Page 15 of Fervency Love

“I can’t agree more. Genius idea!”

Yes, we’re not even seventeen years old and we’ve already had our share of disappointments in love. But it’s time to leave thatbehind. We’re young and have our whole lives ahead of us. It’s not as if boys aren’t interested in us, but the ones who are, are those that couldn’t interest us less.

Take that one guy who’s been trying to meet me for a while now. I don’t know him. I haven’t seen him at school or around the block. His friends, though, are another matter—I knowthem.They’re all a bunch of immature idiots.

Who in their right mind tries picking up a girl by sending their buddies to call at her door and then running away? Or driving by in a car and catcalling you? Childish!

One of them even pestered Vicky, asking her about me and trying to convince her to introduce us. Vicky—a good, kind-hearted person—said yes. Of course. I told her I wasn’t interested.

We’re strolling across the block now. We’re just about to pass the school when I notice a couple of boys by the building. They’re talking, fooling around. I don’t like situations like this. I always feel uneasy, self-conscious, and afraid that I won’t be able to control the events. I don’t know what to expect. I’m rather quiet and shy, better at writing about what I feel than talking about it. I often fail at coming up with quick retorts, and if somebody asks me something out of the blue or jumps at me, I blush and wall off. I just freeze, unable to speak. It’s different when someone I feel responsible for faces a problem. If a person like that is put in an awkward situation or someone tries to hurt them, I can count on unending reserves of courage. I can barely recognize myself. When I’m in control and hold all the cards, I can be confident. My life is a constant struggle to keep anyone from exerting control over me or surprising me. Well, I’m a creature of polar opposites.

Suddenly, Vicky stops and grabs my arm, snapping me back to reality. I nearly bump into her.

“Abby! It’s him!” she hisses.

“Who him?” What is she on about?

“Ve…”

“Who’s Ve?”

“That boy who wanted to meet you so badly!”

Shit,I think.Of all the days, today, when I decided to stop thinking about boys. Now he shows up?

“The irony.” I roll my eyes and give up. “Alright, which one is it?”

Vicky looks dumbstruck.

“You’re serious? You want to meet him?”

“I don’t know, Vicks. First, tell me which one he is.”

“The one in the dark blue jacket and gray pants.”

Okay, let’s see,I think. I focus on the tall and surprisingly handsome boy Vicks pointed at. He’s just standing there, taking a drag of his cigarette. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t him being this handsome. He has thick, perfectly shaped eyebrows and thin lips. Just as I like them. He looks as if he is permanently stretching them in a line.

He sees me looking him up and down, and our eyes meet. Incredible, but that makes me a bit disconcerted. Caught staring, I break eye contact and feel my cheeks reddening. I just love it when that happens. I roll my eyes inwardly. My mind tells me I already saw this look before, but I can’t place it.

“Alright, let’s get this over with. Do it,” I say to Vicky.

“Really? Cool!”

Vicky’s enthusiasm can be irritating, but we head on towards the boys.

“Ve, can you come over for a while?” my friend calls out. The other guys fall silent and pin us with attentive looks, which stresses me out even more.

Ve walks over, eyeing me questioningly. He mumbles a quick “Hi, Victoria” and focuses his attention on me. Vicky opens hermouth to say something, but I cut in: “I heard you wanted to meet me.”

“You heard correct,” the boy replies, looking me straight in the eyes. His are blue, a bit smoky. For a short moment, I can’t take my own eyes off them. I’ve never felt this way before. He doesn’t seem to want to break eye contact either.

“Great, let’s get this over with. I’m Abigail, or Abby, or Gail,” I say, extending a hand.

“Ve,” he says curtly, taking it. His handshake is delicate but firm. His skin is as cold as mine. Despite that, I can feel a warm buzzing energy flowing through us. For an instant, it feels like burning. I withdraw my hand quickly, which doesn’t escape his attention. His stare becomes all the more intense.

“And your real name?” I ask to break the silence.

“Just Ve,” he barks.

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