He’d seen her the first time, but hadn’t gotten a fair chance to really look at her. Now that she asked about her appearance again, however, he decided to make a fair assessment, which he found to be much higher than his initial thought.
Anna had changed in more ways than one. Her freckles were mostly gone, leaving just a few about her nose, and she had managed to wear a decent dress that accentuated her curves well.
While it was a modest dress, it was one that clearly acknowledged her wider hips and larger breasts. ‘Perhaps a C… no, D-cup.’
“Enjoying the view that much, huh?” She rolled her eyes.
“I’m making a detailed assessment,” he chuckled, “And you’ve never looked hotter. Ah, yes! Ten out of ten.”
She blushed a furious red and looked away. “I wasn’t asking for that much!”
There was probably more he could have said, but just then, Jimmy pointed out the moment they’d all gathered for. Someone had just walked into the gym. She was flanked on both sides by friends. Two boys who both looked incredibly desperate to get on her good side, yet they didn’t seem to exist in her presence. Such was the brilliance of her radiance in Calvin’s eyes.
The image he’d made of her earlier that afternoon was shattered by the real thing.
“Her former size wasn't enough to torment us. How’s her back even able to casually hold up those things?” Asher muttered to Anna, who looked more irritated now than ever.
Jimmy, oblivious to the girl’s irritation, just like Calvin, answered, “I heard that the Fertility Pill also helps build back muscles. There’s never been a girl complaining about the weight of their bosom after taking it.”
“Anyone who calls it a bosom doesn’t deserve to live in this century,” Anna quipped, then turned to Calvin. She wanted to say something, but upon seeing how starstruck the boy was, she hesitated.
“Oh my! Darren’s trying his luck,” Asher pitched in, her arm around Jimmy’s. It was a mystery when she’d managed to pull off the feat, and from Jimmy’s reddening face, it was clear to see that he was no longer able to operate at full mental capacity.
Calvin was more interested in this Darren fella. No sooner had the man they were talking about approached Ruby than he was shot down with a “Not interested!”
It was so sudden and brutal that the waves echoed through the whole gym. This happened seven more times before all the guys stopped trying to approach her seeking a relationship. Only one remained, his hope dwindling on the edge of being extinguished.
Calvin downed yet another shot of alcohol and looked in Ruby’s direction. Anna was next to him. “You don’t have to go through with it if you don’t want to.”
“I want to…”
“And if she says no,” Anna tried, “She’s already said it seven times tonight. She might not be looking to start a relationship with anyone right now.”
“Whose side are you on?” Calvin turned to the girl. Her face told him everything he needed to know about his tone. His heart clenched, and he moved back a bit, “Sorry… I’m just… anxious.”
“It’s alright,” she tried, not looking him in the eye, “In that case, you should do it before you grow too anxious to leave this table.”
She had a point. Anxiety had a tendency to grow bigger the more one fed it. It was now or never. With a short signal, Anna rallied their other two friends.
Ruby had taken a seat in the corner, and the reason this was the best time ever was that she was left with one friend. With a practised trip, Asher managed to somewhat spill a drink on Ruby’s friend’s shoes, then went on to insist she could fix this problem really quickly in the bathroom despite the insults that came streaming her way.
Ruby saw Calvin approaching. She also saw Anna moving about like a waitress, placing candles on the table suspiciously well enough that they centred around her.
What she didn’t see coming was the rose that was suddenly in Calvin’s hands as he made a grand bow. It was with great respect that he refrained from looking at her cleavage, because that was some bottomless cavern from which his mind could never return, “I know we’ve not known each other wong but…”
“Wong?”
“I’m nervous,” he countered in the same heartbeat, “With me, go out you shall… I mean… hmm… Go. Out. With. Me.”
There was a moment during which he felt as though she would say yes immediately and jump into his arms as his imagination had already played out countless times before, but two seconds were enough for that to crash.
The room went quiet, and slowly but surely, awkwardness was starting to seep in. Calvin wasn’t done yet. He saw her lips twist, but not in a good way. It was like she was thinking of a way to turn him down easily.
Rather than take the soft loss, however, Calvin saw hope here and stopped her, “Wait, wait! Before you say anything, I have to let you know. Ever since we met, and that’s probably earlier than you remember us meeting, it’s been a battle in my mind to see just how long it will take before I get over my nerves and walk up to you as I have just now. I’m not perfect, but who is, y’know?”
“Calvin, I can’t. I’m sorry,” she whispered. Then she stood up and left.
A second after she had left, a tarp fell out of nowhere with the words, “I love you, Ruby!!!” written all over them, followed by poppers and celebratory music.
Jimmy jumped out from behind the sofa before skidding to a halt and putting all the stuff away. “What did I miss? Did I get the timing wrong?”
Anna was standing not so far from a frozen Calvin, her face a mirror of the pain she could only imagine he was going through.
‘Oh, Cal!’ She clenched her fists.
Laughter rippled through the gymnasium before he ran out, too embarrassed to speak to anyone, really. That night, he was the only one who got a soft rejection, unlike all the other guys who’d walked up to Ruby, yet it had yielded the same, perhaps even worse, result.
This happened three years ago, to a much brighter, hopeful Calvin.
Author's Note: Now, I don't know if any of you have been asking yourselves how this guy can just stare at his best friend and not be tempted. He's been tempted, but perhaps I've not shown it enough, which is partly intentional if I'm to bring out more of how much he likes Ruby. Still though... I feel for Anna. That dress is amazing... and so is her personality.
Bonus images here: