Asking the Right Person
by Tradgik


She doesn’t know how much joy I get out of doing this. She just humours me and sits there, giving occasional pointers or advice. She’s such a good friend. She’s just a friend. My best friend.

God, sometimes when she just sits there, watching me with her honest eyes, I just want to touch her cheek and kiss her.

I can’t.

She’s my best friend. She’d be disillusioned about our friendship. So I have to settle with the second best thing. Making her think that I’m only pretending to be in love with her.


‘Listen, I know we haven’t talked much about it, but I feel that there’s an unspoken connection between us. Or maybe it’s just me, but I’d like you to give me a chance to be more than a friend. Would you be my going out date?’

She sat there with a bemused look on her pretty face. I know she’s thinking about something else. Either that, or laughing at me.

‘My going out date? Am I getting lamer by the second?’ I slapped myself on the forehead. Willow kind of snapped out of her thoughts and gave me a warm smile.

‘No, I mean, yes, it’s a little awkward,’ she pointed out. Will didn’t know how awkward I felt, knowing that I was getting major adrenaline rushes from pretending to ask her out. I licked my lip quickly, bringing my cup of soda towards my mouth.

Music in the Bronze was slow tonight. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Willow in her harlequin skirt, blue sweater and matching sneakers. As in I have the same sneakers in red (and a few sizes larger too). Jesse was supposed to join us twenty minutes ago, but if I know him, he’s on the prowl for Cordelia. I don’t know why he’d bother to chase her when his best friend is the loveliest flower in the whole garden of weeds. But the thought makes me feel a little uneasy, so it’s better this way.

When I look back at Willow, she’s still waiting for me to go on. She expects me to ramble on about the girl I pretend to like, Janine from History. If she only knew I babbled because I was nervous about my feelings towards her.

‘Wanna hear my revised version then?’

‘Please.’

‘Ahem. Listen, I know that there’s something unspoken between us. Something that makes me smile whenever you’re around,’ I grinned at her nervously. She smiled back and I wondered how she couldn’t be hearing my heart thudding.

‘Something which makes my heart skip when you smile at me. And I find myself attracted to you. Maybe we can get past this point in our lives and start a new one together. Would you go out with me Willow?’

I don’t even realise what I said until I saw that surprised look on her face. It seemed so natural to say those things to her. I hold my breath because I don’t know what I can say. But maybe she would realise I meant this to be for her only.

Then her surprised face sort of disappeared, and she started to laugh.

Yes, she ripped my thudding heart out of my chest and stomped all over it.

‘Oh Xander, you had better not say some other girl’s name when you ask out Janine Myers. She’ll be offended.’ Willow smiled sympathetically while she reached for my hand and squeezed it.

I tried to patch myself up with faked laughter.

‘Yeah, definitely,’ I replied half heartedly. She looked at me curiously, and I leaned forward to pick up her drink to get her a refill. At that moment, she reached over to lift her cup herself and I knocked it out of her hands.

‘Whoa, watch it, geek.’ Larry narrowly avoided getting splashed with the soda dregs as he sauntered passed in the pursuit of some poor skirted victim. I could feel the stickiness of the soda penetrating the front of my pants and I know Willow is thinking I’m some unco dweeb.

‘O-kay, I sense a well timed departure for the Unco-ordinated Boy.’ I struggled to my feet and kicked the soda cup under a nearby lounge, desperately trying to wipe the drink off my trousers.

Willow suddenly started to laugh, and I felt mortified.

But then she pulled me back into my seat and retrieved a tissue from her pocket. Willow began to press the tissue against the stain, all the while laughing.

‘Oh Xander, are you getting cuter by the day?’ Willow voice was filled with a gentle amusement. When I looked at her face, I was surprised to see her blushing. And she made me feel comfortable again.

‘Oh yeah, I’m adorably co-ordination-challenged. That’s why ya love me.’

She gave me another blushing smile. And it made my soul soar to see I could still give Willow a happy.

‘Let’s scrap the old material, Will. How about I practice the dancing with a girl on you?’






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