The Misunderstanding

“Annika! Hurry your sexy, ass up!” you heard Natalie say. The party starts soon, and you wanted to make sure you looked good for Andrew. You ran to the door room where Natalie stood, propping the door open.

“Sorry. What time are we leaving again?” you asked. Natalie thought that you both should arrive late to get Andrew’s attention, but you didn’t see how that would help.

“If you walk in, looking hella good, he’ll notice you and talk to you. It’s a great idea,” is what she said the night before. You still didn’t like the idea of arriving late. You liked to be on time, but Natalie said you’d only arrive a little while after everyone else. You believed her and agreed to leaving later than you usually would.

“We’re leaving once you’re done getting dressed. Chop, chop, lady.” She clapped her hands and went through your clothes, looking for a good dress to wear. Natalie grabbed two dressed from your small closet. “Red, or black?” she asked.

“Red,” you said. Red was your favorite color and you’ve never liked having to wear black.  The dress was a pleasant, bright red color, knee length, and ruffled on the top. You hoped it got Andrew’s attention. Natalie passed the dress to you and left the room leaving you to change.

Once you were dressed you went out of your little room and entered Natalie’s. You walked through the door and Natalie shouted, “I’m changing! Out!” So you quickly closed your eyes and ran out, shutting the door behind you. You sat in the common area until you heard Natalie come out of her room. “Ever heard of knocking Sherlock? Jeez.” She looked at you then raised her eyebrows. “No makeup?” she asked.

“Well…I was hoping you could do it. I’m not good at this stuff,” you said.

“That’s the stupidest thing ever.” She snorted, “get over here.” You picked up your makeup bag on the tabled and rushed over to her. She started pulling out all the makeup inside and laid it all out in front of you. She motioned for you to sit in the empty chair in front of you, and you sat. Natalie pumped out the foundation and wiped the beauty blender across your face. The tone matched perfectly, and she used a brush to put on blush. She wiped a gold eye shadow across her eyelid and then eyeliner with a sharp wing.

Finalizing the look she dabbed lipstick on your lips, and you said, “Thank you. Time to leave?”

“You know it, Annika. All the boys will want you.” She winked at you and grabbed your hand. “Let’s go!”

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You looked at the time on your phone, and then listened to all the laughter and voices across the road. Perfect. As Natalie and you intended, you arrived fashionably late. Natalie hooked her arm in yours.

“Let’s go get a beer, okay? Then you can go find your future husband.”

You and Natalie were crossing the street when you said, “we’re not even dating and now you're imagining our ‘Future Wedding’? We might not even last after college!” you whisper shouted as people in the front yard chattered all around you.

“I’m gonna be a bridesmaid right? I mean, I did help you get together with him.”

“Let’s hope you're right about the whole arriving late, and if we do become a couple, and if we get married, which I’m not even thinking about, and won’t be for a long time, then yes. You may be a bridesmaid.”

“Oh! Fun!” She clapped her hands together and giggled.

You grabbed two red plastic cups and filled them both with beer, your back facing your friend. “So, where do you think my future husband is?” you said, teasingly. You turned around and Natalie wasn’t there. Andrew was. You felt your face heat up and you stammered on your words. “I—um hi An—Andrew. I thought you were Natalie…she was…hi.” You laughed nervously and made a mental note to strangle Natalie later for leaving your side so soon.

Andrew laughed. “She sent me over here to fetch her a beer. I couldn’t say no, she’d probably kill me.” He laughed again, “I see you’ve got the drinks for you two so I’ll live another day, and you can head back to your friend.” He turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!” you shouted, “this is…for you. Here.” You hand him the beer and take a long sip of yours. You never really loved beer, but you felt like you had to do something other than stand there awkwardly.

“Oh, thanks Annika.” He took a short sip from his cup then asked, “how have you been?”

“Oh, you know, good. Great. I think.” You suddenly felt like you forgot how to speak.

“I mean, yes, I’m doing good. How are you?”

He laughed his sweet laugh again. “I’m good, yeah. You look really good,” he says. You blushed at his comment.

“Thanks. You do too,” you said. You looked at the outfit he picked out for the night. He wore jeans and a plain white shirt, a black jacket, and smelt of men’s cologne. You had to stop yourself from breathing in his cologne and instead took another sip.

“Hey. Do you want to go outside for a bit?” he suggested.

“Sure.” You walked down the hallway by Andrew’s side and spotted where Natalie had run off to. She gave you a double thumbs up and you rolled your eyes with a wide smile on your face.

Once you were out the door breathing the fresh air, you realized you didn’t have a jacket. You shivered and crossed your arms hoping to warm yourself up.

“Are you cold?” Andrew asked.

“A little.”

“Here, take my jacket.” He took his jacket off and wrapped it around your shoulders. You loved the feeling of his jacket's warmth, and pulled it tighter on yourself, breathing in his wonderful scent.

“Thank you.” They walked silently, farther, and farther away from the party. “How come you decided to have this huge party? Isn’t it going to be crazy to clean up?” you asked, breaking the silence.

“Well, I thought that if I had this huge party with my roommates then I thought the girl I liked would come,” he said, smiling at you. Your heart raced in your chest. “And she did. But I don’t know if she feels the same. She came here with a friend and once she was alone I thought that would be my chance.” Your smile faded. He said he walked up to Natalie and she demanded he get her a beer. He liked Natalie. Your heart dropped in your stomach.

“Oh,” you whispered, your vision blurred by tears. “I…I’ll go. Sorry.”

“Wait!” he called after you.

“Right. Sorry. Here.” You handed him his jacket and ran back to the house, tears streaming down your face.

You ran through the front door and spotted Natalie talking to one of Andrew’s roommates. You didn’t stop to tell her what was wrong and instead ran to the unoccupied bathroom and locked the door behind you. Sob’s escaped from your mouth. Snot ran from your nose. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt this way.

You then heard a faint knock at the door. “Who is it?”

“Natalie. Open up.” You unlocked the door and Natalie ran into you, embracing you into a tight hug. Once she let go you closed and locked the door behind her, and then fell to the ground, you back against the wall. “What happened? I thought that smile was a good sign?”

“He likes you.”

“What?”

“He does.”

“explain.”

“Well, I asked why he hosted this party, because it would’ve been a lot to clean up and I didn’t know what else to say. Then he told me he hosted this so he could get the girl he liked to come over. He said she walked in with a friend and when they were separated he thought it was the perfect time to go over to her. He went to you and then you asked for a beer, then he bumped into me and I—”

“Wait,” she said, interrupting you. “I never asked him for a beer.”

“But he said you sent him over to where I was to get you a beer. He saw that I wasn’t with you, so he went over to talk to you. Because he likes you!” Your voice was higher than usual, and you swiped your tears away off your cheek.

“Oh my god, you complete idiot!” My heart dropped once again. “He likes you.  He made up the whole thing about me asking for a beer!” she laughed.

“But he walked over to you when I wasn’t with you, so he likes—”

“You!” she finished. “He made the whole thing up about me and was trying to tell you he likes you!”

Finally you realized what Natalie was saying. “Oh. Oh!” you laughed.

“You have to go find him.”

“Are you sure he likes me?”

“Why don’t you go ask yourself?” and when she said that another knock came at the door.

“Who’s there?” you asked.

“Andrew.”

You stood up, brushing the tears that were on your cheek and opened the door. Andrew stood there with his jacket in his hand.

“Annika, what I was trying to say, but failed, was—”

“I like you too.”