Romance... or something

A year later, college started, and along with that, my single life. I missed Ace, but I thought being sad was a waste of time, and I was only sad when I was bored. So, I kept myself distracted the way most college girls do, with boys. I had never been around so many different kinds, some reminded me of Ace, others reminded me of how perfect Ace was, and the rest I just studied with.

I met a baseball player named Ryan about a month into school. He was very tall, always smiling, dark eyes, dark hair and tan skin, nothing like Ace. He was always trying to put his hands on me, on my hips, arms, and face, always trying to hug me, sometimes I let him. When I did, my first reaction was goosebumps. His hands were rough and scratched my skin; he blamed it on being a catcher. I didn't care why, at least they weren't like Ace's.

One night, I was hanging out with my roommate, Tammy, and a group of our guy friends: two of them were tall, brilliant, very skinny and from cold climates, one was short, funny, super smart and very good-looking, one was average height, athletic, gorgeous, smart and a bit of a goofball and the other was big, hilarious, smart and funny. We were taking shots of Captain Morgan, a drink to this day gives my body shivers, and just before I got bored, I thought of Ryan. Without explanation, I walked out the front door and into Ryan's dorm building. I walked up to his door and knocked. He opened the door and smiled a huge smile. "Hi" I squeaked, and squeezed past him into his room, brushing my chest by his stomach. He breathed in my perfume, my hair and the captain on my breath. I walked to the window on the opposite side of his room and spun around too fast, then waited for the room to catch up with me. He closed the door and locked it. I didn't notice. He sat down at his computer chair and motioned for me to come sit on his lap. I did.

He said that he was making me a mixed cd of his favorite songs. I held in my laugh and just smiled, trying to play it off as flattery instead of mocking. "Listen to some of these, they are awesome." He clicked his mouse and the music started, "I'll make love to you, like you want me to, and I'll hold you tight... baby all through the night, I'll make love you" Boys to Men rattled on about lovemaking. I worked even harder to hold in my laugh. He clicked the mouse again, "One, you're like a dream come true, two, just want to be with you, three, girl, it's plain to see that you're the only one for me and four..." He clicked his mouse again, and I jumped off his lap to look at the pictures around his dorm room. I tried to think about the pictures of his family, friends, baseball team, but the laughing just couldn't be suppressed anymore. I let out a laugh as "All for One" came onto the speakers again. Ryan stood up and walked toward me, thinking I was laughing at a picture, "what's so funny, you?" He talked to me like I was his long-time girlfriend, I didn't like it, even more when I was drinking.

I scrambled for an answer, "oh!" I turned around too fast, again. I focused my eyes back on his, then pointed at a random photo, "oh, I uh, thought I knew this person. That would be funny. Haha." I looked down and passed him again. He bought it.

"So, what do you think about the cd?" He asked, still serious.

"Oh, it's soooo nice. Thanks." I was struggling not to laugh in his face. I mean, a mixed cd of "romantic songs," I could barely keep it together. I smiled and looked down at my phone that I was turning over and over in my hand. "Oh, wow," I said as I walked toward the door, "I was supposed to meet up with my friends ten minutes ago. I totally forgot. Sorry, I have to go."

His face turned from excited to confused to irritated as I unlocked his door, waved goodbye and ran down the hallway. I made it all the way outside before I let myself laugh out loud. Hearing all of the slow jams playing in my head, I laughed so hard I bent over holding my stomach. Drunk students passed by me yelling "Wahoo! It's Friday!" I wahooed back, and ran back to my friends, the tall ones, shorts ones, smart ones, funny ones, good-looking ones, and Tammy. I never saw Ryan again, but he did leave the cd by my door. It helps me fall sleep.