"So did you like that movie?" Damien asked. hovering outside the theater for a bit, holding his bit of popcorn. I have two packs of candy left. "It was pretty good, actually, I mean, I got second-hand embarrassment when she rejected him the first time." I scratched the back of my head.
I never knew what it feels like to be loved, to be honest, truly say you're supposed to feel this spark, or this magical feeling that you just know it must be love, but I never felt like that for anyone.
Sorta makes me wonder if it's even real, "Thanks for inviting me to the movies…it's been a while," maybe if I got out more, I won't feel so awkward being alone, "Eh don't worry about it, plus it works in my favor. I wanted to see that movie anyway." chuckling, like a slight fox.
We eventually arrived back at the dorms, but neither of us was in a rush to go in. Chilly, but fresh breeze tonight, calm, and silent. Cozy in an odd way, weird, isn't it?
Clear dark, starry skies above, you don't realize just how beautiful things are until you stop and admire them from time to time, huh?
"I know it sounds kinda weird…." My hands shuffled in my jacket because even though this is gonna sound odd, my mouth isn't exactly stopping…" but your eyes kind of feel like this night…" I whispered, unsure of whether he heard me or not, until he said, "Well, that's a first."
He shrugged one side of his shoulder. "A first..?" Yeah, that did sound kind of weird.. "I mean…people usually ask me if I'm blind…if they're contacts, or sometimes people just stare at me. Found it hard to understand what they meant when I was younger."
"That's scary."
"Yeah, I mean, how many people have you seen with Grey eyes that are my color?" Sheepishly, I pointed to him with my hand still in my jacket's pocket.
"Exactly." He shook his head.
"And do you want to know something stupid?" he looked at me.
"The more people commented about my eyes made me want to cover them." His eyes land on the night sky.
"I thought that if it was just so odd to have grey eyes… then finding my real family would be easy," he murmured, voice dipping. "All I had to do was find someone with grey eyes like mine. Eight-year-old logic."
I blinked, not sure what to say. The silence felt heavy for a second, like the night itself had paused.
"Did… did that hurt?" I finally asked.
He shook his head slowly. "I always got caught. Taken back to the system, back to the police station. It became a habit until I realized… I wasn't going to find them." His gaze dropped to the grass beneath our feet.
Nobody could tell him they didn't want him. I slumped slightly, imagining the emptiness he must've carried, while I thought of my own family and the cold distance that had shaped me.
"Maybe… maybe they just couldn't take care of you," I offered softly, feeling the weight of words I wasn't sure he'd hear.
He let out a short, humorless chuckle, shaking his head. "Aha, don't give me hope, Jaci."He then turned around, heading back. "It's getting colder…"
"Yeah, it's Fall after all." Our footsteps crunch through the stiff grass. "Do you work tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yeah, in the morning though… I don't feel like waking up that early, not gonna lie." He turned to look back at me with a raised eyebrow.
"You stayed in your dorm all day, though."
"So?" I rolled my eyes.
"Since midterms are around the corner, I'm probably gonna have to start being unavailable so I can study. What about you?"
"Yeah…same, I can't afford to fail, like literally…" I sighed
"Oh yeah, Jaci, what major are you taking?"
"Film…"
"Film?"
"I just thought I should go with something I like, not like I'd make much money, but ya know.."
"No, that's pretty cool actually, wish I could say the same thing."
"What are you going for, Damien?"
"Cyber Security, I'm not passionate about computers… but it's a job…"
"So what would you go for if it were your passion, though?"
"Ah, probably being a baker. Making bread can get addictive."
"You should make me some…I can't bake to save my life." I sighed. The last time I tried making cookies, they just turned into one big cookie, and I burned them.
We head back slowly, it won't be long before the RAs start going around checking our rooms…we used to have a chill guy. He must've gotten a job somewhere else because this new girl is definitely a stickler on the rules..
Once we came to our designated lamp post, we came to a stop.
I was rocking back and forth on my feet, looking at the ground before looking at him. I feel like I should have more to say, but when I looked at him, I couldn't control this smile itching on my face.
He pointed at the side of his head where my clip was, "Where did you get that from?" He asked, and I froze for a second, letting myself take in his expression.
It's not that he was making fun of it, but he genuinely wanted to know where I got it from.
"It was a gift for a good high school friend of mine." I reached up to touch it, "She thought it was funny, until she told me it actually looked cute on me, I guess…"
Shrugged my shoulders.
"So I just sorta kept it.."
"Was she your girlfriend?" What….Does it look like a girl would …ah- wait, it kinda does, whoops.
"Oh no no," I chuckled, "Not even close…."
He smiled, and everything fell silent. I looked up at him. The way he looked at me gave off a small light of warmth I haven't felt in a long time.
"Goodnight, Damien," I said as I started taking a few steps back..
"Goodnight, Jaci.." His voice lingered on my name. Smiling as we both headed our separate ways inside.
Yet, before I went in, he met my gaze one last time, and he gave me a quick wave, and so did I.
He's actually pretty sweet, isn't he…