Find Me in Philadelphia //nolan patrick

2. Butterflies

On Monday night, I show up at 10 on the dot and Nolan is already there. He is sitting at the same table as last night and there are two drinks on the table.

I smile and sit across from him. We smile at each other and honestly it makes my heart flutter again.

"I'm glad you made it," he finally says. I say the same back and then sit up straighter.

"How was school?" He asks. I tell him about my classes and about some of my friends. I ask him a similar question, just substituting the word 'work' for 'school,' and he smiles sheepishly.

"Ok so maybe work isn't a normal kind of job," he starts. I furrow my eyebrows as in what the hell does that mean.

"Are you a drug dealer?" I whisper. He lets out a hearty laugh and shakes his head. "No, no I'm not," he assures me.

I sigh a sarcastic sigh of relief. I know he's not a drug dealer. "Okay, so what is it?"

"I play hockey," he says. "Like for the Flyers."

My eyes widen. I'm not a huge sports fan but I am a Philly native. I sure as hell know who the Flyers are. "You.. you play for the Flyers? Like the real Flyers?" I ask in disbelief.

He laughs softly and nods, his cheeks getting red again. "Yeah, the real Flyers."

I lean back in my chair and wrap my hands around my cup of iced coffee. "Wow," I mumble. "So you're like, really good at hockey?"

His cheeks are getting red again. I kinda like having that effect on him. "Well, I mean, I guess," he says shyly. So humble.

I don't say anything else and I don't even look at him. I don't know what to say. I've never been around someone so successful.

"Is that okay?" He asks.

I snap up and nod. "Yeah I mean, I just don't get what you want with me?" His eyes furrow and his head tilts. I continue, "I mean because I'm nobody. I'm just in college and I'm not really great at anything. I'm just normal."

He smiles at me softly and shakes his head. "No you're not. You're special," he says.

I laugh. "That was so cheesy," I tell him and cover my laughing mouth with my hand. Again, his cheeks get red. I actually love how cute he is. He's adorable.

We stay until close to 2 am. I have a class at 10, but I don't care. I don't care because Nolan is so happy and warm and he makes me happy and warm. And it also gives me a reason to ignore Alex's texts.

We walk back to my dorm together the same way we did on Friday night and this time we spend even more time talking outside- there's just so much to say. The scent of new love.

"I better go," Nolan says. "You've got a class in a few hours right?"

I pout and put my hand on his wrist. We're standing really close together and I like it. "I don't care," I say. "I'll skip it."

He laughs and so do I. I'm being dramatic.

"I'll text you?" He says in a question kind of way. I nod. "You better."

I shouldn't even have to say this anymore, but his cheeks turn red again! I put both my hands on his cheeks and smile widely. "You're blushing!"

He playfully pushes my hands away and shakes his head. "Don't make fun of me, my cheeks always get red," he whines.

I pout again. "Aw so you mean I don't make you blush?" I love flirting with him.

"No you do! You do," he assures me. I think it's refreshing how he's not afraid to show me he likes me. "You just... you have an effect on me," he says and shrugs.

"Good," I say. "Because you have an effect on me too."

I know it's only our second time seeing each other, but we've been texting constantly since Friday and we just have such a connection.
I am so infatuated.

Again, we don't kiss. I really thought we were going to tonight. But Nolan is shy and I guess to some degree, so am I.

He leaves and I go inside.

The next day- Tuesday- Nolan texts me to say he has a few hours free at noon. I tell him my math class got cancelled, but it really didn't. I just would do anything to see him.

I'm falling hard.

He meets me outside one of the dining halls on campus, and I bound into him like a little kid on Christmas. It's super hot outside- almost 90 degrees- but that doesn't stop him from wrapping his arms around my waist and it doesn't stop me from draping mine around his neck.

"Hi," I say happily. "How's your day?"

"Great now. How was class?"

I shrug and we start walking towards Finn's. As we walk, our hands just fit together, fingers intertwined. "You know, all my friends are starting to notice that I'm ditching them everyday," I tell him.

"Sorry for stealing you from them," he says back. I grin. Please don't apologize.

Since we always go to Finn's, and it is unbearably hot outside, Nolan invites me to his apartment and I eagerly agree. We've never hung out anywhere other than Finn's. I think we are progressing in this relationship.

We take the bus to his side of the city and get to a beautiful apartment building. The lobby is impressive I can't even imagine what his apartment looks like. In the elevator, he pushes the button for the seventeenth floor, the second highest floor.

When we finally get upstairs and into his apartment, I'm speechless. I can't believe he is nineteen and lives in a place like this. "I like just moved in last week, so it's kinda messy," he tells me. As if I would care.

"Wow," I say. "What a great place." He says a quiet thanks and we just hang out in the living room mostly. I watch him play fortnite, even though he really wants me to play with him. I've never played a video game in my life and I'm not about to embarrass myself in front of him. I insist on watching. He gets very focused on it. It's cute.

He has to leave around three for a charity event, and at the last minute, he asks if I want to go. I have a class at 3:45, and since I already skipped one today, I politely decline his invitation. Even though I really want to go.

I make sure he knows that, by hugging him real tight before we get into the elevator. "I'll miss you," I say. "You're literally my best friend, just so you know."

I look up at him and he smiles. "You're mine too," he says back. "I've only been here for like a month and I really only talk to you and my teammates," he shrugs.

"I'm really glad we met."

Me too.

Samanthaobrien1: lots of good things happening :-)

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