Being Invisible (6 page)

I stood there for a moment, not
sure what to do, waiting for him to say something. When nothing came, I started
to leave, but he stopped me.

“I wanted to let you know that I
had a great time with you.” When I didn’t immediately walk away, he continued.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your smile… or your kiss, or...
well pretty much anything involving your mouth and that general area.”

I was still giving him my ‘I’m not
buying anything you are saying’ look but it was getting increasingly difficult because
I couldn’t freaking seem to not smile around him.

“I really wanted to see you again.”
He said.

I remained quiet, waiting for him
to continue.

“I didn’t call you because,
something came up...man, even as I’m saying it, I know it sounds lame...” Colin
shook his head at his own words. “I know that sounds like a terrible line. I
wish I could tell you more. But, I’m just going through a lot. I’m not asking
you to forgive me, or give me another chance, because you deserve someone that
doesn’t need that from you. I’m only telling you because I don’t want you to
feel like I think you deserve to be treated that way. So, I’m sorry.”

At the end of his speech, he
walked away, not even waiting for a response from me. He placed his earphones
in and turned on his music, then went straight to lifting weights.

I just stood there, dumbfounded
for what seemed like minutes, before I left to find my friends.

“You okay?” Liz asked, throwing an
arm around me.

“You heard?”

“Of course we heard.” Liz patted
my back. “We were eavesdropping.”

I laughed lightly, suddenly
exhausted and near tears from the craziness.

“Why don’t we head out.“ Annie
chimed in.

I nodded, so ready to call it a
night.

Right when we headed to the door
to leave, I glanced back to where Colin was still exercising by himself at
almost 1:00 in the morning. Something came over me.

 
I couldn't leave.

“Hey guys. Go ahead without
me.
 
I’ll have Colin walk me home.”

They both smiled in understanding,
then waved goodbye.

I headed back to where Colin was,
clearing my voice as I did, to try to avoid any more freak-outs or injuries.

Colin looked up in confusion,
clearly not expecting me.

“Hey, Lucy. Did you forget
something?”

“No. I just wanted to make sure
you’re alright. You know, hanging out here at 1:00 AM, by yourself. You never
know what kind of unsavory characters you might run into.” I smiled trying to
lighten the mood.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” he
smiled in return.

“Okay, so you can totally take
care of yourself- but what about me?
 
My roommates left, and I don’t want to leave this place alone.

“Well I guess that means I’ll be
doing the honor.” Colin finished up, wiped down the weight bench and grabbed
his towel. He wasn’t his usual playful self, and despite myself I was starting
to worry that something was wrong with him.

“Are you okay, Colin? Do you want
to talk about anything?” I asked.

“What? Oh no, I’m fine. I just
need to grab my gym bag from the locker. Can you watch my stuff for a sec?” He
motioned to his water bottle and mp3 player sitting on the bench.

I nodded. “Sure. ”I waited a second
before deciding to speak up. “Colin, I know that things didn’t work out with
us, you know, dating. But if you need a friend...”

Colin smiled then walked away.

While I sat there waiting for him,
I suddenly had a thought.
I wonder if he
really does listen to Knight Rider?

Curiosity got the best of me, so I
opened up his music. A feeling of relief washed over me as I flipped through
his songs, seeing a lot of the same artists as I had on mine.

I decided to check out his
playlists, but he didn’t have much other than a few genius mixes.

My curiosity piqued again when I
saw a playlist called ‘Lucy.’ I clicked on the playlist, and saw the first song,
‘Pull Me Down.’

He has the song that was playing when we first kissed.

My heart skipped a beat as I
looked through the list of songs that were playing the night of the party.

Before I had a chance to think too
much about it, I heard Colin coming back. I grabbed his water bottle from the
bench.

“Ready to go?” Colin motioned for
the front door.

We walked for the first ten
minutes in relative silence, until I finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“So why do you work out this
late?” I asked, trying to break the ice.

“Truth? Part of it is that I am
really busy and this is when I have time, the other, bigger part of is that I…”
he stopped, embarrassed to continue.

“What?” I smiled, urging him to go
on.

“Don’t laugh.”

 
I shook my head to let him know I
wouldn’t.

