Melissa
Quite a riveting week, I must say. Strange things have been going on. Like getting a fake boyfriend, meeting his friends, and now I have such an amazing bestie.
All of this happened in a week and a half.
I missed him but was afraid to see him yet.
His endless flirtation, the tease, and his devilish smirk made me start feeling things.
Don't get me wrong, but we almost kissed two times. That got me freaking out. And the way he showed concern about me getting home safely made my stomach flatter.
Max aside, my days were even better, especially when Nicky and I got much closer than before. We hung out a couple of times, and I enjoyed every minute with her.
She was fun and sassy. I seemed to laugh more around her. She had this kind of air that made one comfortable around her and made me trust her easily.
With Jess, it was different. Like there was an invisible wall built in between. I could not talk freely with her as I did with Nicky.
My eyes darted around the beautiful galleria as I waited for Nicky, who was taking too long in the bathroom.
Bright lights, vibrant signs, and an array of people filled the grand foyer of a mall, and bold signs and neon lights animate each store.
There were over a thousand shops to browse from. Signs as big as a giant, and people from all occupations and professions were running errands or browsing every retailer.
The mall was filled with many civilians, Black, Asian, European, and African ethnicities, all surrounding the mall. People of all ages and backgrounds were present for the same purpose. To deploy, attract, and bring in more shoppers to these stores.
The Galleria Mall was mainly for attraction, as many bystanders stopped and stared at the boys and girls dressed in ripped jeans, bomber jackets, and Timberland boots.
"Hey, took so long in there," My eyes stopped wondering when I noticed Nicky approaching.
She was clad in a plain off-shoulder grey jumpsuit. Her braids were held in a burn.
A frown settled on my face when I saw her pale she looked.
¨Are you okay? ¨ I asked as she took a seat across mine.
"Stupid cramps," she groaned, taking a box of milk from the table and sipping.
"Oh! Don't even mention it! You will awaken mine," I teased, touching my tummy. I winced when I imagined how painful it can be.
"Does yours send you to hell then back?" she asked, furrowing her brows in discomfort.
"Yes, they send me their burn me, makes me hate men, then send me back," I grinned, and she laughed.
"Should we head to the chemist and buy you something?" I asked worriedly.
"Nah, already taken them. Just give it ten minutes, and I will be good as new," Nicky waved her hand, dismissing the thought.
The waiter came and served us a chicken while Nicky had chicken soup which was suitable for the cramps as her stiff face relaxed.
Once we were done with our meal, we continued exploring the plaza. It was a newly built mall and recently opened. Everyone was curious and excited at the same time to explore the new shopping center as some girls in small groups browsed each rack of clothing. Bongo music played in the background creating an exciting feeling.
Nicky and I were among the girls who were perusing the clothes that were filled with overpriced and cheaply made clothing. At first, I wanted to stop Nicky from going in there, considering the prices but seeing that none of the people minded, I decided to go along.
The galleria had a lot of places to enjoy, and my favorite place was the bowling alley.
We talked about a few things while playing, like girly staff, school and future dreams. The conversation turned into an interesting person in my life. Max.
That day when she visited my house, I told her everything that happened. Honestly, I felt much better after releasing all of it. It was like all the tension vanished.
"I don't know. I always feel strange whenever he is around," I said, throwing the ball down the alley.
"Strange how?" Nicky asked. My gaze was still on the bowling ball that had missed its target again. I sucked in the game. That was like the fifth time I missed.
It looked much more uncomplicated when others did it.
"Like I... I don't know how to put it without sounding stupid... is just I get tired and feel sleepy when is with me."
Nicky threw her head back in laughter, drawing a little bit of attention from around.
"Sleepy? Seriously? Max should hear this," she chuckled, shaking her head, before throwing her ball down only to knock everything.
She made it look easy!
"No, not like that. It's not that I don't enjoy his company. God knows how much I enjoy being around him, but then that happens, I don't know how to put it,"
It's not like I get sleepy. It's just that his presence alone is too much to bear. He would unleash his manliness charm, and I would get dizzy that sometimes I thought I would faint.
"Darling, that is because you struggle a lot to keep your desires in check," she said, handing me another ball.
"What do you mean, my desires?" I asked, looking confused, taking the ball from her hand.
¨Keep your arm completely straight the entire way through your swing, ¨ Nicky instructed, and I did as she said.
"It's obvious that you are attracted to him..." she continued looking at my stance.
"No, I am not," I defended quickly. But a lie.
¨As you drop the ball, make sure that your palm is directly underneath the ball, facing upwards. ¨ she continued with her instructions.
¨Huh, I have known you for a couple of days, and I can tell what you feel," she added with a sigh.
¨Now, rotate the ball so that when you release your hand, it is slightly under it, just as if you were holding a football to throw an underhand spiral. ¨ but she wasn't finished.
She kept switching between guiding me on how to play and analyzing my feeling for Max.
"The point is, the more you keep resisting the desire inside you, the more you get tired. The only way to stop that effect is by stop struggling. Be free around him and stop treating him like prey. Everything will be alright if you see him as a friend you can trust with your feelings, or else it will lead to frustration. Believe me."
"Is that from experience?" I quacked my eyebrow, tilting my head towards her to have her shrug.
She was right, though. I have been trying to suppress away the effect Max has on me. Before any of this craziness, we were in good terms. We used to converse more naturally, even though it consisted of flirting all the time.
Maybe if I stop thinking too much or reading deeper into everything he has been doing, then everything will go back to the way it used to be.
Max was a good guy, at least I know. But it didn't change the fact that he was a playboy. But it didn't matter. We could be friends who trust each other.
Instead of being on guard around him, maybe I should be more relaxed and find friendship in him. That would make everything easy. Pondering on the thought, I released the ball I was holding, just as advised by Nicky.
I held my breath, watched it rolled slowly, or was my anticipation as everything seemed to be in slow motion, until it hit all the targets.
¨Yes! ¨ I exclaimed in excitement, bumping my fist in the air.
¨See, sometimes we just need to let go and take chances. ¨ Nicky proudly said with a chuckle.
Yeah, taking chances.