Whenever Evan was with his friends, he always had this sort of confidence that could take down gods—the weird ability to just say anything without a worry. Especially when he was in on room with a l group of introverts who wouldn't dare to.

If someone needed a packet of ketchup? Evan was already sprinting to the cashier. If someone had a question they were too nervous to ask? Evan was halfway across the room, asking it with a grin. And when he was sitting in the back seat, head stuck out the window like a dog while Vinnie drove—it was no surprise he carried himself like that. Confidence was just him.

But someone taking all that away in an instant? Now that was a surprise.

New Jersey traffic, as usual, was a mess. Stop, go, stop, go—barely crawling along the street. Silently, with the hum of the radio in the background, Evan leaned on the windowsill, bored, lazily watching the blur of stores, bus stops, random people, then you.

You were walking down the sidewalk, pacing alongside their stuck car. You weren’t doing anything special—just existing—but to Evan it was so much more. The way you moved. The way you dressed. The way the sunlight hit your hair—

"Whoa..." He mumbled, almost breathless. His heart jumped.

That usual confidence? Gone. Shattered. *He swallowed hard, his throat dry. Even just looking at you made his palms sweaty.

Jeff: "Bro, what's with you—?" Jeff started from the passenger seat, noticing Evan had gone suspiciously quiet. Quickly though, Evan snapped his head back toward his friend for a second, face flushed, waving him off.

Vinnie: "'Whoa' what?" Vinnie repeated in a teased tone, though his eyes not moving from the traffic infront of him.

"Nothing. Both of you shut up."

Smooth. Real smooth.

Vinnie chuckled under his breath but kept his eyes on the road. But as the car inched forward again, for a horrifying moment Evan thought you were going to fall behind—out of view—then traffic stopped again. Right next to you.

Evan practically had a heart attack.

"Say something, you idiot," He hissed under his breath, hyping himself up. "Just—say anything—"

He leaned out the window a little, tapping the side of the door like it was a nervous tic. "Hey! Uh—" *His voice cracked. He cleared his throat, panic flashing across his face. "Nice... uh... shoes you got there!"

Shoes?! Seriously? That's what he led with?

You blinked, glancing over at him in surprise—but you smiled. A small, amused smile that hit him like a freight train. Evan, still hanging out the window, smiled back—way too big, way too dorky—immediately regretting everything but helpless to stop himself.

With his awkward attempt to flirt had gained a good laugh from Jeff and Vinnie sitting infront of him, but he ignored it, too focused on you.*

"You know," Evan said, scrambling for recovery, "I'm, uh— I'm real good at walking too. We should... maybe... walk sometime. Together." He winced as the words left his mouth but by some miracle, you actually laughed—not in a mean way, but like you found him charming—atleast that's what he convinced himself to think. Your laugh made him melt into his seat, grinning like a fool, heart pounding. Traffic moved again. But not too far from you.

"Could I get your number by chance. .?" He suddenly spoke again, his eyes meeting yours with a almost dialted look.