“I just started exercising
recently. When I ran into you, I had been running all of two days. I was in
track in high school, but once I hit college, there was just too much partying
I had to accomplish to also keep up with the running.”

I nodded in understanding, not
wanting to interrupt.

“Something happened recently, and
it got me thinking. Drew and I had just left the store. This lady around my
Grandma’s age was carrying her groceries in the parking lot, and she seemed
like she was struggling. We were just about to go help her, when a guy ran up
and grabbed her purse. Her bags fell. Her groceries went everywhere. The poor
woman was distraught. We ran after the guy, and tackled him...because you know
I’m good at that part.” He winked at me, and I laughed. It was good to see him
loosening up a bit.

“But he was able to get away. We
got the purse, but everything had fallen out. He grabbed the wallet and took
off running. By the time the cops got there, he was gone. It made me start to
think. If I could have skipped a few parties, drank a few less beers, maybe
this poor lady would have her stuff. “

I started to shake my head. “Colin,
you can’t think...”

“I know. I know. I’m not going to
beat myself up about it. I just decided then that I want to be... I don’t know,
better. Stronger. Faster. Do you know what the saddest part of it was? That
little old lady actually tried to give Drew and me each a dollar from the pocket
of her purse. She’s got nothing. No wallet. No credit cards. She doesn’t even
have her discount card for Hometown Buffet. Yet she wants to give us a dollar
to thank us because we got her purse back. I guess now she won’t have to buy a
new pack of tissues, or steal extra mints from restaurants because of us.”

I started to chuckle, but stopped
when he gave me a look. “Sorry. Continue.”

 
“So now, I’m getting myself fight ready-
or at least that’s the plan. I have no idea what I’m doing. That’s where the
midnight workout sessions come in. It’s a little embarrassing. And remember you
promised not to laugh, but I’m kind of trying to get in good enough shape to
save old lady wallets everywhere.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it.

“You promised me you wouldn’t
laugh.” he teasingly bumped my shoulder with his.

“I promise, I am not laughing at
your story. I think that might be one of the greatest stories I have ever
heard. I am laughing because you are adorable.” I decided to admit the truth,
since he was being so honest.

“Adorable? I have been working
very hard to be badass. I’m talking John McClane here. No one would have called
him adorable.” At my questioning look he added, “Die Hard?”

“Oh yeah, I got it now.” I nodded
in understanding. “But, Colin, you can be both badass and adorable. I promise.
And the badass thing? You are already halfway there. Do you know how many guys
would have just ignored it?
 
Maybe
called 911? At the most yelled ‘hey somebody get that guy?’ What you did was
pretty amazing. And the fact that you did it, even though you weren’t sure you
could? You’re like… a hero.”

That seemed to alleviate some of
his tension. “You think?”

“Definitely.”

“Okay. I see your point.”

“And I hope you don’t think I am
talking down to you or anything, but I have taken a lot of classes at the gym,
so if you need help, I could, you know, show you what I got. I wouldn’t even
mind coming late at night if you want.”

“Really? You would do that for
me?”

“Sure. Anything I can do to keep
old ladies’ purses in their hands.”

“That would be great.” Colin was
getting more enthusiastic the more we talked.

“Do you want to start tomorrow?” I
asked.

“Tomorrow’s great." He paused
a beat, thinking, then spoke again.
 
Now that we have that all settled, I need you to do me a favor.”

“What’s that?” I asked raising my
eyebrows in question.

“I need you to tell me, in detail,
exactly what makes me adorable.”
 

I shook my head and laughed.
That’s the Colin I know.

Colin and I had been hanging out
almost every night for a couple months. Sometimes he would come early, and we
would get dinner, hang out, maybe watch a movie. Other times we would go
straight to the gym.

Occasionally Liz, Annie and Drew
would join us. Every once in a while Liz and Drew would actually work out, but
mostly they just made out on the bench presses.

Colin and I, on the other hand,
had landed in the friend zone. He never tried to kiss me again. I couldn’t
imagine he was dating anyone else either, since we were together almost every
night, but we never talked about that. We talked about everything else, though.

When I aced my interview for a job
as a research assistant for Channel Ten News, he was right there to celebrate.
And when I found out that I officially got the job six months before we
graduated, he helped me practice by pretending he was someone else, while I asked
him interview questions.

