Athena
"You know, you could just tell her how you feel."
Classes ended early enough for me to catch up with Fitz in his dorm room for a round of video games. Lately, Owen and I barely hung out together and the times that we did included Fitz and Maya.
I completely understand that since his program was pretty busy and hectic, Owen has to spend a lot more time working on his requirements. The same goes for Maya yet with her, we still go out for weekend runs and coffee.
Though we literally stay in the same room together, it's hard keeping tabs on him. Owen's just so focused and determined to overthrow that stupid professor of his by doing all nighters with his books and notes.
I kinda missed hanging out with him.
"It's weird with her, you know? Like, we barely talked. And she hardly looked at me back in high school." Fitz answered as his eyes were focused on his TV set. Currently, we were having another game of DOOM. This time, I'm purposely flunking it so he wins.
"Then start talking. Jeez, is that so hard to do?" I asked as I turned an eye toward Fitz and immediately turned back towards the TV as I heard my character get pounced at by intergalactic demons.
From the side, Fitz scoffed as he shook his head. He let loose of his grip from the controller a little as he pushed his glasses up and continued playing.
"Doesn't 'awkward' and 'introvert' speak for themselves?"
He shoots a demon. It was a good shot though his precision was way off the head. He could've shot in in the forehead so the demon's killed immediately.
"Right. I forgot you and Owen are literally the same person." I said with a slight curve of the mouth.
I love thinking about Owen. The fact that he's so busy these days just bums me out so whenever Maya's not available, I head off to Fitz's. I could relieve my desires for Owen by simply shooting demons right in the head.
"Yeah, you could say that." Fitz answered monotonously as he kept shooting demons on screen. Eventually, he won.
After we finished off a level, Fitz and I took a quick break. We gulped down sodas and ate chips he had laying around. His messy organization system had really proved to be useful these times.
I opened up a pack of Lays and popped a chip into my mouth as I turned to Fitz and pointed a finger.
"You know what I don't get with this whole 'I luv Maya' situation? How you survived years with just staring at her. That's kinda creepy dude."
"You think so?" he asked, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I know so. If someone did that to me, I'd rip his eye sockets off and share it in a feast with my dog." I said as I rolled my eyes and threw some more chips into my mouth.
"Oh god," he said as he slumped down on his bed and groaned. He stayed like that for a few moments before his groans kept going louder.
"What?" I asked, putting down the Lays packet.
"I AM OFFICIALLY THE WORST PERSON EVER." he said loudly. Fitz kept suffocating himself with a pillow and stayed under it for the duration of whatever this is.
"Nah, don't say that." I said, coming nearer.
"SHE'LL NEVER LIKE ME."
"She will. Get her a plant. She loves those." I suggested, trying to brighten up the mood.
"She has hundreds of plants. She won't need another." he replied.
"What if she does?" I queried.
"I'M A CREEP." he said as he hid under a pillow and continuously slammed it into his face.
"And uh, --I'm a weirdo?"
"I'M A LOSER."
"I-- Wait, are we solving your problems through song or is it just me?"
"ATHENA, HELP ME ON THIS." Fitz exclaimed as he threw the pillow off his face and toward the floor. It stayed down there with his unfinished laundry and socks.
"FINE FINE! I'll help. I'll play cupid or whatever." I said as I threw my controller and Lays packet over to the side and crossed my arms.
"THANK YOU." he said.
Fitz enthusiastically brightened up as he sat back on his bed. He was smiling bashfully with his glasses all wonky on his nose bridge as he rubbed his nape shyly.
"Is it possible if uh, you do all the talking and I'll just get her directly after?" he asked.
I shot him a confused look and I couldn't help but picture me doing all the swooning until I just send Maya off to Fitz in a care package or something similar to that.
"Like when you whisper to your mom what you want at McDonald's and she tells it to the cashier so you get the benefit of not speaking but still have your order?"
Fitz nodded hesitantly and agreed.
"Something like that, yeah."
For a second, Fitz looked hopeful. Too bad it was me he approached. The nerve of this guy to ask me to do such things was unreal. This was exactly what Owen would do if such situation arrived.
Being anti-person is not a good enough reason to completely avoid going through the process of getting to know the person better. Having me do all the dirty work so he can eat some spaghetti and meatballs in some fancy Italian restaurant with Maya is not what I pictured playing cupid was like.
"No." I answered plainly.
Fitz slumped his shoulders and had a pleading look in his eyes. He clasped his hands in prayer as he scooted over to my side and pleaded.
"ATHENA, PLEASE. JUST THIS ONCE." he said with those big, puppy eyes for a more dramatic effect
I shook my head and shot him a playful smile. I just love torturing people like this.
I think it's time Fitz gets to interact with the real world instead of shooting down demons in some intergalactic video game. He could use some practice.
