on and I wish I had watched the weather report so I could have packed a pair of sneakers in my bag. Being next to Sam makes me feel a little insecure about what I’m wearing since he has on a pair of slacks with a cream color light sweater and casual shoes. I slightly wince at my jeans and t-shirt and I wish I had time to run home and change. Anyone looking at us will probably wonder what the two of us are doing together since I look a bit out of place next to him. But since I can’t do anything about my wardrobe I decide to just make the best of it.
Too bad my stomach has a different idea. The butterflies are gone but they get replaced with hunger as I feel it growl and I realize that I haven’t eaten anything all day. I say a silent prayer hoping that Sam didn’t hear it but my stupid cheeks give me away as I feel them grow hot as another rumble sounds off. Oh please God don’t let Sam hear my stomach!
“Are you hungry,” he asks softly.
Damn he heard it. Trying to hide my embarrassment I reply, “Just a little.”
“We can stop somewhere if you like so you can get something to eat.”
God he must think I’m the biggest loser. I should’ve had breakfast when I got to the campus but the minute Tiffany saw the girls, she dragged me over so we could chat with them and it was all about me and Sam. Not that there is a “me and Sam” but they hounded me for information until I had to run to my first class. And they weren’t satisfied with just basic answers either. They wanted a replay of our entire conversion and I remember how frustrated I was getting. I mean Sam and I only talked for maybe ten minutes. How much did they think happened in that short amount of time?
I want to see if I could hold out and wait to eat when I got home but my stomach rumbles again so I know I have to give in. I quickly scan the area until I see a pizza shop that is a couple of blocks away from the school. Well it’s better than nothing and I might as well have my favorite food. If I’m going to humiliate myself by talking while I’m eating, might as well be stuffed with extra cheese.
“Is pizza okay?”
“Sounds good to me,” he says and we both head in that direction.
Once we get inside, I start to walk to the counter but Sam goes over to one of the empty booths instead. He gestures for me to follow so I walk after him but I don’t hide the confusion that appears on my face. I don’t understand why we didn’t just walk up to the counter to place our order but Sam answers my unspoken question as he says, “I thought since your boots look like they’re bothering you, you could sit and relax while I get your food. Is that alright?”
Is he kidding? That is more than alright. My boots are a bit uncomfortable so the relief is more than welcomed. I nod as I say, “That’s fine thanks.”
He smiles and asks, “What would you like?”
I give him my order, which is a slice of pepperoni pizza and a Pepsi. After I sit and get settled, I watch him at the counter. I want to get a good look at him and I still like what I see. His clothes are neat and very much in style. They don’t look like they cost more than what my mom makes in a month but you could tell he doesn’t shopping at K-Mart either. They’re nicely fitted so you can see his lean body with a slight muscle built. Just the right size; not too thin but I highly doubt there is an ounce of fat on him. I start to imagine what his chest might look like without a shirt on and I have to stop when I feel myself panting at just the thought. Good thing because when I get myself under control, my pizza is in front of me. He has a concerned expression on his face and as he sits down, he asks, “Are you okay?”
I feel myself blush since I got caught daydreaming as I reply, “Yeah I’m fine. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until the smells in here hit me.”
I smile as I cross my fingers Sam doesn’t ask what I was thinking about. It would totally suck if I have to admit I was ogling him from afar. But now that he’s sitting right in front of me, I’m going to have to control myself and not ogle him with him so close to me. Strangely enough if I did, it would suck and rock at the same time. Swoon!
It’s A Date
(Sam)
Gina slips out of her jacket and smiles at me as she says, “This looks perfect. There’s nothing like a slice of pepperoni pizza and an ice cold soda to soothe a growling tummy.”
I chuckle at her enthusiasm as I respond, “Well I’m glad you like it.”
“Oh this is my favorite food in the world so I love it.” She smiles wider before mouthing a thank you and quickly takes a bite forgetting it is hot from coming right out the oven. “Whoa this sucker is hot,” she exclaims while fanning herself and I slide her soda closer to her.
She takes a long swallow and makes a new face from how cold her drink is. Her facial expressions are quite comical and I can’t help myself so I laugh as I ask, “Are you okay?”
She is trying not to make any more funny faces but Gina knows why I was laughing and she bursts out laughing herself as she replies, “First too hot and now too cold. I guess I’m not doing too well here huh?”
“No I don’t think so,” I respond while trying not to make her feel uncomfortable.
She laughs again and reaches for the powdered garlic and sprinkles it onto her slice. Ugh, garlic. She has to use garlic. How I loathe the stuff. Unfortunately, the movies did get that myth right although they exaggerated a bit. We will still go near a human if they’re covered in garlic since it doesn’t repel us like they think. Instead it burns our noses to no end, which does nothing but piss us off. I remember back in nineteen fifty-two, one guy actually doused himself in the powdered form when Evan and I chased him into a grocery store. We both laughed because he actually thought the garlic was going to keep us away from him. Amazing how humans will believe everything they’re told. He swore he was completely safe but his actions only angered me because he made my nose burn for days after that.
But as for right now I don’t mind her using some. In fact, as I watch her sprinkle that stuff on her food, I smile. She has no idea how much safer she will be for eating garlic. Now that I’m out the sun, my thirst is returning and with the heat from the pizza ovens warming her and her blood, the urge is getting stronger. But Gina putting the garlic in her system is a good thing. It will be in her blood stream and the horrendous odor will keep me from trying to harm her.
After she adds the garlic, she picks up the pizza but this time blows on it before taking a bite. I watch her as she moans from how good it tastes and I find myself enjoying watching her. I could sit here and watch her forever if it was up to me but I don’t know if she would ever feel the same way about me. I want to use this opportunity to feel her out and see what I can learn about her since I can’t just simply read it from her mind. I wait until she’s finished chewing before I softly ask, “Feeling better?”
