~Day 160~

You had been with Zoey since early that morning.

Zoey sat at your desk, beading a bracelet.

You were sitting on your bed with your legs crossed, talking to Zoey about your latest incident.

You turned your head to the door when the calmness was disturbed with a knock.

Garroth's here. You figured.

You pushed yourself up and answered the door. It was going to be uncomfortable for Zoey when Garroth was in the room, but you couldn't make him stay outside. And something in you couldn't turn him away either.

When you saw Travis on the other side of the door, it made you do a double take.

"____, you need to help me." He demanded desperately.

"Um... With what?" You said, leaning up against your door frame.

"It's that guy..." Travis said, staring at the ground.

"Who?" You asked, wondering exactly what Travis could be thinking.

"The one who's been getting too close to Katelyn..." He resumed eye contact with you.

"Jeffory?"

Travis squinted his eyes tight. "Be quiet."

"Excuse me?" You asked, slightly offended, with your hands placed on your hips.

"Don't say that name. Ever." Travis looked behind you and inside of your house. "I could use Zoey's help too."

"What do you need help with? And don't say trimming your nose hairs, because I already said no a few days ago." You said, shivering at the memory.

"No, I just-" Travis started.

You cut Travis off. "I'm sure Zoey doesn't want to help you either, you're a grown man and you should be able to do this yourself-"

"No! I only asked once and that was like two days ago! I need help with Katelyn!" Travis said, starting to lose his temper.

"I'm not helping you with Katelyn's nose hair!" You said, backing up out of the doorway.

"No, not that," Travis calmed down. "I need advice on winning her over."

"Fine, come here. I'm sure Zoey can offer you some tips too." You stepped aside and let Travis in. You sat on your couch next to him. You looked into his eyes and placed your hands on his shoulders. "Travis, you do know commenting on how great her butt is isn't going to get you anywhere, right?"

"I-I just panic. Talking about butts and saying stupid things is the only way I can keep my confidence."

"That hasn't gotten you anywhere, because last time I checked, Katelyn is ignoring you." You took your hands off of Travis's shoulders.

Zoey stepped around your couch and took a seat on the other side of Travis. "You know, if you would just be yourself, I'm sure everything would work out."

Travis took a deep breath. "How do I do that?"

"Are you telling me you don't know anything about yourself?" Zoey asked, taking a sip of hot chocolate out of your favorite mug.

"I know that I hate he-who-shall-not-be-named." Travis said, slouching back on your couch.

"Voldemort?" Zoey asked.

You put a finger to your lips and lowered your voice. "Shh, don't say his name. He'll hear you!" You whispered sharply, over exaggerating.

Travis rolled his eyes. "So what do I do about him?"

Before you could answer Travis, you heard a knock on the door. Now it was Garroth. "Come in!" You said after turning your body towards the front door.

Zoey freezing up confirmed who you thought was coming in.

"Woah _____. Everyone's here. When did you get so popular?" Garroth joked.

Travis tried to hide behind you.

You pushed Travis to the side. "Don't be ashamed." You looked up back at Garroth. "He's here asking for girl advice."

You noticed Travis's cheeks flush red.

Garroth took a seat across from Travis. "Dude, it's simple. Stop being a perv. Girls like a gentleman."

Travis looked up with hope in his eyes. "That's it?" He looked glum again. "But I could never pull that off."

Garroth pushed Travis's shoulder. "Sure you can."

Travis shrugged his shoulders. "Even if I could, there's no way I can step up Jeffory." Travis looked to his side, not even caring that he said the name.

"Well that's simple too. Just get rid of him." Garroth leaned back in his seat.

"Garroth!" You swatted at him. "You're supposed to be giving him good advice."

Garroth looked at you. "Let me explain." Then he redirected his focus to Travis. "You need to out-do Jeffory. Make Katelyn notice you."

Travis jerked back in his chair. "Gah! I never said anything about Katelyn!"

"We all know who you were talking about." Garroth continued, "You need to make Katelyn swoon over you. You've gotta impress her, or else you're getting no where."

"How do I do that?" Travis asked.

You looked at Zoey, hoping she wasn't too uncomfortable. She was. Her face looked red like she had been holding her breath. She looked at you. "You know what? I'm all out of Hot Chocolate, I'm going to get some more." Zoey quickly stood up and disappeared into the kitchen.

Garroth watched Zoey leave before telling Travis what to do. "It depends on how bad you are. Practice on ____, then we can figure out just how much help you need."

You stood up and pretended to be Katelyn, and started tapping your foot.