"I'm sorry Fitz but you've got to work your butt off to get a girl like Maya."
He looked askance and lost as he stood up from his bed and brushed off his pants. As he stood, Fitz paced back and forth in his room and he was obviously blabbering something.
"I don't know how to get Maya. I don't know how to get a girl like Maya. I don't know how to get ANY GIRL. ANY PERSON TOO. Holy shit, I'm the WORSE." he blabbered on and on.
I sighed and stood up as well, following wherever Fitz's footsteps would take him.
This guy needs a lot of work done.
"Fitz, CALM DOWN." I said, standing up as well as I raised my arms to hold him down by his shoulders as soon as I caught up with him by his stack of dirty clothes yet to be put inside the common washing machine.
Fitz's eyes were pacing and unfocused and his sweat beads were dropping off his forehead. Fitz was really worked up about Maya and I wanted to help the guy out by first, calming down. He would think clearer this way.
"I suck at this." he murmured as he avoided eye contact with me.
"No, you don't. You just have to practice." I said, giving him a reassuring pat to the back.
"I don't know if it has to do something with how I approach people. Maybe I can ask Maya out to coffee? Or lunch? How did Owen do it when he asked you out?"
I was thrown off by his sudden remark about Owen and I couldn't help but miss him and be slightly offended Fitz thought it was always the guy who asked the girls out. What minimal misogyny.
"Excuse me, I asked him out. First." I clarified.
"Really? You did?" Fitz asked in surprise. His eyes were round and he had a slight smirk on his face.
I scrunched up my nose and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Why? Is it bad that I asked the guy before he did? Sorry, I guess I was impatient." I said with a scoff.
Fitz looked bashful yet again as he waved his hands and shook his head a little.
"No, it's fine. Kinda refreshing to see that a girl asked the guy? Who would've known." he said with a gentle smile. At this point, I was beginning to think he was feeling the least bit hopeful about his relationship with Maya.
"Well, he was stuck up in denial and I just went for it. You'll never know." I said as I playfully punched Fitz's arm and proceeded to sit back in front of the TV. I reclaimed my discarded Lays pack and shoved a few inside my mouth. It was not too soon when Fitz followed suit.
"But I'm not good when it comes to girls. I dont know how to talk to them." Fitz said.
I was put off a little again and it was given that this guy was not getting the picture that he's doing fine when he talks to me.
"Dude, I'm a girl." I said, stating the obvious. If Fitz thinks I look like a man the same way Owen thought when we were still blossoming into friends, I'm seriously gonna bonk both their heads together. They think so alike, it's weird.
"Yeah but uh, you're cool. Maya's-- different. You play video games, eat like a wrestler and crack the weirdest jokes. Maya's,-- Maya." he said, looking wishful. I can see from the way he acknowledges her how much he actually likes her and it warms my heart guys like Fitz exists.
"Then imagine you're talking to me when you're with her. It'll make things easier." I suggested.
Fitz smiled subtly and nodded a little.
"Yeah right. If I picture you as a potential love interest, Owen's gonna kill me. I don't plan on dying before getting my degree." Fitz said laughingly.
God, I miss Owen so much right now. He would seriously do anything to the highest extent just to get what he wants without anyone's help. If he wants to kill someone, he's smart enough to find a way.
"Say your prayers Mohan because he will surely do." I said noddingly.
"So what'll I do now? Wait for her to ask me out?" he asked.
I slung an arm over Fitz's shoulder and sighed. Sometimes, men just think so differently I couldn't believe such people even think like that. Waiting for Maya to ask a guy she barely talked to in high school for some coffee or lunch was way out of the question. Of course she wouldn't invite them over for things like those. They have to be friends first. At least that's what I think.
"Not really. What I'm asking is you doing the opposite." I suggested excitedly.
"Opposite of what?" Fitz asked, looking very clueless.
"Waiting." I said.
"Which is?"
God, Fitz is totally Owen's half. They both bluff way too much and pretend to be clueless about things that make them uncomfortable.
"Just--, ask her out, Fitz. What's wrong with getting to know her a little better? You did go to the same high school." I said knowingly as I nodded.
Fitz fumbled his hands as his browline softened and he nodded as well.
"Yeah, we did. So like, you sure this won't flop?" he asked with a tinge of uncertainty in his voice.
I shot him a reassuring smile and gave him a thumbs up.
"A hundred percent. If this won't work, I'm getting you a new game for uh- whatever console you choose
PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo--, you name it, I'm ordering it off Amazon." I suggested.
Looking quite contented with our plans set, Fitz grinned hugely and looked at me playfully.
"That sounds fair. Help me with Maya?" he asked as he held out a hand.
I looked down on his golden brown hand and took it.
"Gladly."