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Evan snuck quick glances at the guy across from him when he thought he wasn't looking. He was reading the back cover of Fahrenheit 451, and his glasses kept sliding down the bridge of his nose. It was cute.
They were both moving around the same section of Barnes and Noble, and the peaceful silence filled the pages of the books. While Evan was trying to keep his distance as not to bother the guy, there was just that curiosity in the reflection of his glasses that made him want to talk. He could do it. Dr. Sherman kept talking about how he needed to put himself out more. This is his chance.
"That's a really, um," he said, "r-really good book." Just a couple words in, he immediately regretted saying anything. In his head it was stupid, he should've just been creepy from a distance like usual.
"Yeah, I know. I had to read it for English in the like, tenth grade." He smiled back at him, comforting his worry that talking to him had been too weird. "I totally nerded our after reading it, too. I got really obsessed with dystopian type novels like that." He started to straighten out his burgundy shirt, and ran a hand through his light brown hair.
Evan wiped his probably sweaty hands on his khaki pants before going to shake his hands. He worried about how it'd weird him out if it his hands were weird and sweaty, even though this is just some random guy at Barnes and Noble. It won't matter tomorrow, probably. It doesn’t mean he’d stop thinking about it. "Oh! I'm, uh, Hansen. Evan. I mean-,".
"I get it. I'm Kleinman. Jared, if you wanted to know." He chuckled at the end of his introduction, imitating him.
The handshake between them lingered for a second too long for normal, and Evan drew it back as soon as he realized that. Jared's hands were warm, but not sweaty, though. "Could I buy you a coffee?"
"Oh! N-no I wouldn't want to be a bother at all I'm sure you have better things to do, and I can't drink coffee anyway it makes me too anxious," he said, presumably anxious. "But thanks for being nice, I, I guess!"
"I really don't have anything better to do except talk to cute and nice boys," Jared giggled, "This is probably the peak of my day."
"Sorry." Evan didn't think Jared be calling him cute, nice, and whatever else if he knew all the bullshit he pulled senior year. He shook his head internally, trying to push it away. Remembering he had been called cute though, made Evan blush until he had the visage of a tomato.
He was unsure of what to follow up with, considering he usually didn't get this far with anyone, especially a stranger. He tried to make small talk to pass the time, something he still wasn’t sure he knew how to pull off. "Are y-you a college student Jared?"
"Yeah, freshman. You?"
"I'm, I'm taking a gap year to save up. For college, I mean."
"What else would you be saving up for Hansen?"
"I-I don't know. Sorry I’m so... nervous.” His words stumbled, but he’d try again. “You just seem really pretty.”
Jared raised an eyebrow.
“P-pretty cool!”
“If this is your worst, I think we’ll be okay.” They both laughed a little bit.
Jared looked around where they stood in the bargain bin, lit up with the florescent light about. His eyes directed to what was in his arms. "Well, if I can't buy you coffee, then could I buy you a book?"
"A book?"
"Yeah." He pointed to the one under Evan's arm. "Besides, it'll last longer than a cup of coffee."
"You still don't have to do that..".
"I want to! Just let me do something nice for you, Hansen." Hansen. No one has ever really refered to Evan like that, and it made him feel the good kind of weird on the inside. Warm and fuzzy.
Jared took the book from his hands, and walked away with it to the general direction of the coffee shop. Though a certain level of confusion was still running through his head from the interaction, and the strange generosity of this stranger. Well, not a stranger anymore. Just Jared.
When he came back with the book, he placed it in Evan's hands with one of those Godiva chocolate bars that are always at the register on top of the copy of a book called Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Evan had read it, but lost his copy while at his dad's for a weekend. "Maybe I'll see you around?"
"Y-Yeah. Maybe." He looked down at the shiny blue cover of the book. While he wasn’t paying attention,
Jared quickly kissed his cheek, and left with a wave and a smile while Evan was still in awe. He lightly touched where the kiss had been left, wanting to feel it’s magic again.
Do people just do that?
He smiled at the reality, and fidgeted with the pages of the book. He flipped them back and forth, soon allowing him to see the message written on the inside front page.
Even though it was just a simple, call me? with a number and a smiley face, it sure did make his heart flutter.