I was excited for him, too. He
pushed himself every day, getting stronger and running faster than he ever had.

Everything with us was going
great... except for the fact that I was tired of being in the friend zone. I
never forgot the feel of his lips on mine, or the way he held me when we slept,
or the fact that he had a playlist dedicated to the first night we kissed. It
was driving me crazy.

 
Annie and Liz were starting to worry
about me. “You never have time to go out with anyone else because you are
always with him!” Liz yelled over the sound of “Tainted Love.”

 
They had grabbed me as soon as I walked
in the door after working out, and made me go to Maxwell’s for drinks and
dancing.

Maxwell’s was one of our favorite
hangouts, because they played cool eighties music, so I was game for a night
out- not so much so for the intervention Annie and Liz were staging.

"If you guys are going to
just be friends then that’s fine,” Annie added. “But then you need to have time
to meet other guys. He can’t monopolize you.”

I didn’t want to hear it, but they
were sort of right. I needed to move on. Colin and I could always be friends,
but I was potentially missing out on meeting the love of my life.

“Fine." I took a deep breath
and let it out. "I’ll give it a try, that’s all I’m saying.” I looked
around the small club, contemplating my next move. “Where do I start?”

The girls did their part by making
sure that I danced with as many guys as I could and that I got a few numbers.

By the end of the night, my phone was
filled with possibilities. They also made me promise to call at least one of
the guys.

I enjoyed the night out. Liz,
Annie and I danced like crazy, both with each other and with guys. A couple
guys tried to buy me drinks, but my friends and I had a strict 'no drinks we
don't buy ourselves' rule.

Overall, great time.

Final count: I talked to seven
guys, danced with four, got six phone numbers, and was interested in exactly…
zero.

Because I promised Annie and Liz
that I would call at least one guy, I took the numbers of the three guys that seemed
the most like my type, then drew a name out of a plastic cup. That’s how I met
Jeff Williams. The guy who changed my life.

 
And I only went on one date with him.

Jeff was sweet. He had impeccable
manners. On top of it, he was a really good-looking guy. He also loved to talk
about the 49ers. Like they were his children. I actually thought he was talking
about his family for the first twenty minutes of our date, since he only used
the football players' first names. Every once in a while, I forgot to act like
I was listening.

He didn’t seem to notice.

Annie decided that operation ‘show
Colin what he’s missing’ was in order. Apparently, going out with Jeff a couple
more times was imperative. I agreed to one more date. That’s the most I could
muster without gouging my own eyes out just to take the boredom away.

Colin, Drew and James had just
arrived at our house to watch a movie, when Annie and Liz decided it would be a
great time to announce that I was officially dating.

Liz was on a natural high because
she had recently won the bet. She was also worried that Annie might not fulfill
her part of the deal. Annie was mad at Liz for having so little faith in her.
That became the start of bet number two.

Liz actually bet Annie that if she
didn’t keep the house clean for the next three months Annie wasn’t allowed to
spend the night at James’s house for three months. Needless to say James was
very helpful at keeping the house looking spotless.

We had just made popcorn and
started the movie, when Liz decided it would be a good time to start some
drama.

“So, Lucy, when do you think we
can go shopping? I know you and Jeff are going out again this week, so I wanted
to make sure to plan our trip around your date.”

Colin, who had been engaged in the
movie up to this point, glanced in my direction, eyebrows raised in question.

“He wants to take me to
Real Steel
on Friday so that’s out. Any
other day is good.” I jumped at the chance to have our second date at a movie,
since I wouldn’t have to listen to him talk the whole time.

“What?” Colin asked, clearly
pissed at me. “That’s your birthday. Didn’t you think your friends might want
to spend it with you? You’ve been on like two dates, and he’s taking you out
for your birthday?”

 
Everyone turned to look at Colin,
surprised by his outburst, then looked at me for my response.

“He doesn’t even know it’s my
birthday. It’s just a movie. I figured we could celebrate my birthday over the
weekend.” I answered him slowly, not sure what to make of his outburst.

“Fine. Whatever.” He said, looking
back at the movie.

“What do you mean, ‘Fine.
Whatever?’ Am I not allowed to make plans without checking with you first?” Now
I was getting pissed.

