Blind Love

His eyes, like a serene lagoon, a deep green swirling through the waves to reach the calm blue coast, held Lucy captivated for hours. The slight movement of his pupil would send a rush of thoughts to her mind. Is he okay? Is he anxious? Should I say something? To anyone else, this would seem weird, but to Ryan, it was completely normal because he was doing it too. From Lucy's dark hair with tight coils to her heavily freckled cheeks, or how she always ended her laughs with a chuckle then a look to the side clearly anticipating another joke but not wanting to put any pressure on the joker, Ryan noticed it all.

Eight months ago, Lucy and her best friend, Ayra, were attending a party. Ayra had been invited by multiple guys, but she decided to use the party as an excuse to take her introvert friend out into the world. The party was small. Music was playing faintly in the background. Ayra was all over hiding horny teenage boys who couldn't possibly fathom another teenage girl rejecting them. With Ayra gone, Lucy was standing alone in the middle of the room with nobody to speak to but herself. From the corner of her eye, she could see someone stealing glances at her, each one lasting a little more than a second. She was used to people staring at her. In a high school with tons of cliques, she claimed the title of "The cute but quiet girl that no one speaks to".

She hesitantly walked over to the corner and sat down, ignoring the guy who kept staring at her. She wasn't looking for a confrontation. She simply wanted to rest her legs from standing ever since her best friend abandoned her. She looked to her right, half expecting the person to say something to her face.

The boy looked back at her and smiled. The music faded and Lucy examined him. The boy was Ryan Garcia, the new exchange student for the term. His face was perfect. Every single feature sharp and purposeful as if he was created in the image of a kinetic sculpture. In that moment Lucy forgot all about the possibility that Ryan might be making fun of her. She could only focus on him.

Over time, school events and parties would bring them together. Their friendship was built on these shared moments—a smile exchanged over a pool table, a flirty glance across the room at a party, and the occasional lingering touch when awkwardly passing by each other. Despite their obvious feelings for each other, they both harboured a fear of ruining their comfortable routine by adding a new element to their friendly relationship. Ayra was constantly nudging Lucy to make a move, but it never happened. During parties, Ayra and her "boyfriends" would dare Lucy and Ryan to spend seven minutes in heaven, desperately hoping they would spend every minute after that as a couple. Instead, Lucy and Ryan would come out head-over-heels for each other yet stupidly oblivious to what the other was feeling.

It was an interesting combination when two people with hints of neurotic behaviour found themselves falling for each other. It might have been bearable to witness if Lucy and Ryan entertained other prospects, but it seemed that their odd personalities pushed everyone but each other away.

Two weeks ago, Ayra invited Lucy on a double date to a fancy restaurant. Ayra wasn't interested in Trent, her date, but she knew that his best friend Zach would be willing to do a favour for him and become Lucy's date in order for Trent to have Ayra. Lucy and Ayra arrived in identical dresses, one red and one pink. The whole interior was dimly lit with warm light coming from the candles on each table. The staff wore black and white suit-like uniforms. It was the kind of restaurant that your parents would pick for a long-awaited date night away from the kids. Trent and Zach were already at the table, patiently waiting for their respective dates. When Lucy and Ayra approached, they both got up and pulled out their chairs. "How chivalrous," Lucy blurted out, her stale tone making it hard to decide if that was meant to be a joke or a criticism. Sensing the unease, Ayra let out a chuckle and the boys followed with forced laughter. The rest of the night continued with moments of silence and strained dialogue in between. A couple of hours later, the date ended, and the group hugged each other goodbye. A week later, Ayra told Lucy that Trent told her that Zach told him that he wasn't planning on seeing her again because he wasn't sure if she liked him or not and he didn't want to waste his time.

Perhaps that is why Lucy and Ryan clung onto each other. They each knew that they had feelings for the other and they both stuck around even though none of them would admit it.

On Valentine's Day, Ryan got Lucy a huge bouquet of flowers with a box of heart-shaped chocolates and dropped it off in the break room where the group and the rest of their friends would be hanging out. When everyone was gathered, Lucy noticed the bouquet and assumed it was from one of Ayra's many admirers. She ignored the entire ordeal and went to sit next to her friend. The group decided as a collective to eat all the chocolates and leave the flowers. Everyone stuffed themselves with heart-shaped chocolate assortments with nuts and strawberries. When it was time for everyone to go, Andrew, the group "dad," picked up some things from the floor and saw a note that read: "I hope you like it… to Lucy."

"Seems like the chocolate we devoured was yours," Andrew said quietly, almost sounding shocked.

"Oh," Lucy replied.

"Don't you want to know who it's from?" Kelly shouted from the back, and everyone looked back, surprised at how or when she even got there.

"I mean, it's obvious—" Ayra exclaimed.

She didn’t even finish her sentence when Lucy went to examine the note herself.

"Oh," she repeated.

"Oh?" The rest of the group mimicked her expression.

"It's getting late," Ryan said nervously.

"Ryan, you know she likes you too, right?" Kelly chimed in.

"What!?"

"Too?"

Ryan and Lucy both stood at opposite ends of the room and gathered their thoughts. They both looked at each other, holding an intense gaze as if their world had just been turned upside down. Everyone stared at them blankly as if they had been told life-changing news. The realization was slow but steady. All the cute little quirks they knew about each other had started to reveal themselves. Their minds noticeably raced back to the first day they'd met and all the signs they missed—or all the signs they ignored. It was like their minds had reached a turning point and started to reset, removing all the fears of confessing, all the fears of rejection.

"So, they really didn't know?" Ayra said, a question that everyone was thinking but didn't know how to say.

Ryan finally moved, confirming Ayra's question. He took the bouquet and without hesitation, gave it to Lucy. He didn’t need any more hints. He finally had the confirmation he needed, and he took his chance. Lucy accepted the flowers and whispered a "Thank you." They stared into each other’s eyes for a few more moments before they shared a big smile and kissed. Their kiss left a warmth in the room as they are about to start a chapter together, every movement in sync, almost as if all the days they spent waiting were practice. Despite their long-overdue moment, they waited until they were ready to commit to one another and with that they will always be there for each other.