I walked slowly over to the garbage can to dump the food of the tray and set it in the pile. But when I reached the garbage can I froze in front of it. Something, and I’m not sure quite what that something was, but whatever it was for one split second caught my attention. It might have been the reflection of the sun off of something or just a really black shadow but I turned my head to look behind my shoulder. Unimpressed when I saw nothing I turned my head back around. That’s when I saw him. He was leaning casually as ever against one of the malls many support beams with one of his legs up and his foot pressed against it. His dark, shaggy hair covered part of his face but I could still see his eyes. His beautiful, beautiful eyes. When are gaze locked his lips curved into a half smile and my heart completely skipped a beat.



I had once again been completely paralyzed. I didn’t have time to realize what was happening until I heard the loud crash of the try falling to the hard ground. My hands were still in the position they would be if the tray was still resting in my hands and I was too stunned to even move them. Why did this boy have to have such an effect on me?



When I had moved my eyes to look down at my hands then looked back towards the beam again he had disappeared. I had no idea where he had gone. Until I heard the smooth, quiet laughter coming from below me. I looked down, and he was there. He had grabbed a napkin and was squatting and wiping up the mess I had made. It took me a few more seconds to completely break out of my trance before I took hold on what was happening. Clumsily I ran over to get some napkins and returned with half the container in my hand. I know this wasn’t necessary but right now I was nervous and confused and just grabbed as much as my hands could carry. He looked up when he had heard my footsteps approaching and laughed again. Way to make me even more nervous buddy.



Awkwardly, I crouched down parallel from him and started to wipe up the food. He had already gotten most of it but I felt obligated to help pick it up. He smiled at me and my cheeks flushed with color. I suddenly forgot where I was, what I was doing, but not who I was with. I was with him, that’s the only thing that I cared about right now.



He stopped cleaning.



We had finished and I watched as he gracefully stood and offered out a hand to me. I grasped it. His hand felt so warm in mine, a subtle comforting warm that you would only notice if you were really paying attention. He pulled me up effortlessly and looked me in the eye. He had the most amazing eyes. They were a deep mysterious green, and looked so innocent and childish. You would have never guessed they belonged to boy like this. He still hadn’t released his hand, which I was glad of, and I continued gazing into his eyes. It was like we were having our own little conversation without words, one where you spoke with our eyes, and heart.



Then it hit me like that baseball I had been socked in the eye with in gym last March. I came back to reality and we both quickly unconfined are hands at the same moment. We both stood there looking at each other frozen in place. He obviously was waiting for something because it was clear by his posture he wasn’t moving. It took all the amount of courage I possessed to just work up the nerve to even say a word. But I took a deep breath and started to talk.



“Er, Thanks.” I stumbled like an idiot, he must of thought I was a total geek. But he looked at me intently and I began to speak again, “For cleaning up my mess, and well, uh, just thanks.” He grinned satisfied with my words and I waited for the words to come out of his mouth. The voice I had dreamed of for the past god knows how many days, wondering, praying, I would get the chance to hear it in real life.



“It was no problem.” Just how I’d imagined it. Velvet smooth and low. And it had this hint of joy in it that he seemed to accent on every word. I loved it, just the sound of it made my heart beat like a hummingbirds. I was worried he probably heard it thumping against my rib cage, it felt louder than a cannon to me. “Just a small favor for a pretty girl.” I blushed and he smiled like that was is intent the whole time. “I’m John by the way. John Avery.” He stck out his hand for a handshake and cautiously, I grabbed it. Slowly I shook it. Saying his name over and over again in my head. It was like an angelic quire was sounding off in my head. John, it fit him well. The perfect and simple name for the perfect yet simple boy.



“I’m Samantha Dawson, but my friends call me Sam.” Wow. I hadn’t stuttered or anything. The words had just flowed out of me easily like my mouth had already know what it was to say years before and had practiced it a thousand times or more.



“Well can I be considered a friend?” I nodded. “Good.” We stopped shaking hands and I looked at him while biting my lip. Something I did when I was nervous. But only a good kind of nervous. I had a question on my mind and really wanted to ask it. It wasn’t really an important question, but it had been mothering me.



“So… Didn’t I see you at Kate Rivera’s Party a few days ago.” The words came out more rushed than I had meant them too but he didn’t seem to take notice.



“Yes.” I could tell from Johns eyes the yes had had two meanings. One he answered what I’d asked. And two, he had answered the question I was really wanting to ask, but didn’t. He was the one who smiled at me, the one who paralyzed me, the one I couldn’t stop think about. At first when I had seen him leaning up against the support beam I didn’t think it was the same person, I thought my eyes were just playing tricks on me. For some reason I still couldn’t even grasp the fact that I really had seen him at Kate’s party. But now I was positive it wasn’t just my imagination. John was real, without a doubt, completely, and utterly real.



“Oh.” I answered quietly, still submerged in my subconscious thoughts.



“Well,” He had said after a few seconds of silence. “It was very, very nice to meet you Sam.” Oh no. My heart screamed inside me. He’s leaving. Quick say something to make him stay. You need him. The vice inside was saying. And I believed it. But I didn’t say anything. “I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around sometime.” He said as he started to walk off. “I promise.” He disappeared into the crowd again. I sensed it was one of his habits.



I felt as though my heart should be screaming at me more than I was. Like it should be threatening if I didn’t go chase after him. But somehow I knew, he would keep his promise. I don’t know if it was the honesty I saw in his eyes when he said it, or just some part of me knew that he wouldn’t say something like that if he didn’t mean it, but I knew.



John, John, John, John… I must have repeated it a thousand times over in my head as I slowly walked back to the table where Nicole sat with a curious expression on her face. I didn’t feel like a rousing game of twenty questions at the moment. Right now I just wanted him, I wanted John Avery.



“What was that all about?” Nicole asked enthusiastically. When I had reached the table and taken my seat. She was practically bouncing out of her chair with anticipation.



“Nothing.” I shrugged not completely paying attention to her. I was looking down at the table and tracing the letters of his name on the surface. J…O…H…



“Oh please! Don’t feed me that bull crap!” Nicole interrupted my thoughts. “Who the hell was that guy?” John Avery. I said in my mind. That’s his beautiful, glorious name.



“No one.” I said it almost in a whisper.



“Come on Sam! You can’t tell me that your little conversation with Mr. No One was just nothing. I mean you should of seen you too.” I got interested and looked up from the table to look her in the eyes. “There was almost like this spotlight on you, everyone was staring at you guys. And they way you looked at each other… It was pretty spooky.” I thought about what she said. I didn’t remember feeling like anyone was watching me. I suppose I was too distracted by John “Not that it’s bad or anything.” She added after I hadn’t spoken. “I mean he’s really hot! He will totally help you get over Ia—“ She didn’t finish Ian’s name. But for once I wasn’t angry, or sad, or anything. I felt absolutely nothing about Ian anymore. Right now all I cared about was John.



“It’s ok. I am over Ian.” I said with confidence. Nicole’s smile appeared again.,



“So tell me the truth then. Do you like that guy or what?”



“Of course not. I hardly know him!” And that was the truth. I didn’t know John at all, and I didn’t like him. Like was to subtle of a word. I don’t know how I came to the conclusion but I know this was the way I felt. Even though I knew nothing about him, I was completely in love with him. I was in love with John Avery.