Drew started to say something, but
Colin cut him off. “Did I say that? All I was trying to say is that it’s a
little surprising that you barely know this guy, yet you’re hanging out with
him on your birthday instead of your friends.”

It was Liz’s turn to try to smooth
things over. “I don’t think that’s what Lucy was thinking, she was probably...”

And my turn to interrupt. “You can
learn a lot about a person by hanging out with them twice. Take you!” I yell at
Colin. “By the third time I met you I knew you were a complete…” I paused,
grasping for the right word. ‘Douche Canoe!” I finished, and then nodded at
Annie to thank her for the word.

“Oh like the guy you’re going on a
date with is so much better. The best ones are always guys who hang out at
bars. Let me guess, he’s the guy with the jeans falling so far down you can see
his Tasmanian Devil boxers. Or wait no, the guy who couldn’t keep his hands off
your ass the whole song, even though you kept pushing him away.”

The room became silent, minus the
movie quietly playing in the background, long since forgotten.

“How did you know about the guys
at the bar? Were you
there
?” I asked.

“Uh, no. I just know the type.”

“
Jeans falling so far down you can see his Tasmanian Devil boxers
?
That’s not a type, that’s a description you give a sketch artist. Why the hell
were you there?”

Colin glanced at Drew, unsure of
what to say, which caused Drew to speak up. “He came with me. I wanted to go.”

“What? Why? Liz asked, surprised.

“I wanted to see what you were
doing. I was...worried.”

“Worried? About what? That I was
going to trip while dancing, and need you to call 911?”

“No of course not, I just...”

“Wait.” Liz interrupted. We didn’t
see you guys there. “Were you hiding? Why didn’t you just come over to us?”

Drew let out a breath, but didn’t
speak.

“You were spying on us?” I asked.

“We were just checking in. We
didn’t want to interrupt.” Colin was acting like it was no big deal, which was
only adding fuel to the fire.

“What is wrong with you two?”
Liz’s voice was getting louder by the second. “We are
amazing.
We are the kind of girls who you should be telling your
moms about. Drew says we are ‘dating’ but won’t call me his girlfriend. Colin
won’t even acknowledge that he is practically in love with Lucy. You just want
us to hang around, helping Colin get above 150 pounds, waiting for the two of
you to stop being dumbasses. So what do you do? You follow us to our girls
night out,
spy
on us like you want to
make sure we’re not going to meet some other guys, then never do anything about
it.” Liz threw her arms up in defeat.

“We just wanted to make sure you
guys were safe!” Drew practically yelled in the attempt to get us to see their
side.

“Don’t worry guys. If someone
tries to snag our purses, we can save them ourselves. We don’t need a couple of
wannabe superheroes to lurk in the corners of bars in case we need them.” I was
getting tired of this whole conversation, and I didn’t think I could hear
another word about them needing to protect us.

“You know what? Just go home.” I
stated matter-of-factly.

“Lucy--” Colin started, but I
stopped him.

“No. You don’t want me. But you
get mad at me when someone else dates me. Drew acts like he doesn’t want a
girlfriend, but clearly can’t take the possibility that Liz might have fun
without him. She’s right. You guys don’t deserve us.”

“Listen to Lucy. Just leave.” Liz
walked over to the couch and turned up the movie to let them know she was done
with them.

The guys just stood there for a
second, probably unsure of what to do.

James, who I had almost forgotten
was even there, stood up. “The girls said to leave. You need to go.” He opened
the door for them, and gave them an uncompromising look.

As soon as they left, Liz dropped
the remote and ran up the stairs. Annie and I were close behind.

----------

“Just text him back and get it
over with.” Annie whined, throwing the phone my way.

It had been three days, and the
guys had pretty much taken turns texting and calling us
all day long.
Neither of us bothered to answer, and poor Annie was trying
to take a nap on the couch. Finally I decided to give in, tired of the constant
ringing.

“What do you want?” I texted,
trying to make it as difficult as possible for him.

“Lucy?” Colin seemed surprised to
hear from me.

“Yes. What do you want?”

“I want to tell you the truth. You
and Liz.”

“So you admit you were lying?”

“Just omitting.”

“How do I know you won’t ‘omit’
when,
if
we talk to you?"

Because, once you hear what I say,
you will know that I am putting all of my trust into you. You can decide if you
can do the same thing for me.”