Knee Socks
Just to clarify, I'm still posting one-shots and other random things from this account. It's not a cry for attention; my other story is doing perfectly fine and so am I(:
Part 1/2
And you were sitting in the corner with the coats all piled high
And I thought you might be mine
In a small world on an exceptionally rainy Tuesday night
In the right place and time…
The time Tobias first spotted her, it was when she was at a dorm party, sitting in the corner where the coats were piled high on that rainy Tuesday night. It was around eleven o'clock on New Year's Eve, and Tobias invested in speculating this girl for the rest of the night. He hadn't realized he was, but subconsciously, most certainly he did.
At approximately 11:55, he went up to her, surprised of his own courage.
"Hello."
She didn't look up from the book she was so absorbed in. "Hi."
"What book you got there?" he asked as he sat down. One shoulder of his was touching the girl, and the other the stack of coats.
"A collection of Edgar Allen Poe's work."
Tobias smiled. "I love that guy. When I was fifteen, I named my dog Poe after him."
The girl nodded. "Wonderful," she muttered.
The clock struck 11:57.
"What's your favorite piece by him?" asked Tobias. He knew she just wanted to read, but, what she probably didn't know, was that he just wanted to talk to her.
"'Annabel Lee.'"
He nodded in concurrence. "A lovely poem, that is. I much rather prefer the short story 'A Tell-Tale Heart,' personally. Also, would you like to kiss me in about two minutes? Oh, and can you believe his 'The Bells'? a lovely one by him."
"Astonishing," she said flatly. "Wait, did you just ask if I wanted to kiss you?"
A pause. "Possibly."
She laughed. "You don't even know my name."
He chuckled. "That's very true. I do not know your name."
Another short pause. "Well are you going to ask?"
He shrugged. "Are you?"
"Valid question, and also perplexing," she answered.
Perplexing. That was a good way to describe both himself and Tris, he thought. He wasn't exactly mysterious though; he was a totally open book. If someone asked him a question, he would answer honestly. He had nothing to hide.
People often confuse the terms "intriguing" and "mysterious." While intriguing and perplexing are wonderfully descriptive words, mysterious could mean a number of things. Mystery is like a puzzle and often obscure, always making an effort to solve it. Tobias, however, was not mysterious. Like previously mentioned, he was an open book. Intriguing, though, was a word Tobias admitted he didn't often use.
This girl with no name was someone he found intriguing. She demanded his attention without having to ask for it. She was gripping and captivating, just like himself.
"11:59," he heard her say with a wild smirk.
Tobias stood up and held out his hand. "Let's go, no-name."
She stood and grasped his hand, then he led her to the living room, where they would watch the ball drop hundreds of miles away from them in New York City.
"20!"
Tobias and the girl stood in the back of the room, leaning against the wall. Their proximity to each other was unnerving, making not only him nervous, but he could tell no-name was nervous too.
"15!"
Tobias looked down at the beautiful girl, observing her lips, knowing he would be kissing those within the next few seconds.
"10!"
No-Name was backed up against the wall while Tobias's arms encased her, making her feel trapped. Tobias could tell she liked that feeling though. A lot, actually. The look in her eyes was unmistakable.
"5!"
The girl's heart pounded faster by the second. He knew this because her breathing was uneven and she was definitely trying not to show it. If he wasn't so close to her, he wouldn't even be able to tell.
"1!"
When the zeros line up on the 24 hour clock…
The cheers of "Happy New Year's!" faded around them. It was as if they were the only two people in crowded room. When he touched her hips, he felt the fire run through his veins, running up through his arm, then his torso, legs, and finally, his feet. He felt it everywhere. He didn't know what feeling this was; he'd never experience before with any other girl. He presumed that it was a good thing.
Five seconds into the entirely new year, they were still kissing. Only the couples were left like this and no randomers.
Tobias drew his head back just the slightest, then said, "Happy New Year."
Tris pulled back, untangling her arms from his waist.
"Well," he said, "that was exciting."
She smirked, looking him dead in the eye. "Yes. Quite."
He gave her a look that said, "Please don't let me go when I begin to walk away. Please." He breathed out, then, like nothing happened, Tobias began to walk away.
"Woah," she said, granting him his wish. She hooked her finger onto a belt loop of Tobias's pants, dragging him back in. Not that it was hard; he definitely didn't put up a fight. "You can't have a kiss like that then just walk away. You had to've felt that too."
"A little," he lied.
She shrugged. "So why don't we go out sometime?"
He gave her a smirk, but an inquisitive look.
"It's the only sensible thing to do after something like that."
He nodded, laughing. "I suppose so."
No-Name stepped closer to Tobias's body, then reached around him to grab his phone out of his back pocket. She then entered her number under the contact "Tris."
"You're awfully adventurous for a girl who reads Edgar Allan Poe at a party, Tris."
"Silly goose," she said in a low voice, "he's the reason I'm adventurous. He's inspiring."
He smirked. "Tris," he said. "I like the name."
She shrugged. "Short for Beatrice."
"Tris suits you."
"Tobias suits you."
He didn't realize at first that he'd never told her his name. He gave her a startled look.
She laughed. "My friend was telling me all about this guy who'd be perfect for me. His name was Tobias. Said he liked intelligent yet witty girls. She said we'd be perfect together. Said he had quite the nice body and amazing ocean-like eyes a girl could drown in to go along with it. So I made inferences."
"Christina," he chuckled. "Should've known."
"It was mostly the eyes," she clarified. "Your eyes are… they're stunning. Really, quite charming. Inviting, some might even say." Tris said, growing closer to him.
"Have you been drinking? Because I often get told that I am very uninviting," he laughs.
"Not a drop," she answered with a shrug. "How about yourself? Are you normally this brave, or is it the alcohol that has courage?"