He didn’t realize that he held his breath while she spoke until his heart started to pound a little harder than before. Li never really got nervous; maybe sometimes having some sinking feelings in his stomach or knots in his throat but never butterflies in his stomach. Even then he didn’t have those feelings but that didn’t stop his heart from racing.
Maybe it was the fear of rejection that kept him on his toes. It made him feel like a loser if he couldn’t get the job done, and that was a feeling that Li didn’t like. So he didn’t put forth the first effort and let others come to him, which happened more often than he had to worry about. So maybe that was his problem, he was trying and he was scared of failing.
Yet none of that mattered because she said yes. He had an excuse to go this thing now, and Clemence would get off his back for the dare. It was a win win situation. “I know we haven’t really talked much, but you seem nice and not irritating. Plus that’s how dating works, right?” At least that’s what he hoped. “But cool. We can either talk about plans now or a little later if you want.”
Why was it that she felt more nervous after answering than before? Her mind kept reeling and while the smile remained calm and welcoming, inside she was a mess of emotions. What should she do with her hands? How should she stand? Was her hair alright? What about her clothes? She was over thinking small things she would consider trivial any other day but right then they seemed important.
His explanation for asking her out had stilled the questions for a moment. She chuckled, placing her free hand over her mouth. "Yes, I would imagine you wouldn't want to ask someone irritating. I'm flattered you don't find me so."
While she was still jittery, his words did help ease her. It was a conversation, she could handle that. "I'm not busy now, And I have a notebook on hand--" She said, gesturing towards the notebook. "If you don't have anything to do right now, we could get started."