“Uh, tubes,” I repeat.
She looks down at what I’m holding, then back up at me, and breaks into a beautiful smile. I swear I almost fall over backward at the impact of it. So far, my dream girl has exceeded every fantasy I’ve had of her. I don’t think she can get any better. I’m officially addicted to her, and I need more. Now I just need to pretend I know how to talk to people. Easy, right?
“Thanks for saving my tubes… It’s just gum and some creams and stuff,” she says, offering me her purse to drop them into.
“Uh, yeah, no problem. What are neighbors for, right?”
“Oh, you live in the unit next to mine?” she asks, fully standing.
I bring myself to full height as well and am pleased to find I don’t have to bend down to meet her eyes. Trying not to feel like a creeper, I nod my head, clearly I’ve been watching her, but she hasn’t noticed me.
“Uh, yeah, right there,” I tell her, pointing behind me with my thumb.
She glances between my door and me, clearly still a bit flustered. Does she smell me? Do I smell good to her? Is that why she looks a bit unsure? I don’t want to come on too strong, so I’ve left some space between us. I can’t smell her, but maybe I’m upwind of her.
“Well, thank you for helping. I appreciate it,” she tells me.
“Anytime! Um, my name is Jesse.”
She smiles again. “Jesse. I like that. I’m Josie.”
“Josie.” A matching smile spreads across my own face. “If you ever need a cup of sugar, feel free to knock on my door.”
She bites her lip and looks up at me through her lashes.
“Same for you. I mean, I’m open for you. Uh, no, shit. God, I’m awkward.” Her face flushes a beautiful red.
I chuckle, “I got you, don’t worry.”
She places one of her hands on her forehead, groaning in embarrassment.
“This is why I don’t flirt,” she mutters.
My grin widens, “You flirtin’ with me, pretty girl?”
“Pretty girl?”
“Yeah,” I clear my throat, trying not to let on how nervous I am, “One of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. Or met.”
She giggles a little, and if I wasn’t already smitten, that would have gotten me. I feel all warm and shit when I hear it. Internally, I work myself up, deciding to just shoot my shot.
“I know we’re neighbors, but, um, can I give you my number? You know, in case you need that sugar. I can make sure I have some so you don’t come over to disappointment.”
“I’m not sure I could be disappointed if you’re there.”
I duck my head with a smile. I’m not used to compliments or being social in general, so I’m not sure what to do with myself. I reach down and rifle through my laptop bag for a piece of paper and a pen. I land on some sticky notes and pull them out, hastily scrawling my number on one.
“Uh, my handwriting isn’t great, can you read that?”
She peers over and nods, “Yeah, totally, it’s not that bad.”
I pull off the sticky note and hold it out for her. She reaches out to take it from me, and as she does, I feel it. A zap, straight from my fingers to my heart, then throughout my body. It’s brief, no more than a second, but I recognize what it is. A Match. Everyone hopes to find theirs, but I never had. I didn’t want the burden of having to care about another person besides myself. Now, though? Now my entire world has shifted.
My soul feels like it was never whole until this moment. Maybe it’s dramatic, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a beam of light came from the sky to focus solely on her. Everything revolves around her now, just from that one feeling. It’s not something we can solidify until we bond, but just feeling that zap is unlike anything I’ve heard. People talk about a zing, or a zap, but it’s also a sudden clarity of what’s important. Which is this person you Match with. The woman in front of me. I have to hope that she’s happy about this and not horrified.
My eyes fly up to her, needing to see her reaction, but she’s not looking at me; she’s busy putting the note into her wallet. Once it’s secure, she looks up brightly at me, seemingly unaware of the shift that just occurred in my soul. Fuck, did I imagine it? She’s completely unaware of what just happened, while my fingers still tingle. How?
“Well, thanks again for the help! I’ll, uh, text you later if that’s okay?” she says with a small smile.
