Sweet Revenge

“You’re adorable when you blush, you know that?”

The words were unexpected, and spoken with a sweet smile. Sarah couldn’t help but blush even harder in her shyness, her natural reaction no matter how many times Michael complimented her. They had been dating for a month now, and Sarah couldn’t be happier. When he wasn’t working (and she wasn’t studying) they spent all their time together. Sarah couldn’t believe it was possible to find someone as perfect as Michael, in every single way.

He was a perfect gentleman at all times; he paid every time they went out, he held the door open for her everywhere they went, and he always told how good she looked whenever he saw her. It made her spin with delirious joy sometimes, and she wondered what she had done to deserve someone so amazing, perfect, handsome and just…perfect. They had done nothing more than kiss, and he never pushed for anything more. She was certain Michael was the one for her, but she wasn’t going to jump the gun, and give him her virginity, so soon. Yes, she was madly in love after a ridiculously short amount of time (something she hadn’t told anybody, for fear of - admittedly, rightly deserved - ridicule).If things went as she hoped, they would have plenty of time for that in the future. She knew it all sounded so crazy; the moment she saw him she felt an instant attraction, and after one date she knew she already in love. She would have scoffed if any of her friends had claimed the same thing, in fact she would have threatened to have them sent to a psych ward. She never thought she would ever fall under the same spell she had seen so many of her friends fall prey to. She wasn’t stupid enough to declare her love yet, though. She wasn’t completely stupid and naive. As much as she trusted Michael, and dared to believe he felt the same about her too, she wasn’t going to deliberately put herself in a position where she could be taken advantage of by someone more experienced than her. She knew so little about him, and while she was certain it stemmed from his reserved nature (rather than deliberate evasiveness), it did put her on her guard. Not enough to stop her from falling even deeper for him, but just enough to keep her mind, and heart, in check. She was an intelligent girl; she knew that what she was feeling was down to chemicals and hormones, and the natural desire to find a mate. She didn’t believe in the notion of ‘true love’ on a spiritual level; she believed love was the result of attraction, pheromones and natural compatibility coming together in a way that caused the brain to ‘fall in love’. That didn’t invalidate love in her mind, though.In her mind, it made the concept even more fascinating. Love wasn’t the result of predestined idea; it was the result of chance. That two people could meet, and all the elements needed for love to bloom come together to create something so wonderful, was nothing short of miraculous.

“Is that why you go out of your way to make me blush at every opportunity?” she teased.

“One of the reasons,” he smirked, taking a sipfrom the Styrofoam cup filled with black coffee.

“Are there more?”

“Of course there are,but they’re for me to know.”

Sarah rolled her eyes, not surprised by the response. She knew the mystery that was Michael Lee was all part of what attracted her to him. He was so open in some ways; he was affectionate, he loved to talk about history, literature and British culture. He could talk for hours about his favourite films, or comic books. She knew his favourite colour was green, he hated it when people dog eared book pages, and he disliked large crowds. He loved sushi and pizza, but he wasn’t overly fond of Chinese food. She knew his character traits, and the little things that made up the person he was. There was so much that she didn’t know, though. He never talked about his family. He mentioned a brother once, in reference to a movie he had watched years ago, but she didn’t know his age, if he was younger or older, or if there were more Lee siblings. His parents were never spoken about or alluded to, and he rarely revealed anything about his childhood or teenage years. She gathered that he came to North Carolina to get away from something; maybe he had made some bad choices in his short life, or maybe he just didn’t get along with his family. Whatever the reason was, it led to him being here with her, so she supposed it didn’t matter much. She didn’t care if he had a past; it was his present actions that mattered, and so far he was nothing short of amazing. Sometimes he was cryptic, sometimes he was open. It depended on what mood she got him in, but that was all part of Michael. They matched in some ways; she was far more open and readable, he was reserved and guarded; sometimes she would talk too much, and when she did he would give her a particular smile, one that let her knew he was ready to laugh at her and her running mouth. He never got annoyed over it; he found her open nature refreshing, or so he said, and he reassured her that he enjoyed listening to her, no matter what it was that she was talking about. She knew it may not stay that way; time could turn her cute traits into annoying habits that drove him mad, but that was something only time would tell. For now, she was going to enjoy being with him, loving him, and bask in the glow of young optimism and anticipation for the future.

“So, how was work today?” Sarah asked, taking a genuine interest in his day.

“It was alright.Same old, same old, really. Some stoner came in looking for ‘special brownies’, and some guy got caught cheating on his girlfriend, so she threw a mug of coffee over him. It was kinda funny, actually,” Michael chuckled.

“Shit. I bet that hurt,” Sarah giggled, wishing she’d been there to see it, instead of being stuck in class at the time.

“What about you?How were your classes?”

“Ugh, my American Lit professor was being a douche, as per usual. We’ve got the weekend to read The Great Gatsby, and write a two thousand word essay on how it portrays the American dream and social values of the nineteen twenties.”

“Guess that means I won’t be seeing you over the weekend, then?”

Sarah felt guilty hearing the disappointment in his voice. She wanted to say that she would find the time to see him at some stage, but she knew it would be a lie. She may be lucky and pull an essay together in a few hours. More than likely, she would have to spend Saturday reading and making notes, and Sunday writing the essay

“I don’t think so.”

“It’s okay. Maybe if you can take a few hours break tomorrow night, I can come over with a pizza, or something?”

Sarah couldn’t resist the urge to smile. Michael was always so keen to spend time with her, he made her feel so wanted and appreciated, without being overbearing.

“That sounds good. I’d like that.”

“Then you shall have it,” he tried, and failed, to do a posh British accent.

Sarah giggled, adoring the wide smile on his face. She could spend all day just staring at him, gazing into his brown eyes, and admiring his dimples. He was almost too handsome, and it was startling that someone so attractive could be interested in her.

“I love your laugh so much,” he stated, not meaning anything by the statement, but the ‘L’ word automatically made her heart race faster. She longed for the day he would use the word in a different context.

“Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. We should totally go to the movies tonight,” Sarah changed the subject, afraid of Michael picking up on her feelings.

“I’ve no objections,” Michael agreed, a knowing smile on his face, as though he knew what she was thinking.

“We should go check the times,” Sarah suggested, standing up and grabbing her cup.

Michael followed suit, replacing the lid on his cup, and grabbing Sarah’s unoccupied hand.

“Your laugh isn’t the only thing I love about you,” he whispered in her ear, not a trace of amusement in his voice. Sarah was speechless, her brain going on the fritz, while it absorbed his words, and deciphered the meaning behind them. Michael didn’t seem to expect a response; he only smiled indulgently and tugged her along, leaving her to over-think his words.

Notes

Aaaww, isn't Michael a sweetie pie?

Thoughts and Feedback are awesome, and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!

Lyra