Travis licked his thumbs and sleeked back his eyebrows with them. He stood up and flexed. "Hey baby, are you a library book? Because I'm checking you out."

Garroth stood up. "Okay, no." He pushed Travis's arms down back to his side. "Those sad excuse for muscles aren't going to be impressing anyone. Anyway, that's not what impresses a girl. And if you're going to use a pickup line, use a good one."

Travis slumped down as Garroth continued.

"Let me show you how it's done. I'm going to use ____ to show you." Garroth looked at you, his penetrating gaze making you nervous.

"Feel my shirt. You know what it's made of?"

You gulped, but Garroth gave you a look that gave you permission to feel his shirt. You reached your arm out steadily, feeling the fabric.

"Boyfriend material." Garroth finished.

You were glad that Garroth was looking away while you were shaking and internally screaming.

"See Travis? Even that was horrible. Pickup lines rarely work. If you're really going to win her heart, then do things for her that don't seem huge, but that are helpful. Like assisting her if she's carrying too many things, or giving her non-creepy compliments."

You looked towards your kitchen. Hopefully Zoey was alright in there.

"Okay Travis, show me your best compliment by pretending ____ is Katelyn."

Travis approached you. "Do you have a shovel? Because I'm digging that-"

"TRAVIS STOP LOOKING AT HER BUTT!" Garroth's eyebrows furrowed together.

Travis looked ashamed as he sat back down on the couch. "You said to pretend she was Katelyn..."

"But she's still my ____! And anyway, I told you to pick something else to compliment." Garroth calmed down. "Get up and try again."

Travis got up. "I like your knees!" He covered his face with his hands.

"No. Bad body part to pick. Maybe if you would just look at her eyes instead of her butt, you'd realize how much you loved them." Garroth stood up and made Travis sit down. "Let me show you how to treat a woman."

Garroth made eye contact with you. "Let's say she's carrying something heavy back to her house." You leaned down and picked up one of the candles off of your coffee table. "Here, let me get that." Garroth grabbed your candle, then looked into your eyes, which made you indescribably happy. "What do you need this candle for? Your smile alone could light up this whole room."

You felt yourself blushing, and you wished that Garroth was really saying this to you.

"See how red she is? If you can make Katelyn feel that way, she won't be able to stop thinking about you."

Travis nodded his head knowingly. You seconded Garroth's wisdom inside of your head.

Garroth set the candle back down on the table and looked at Travis. "All you have to do is find a small task -it's the little things that count- and help her out. She'll be grateful, so from there, it's an easy opportunity to start a genuine conversation with her. Throw in some compliments. Prove that you respect women. Talk to her like an equal. She won't be able to resist you."

Travis nodded his head the whole time, trying to grasp each new concept. You were still standing by Garroth's side, although he was back in teaching mode.

Somehow Garroth was lecturing Travis, but all you could think was that these were the things he did for you. Could he-? No, that's crazy.

Garroth patted your back. "Great acting ____." He sat down.

Of course. Those thoughts were crazy.

Travis looked at you. "____, I wanna ask Garroth some questions about girls, but I'm too embarrassed for you to hear them."

"Okay. I can leave for a second." You said, making your way to the kitchen.

You went pushed open the swinging, saloon-styled door and joined Zoey in the kitchen.

She was leaned up against the lightly colored counters, twiddling her thumbs.

"Zoey, you okay?" You asked her, standing next to her.

She looked at you. "Yeah, yeah." Zoey shook her head. "I just don't want to be out there with him. It's really nerve-wracking to be in the same room as the guy you like, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." You said.

Zoey smiled. "You know, Garroth is really sweet. He's really good with girls, and that's why I don't think I can go out there."

You had hoped Zoey hadn't heard what Garroth said to you, because you didn't want her to feel jealous or put down. But she hadn't, so that was reassuring. You folded your arms and looked at Zoey. "He does have a lot of advice to give. I wonder how he got so knowledgeable."

"Maybe he's a player." Zoey said simply.

"Hey! He can't be, can he?" You asked curiously. Somehow you highly doubted that. You weren't able to imagine him any differently than how you see him now.

"I don't know. But anyways, how did you get away from Travis to come here?"

"He asked me to leave. I guess he just needed some bro time." You said, absentmindedly tidying up the kitchen.

***

"It's awfully quiet in there." Zoey nodded her head towards the door that lead to the kitchen.

"... Too quiet." You agreed. "I should go check on them. You know, make sure they're not dying or anything in there."

Zoey gave you a far-off, distant look. "Yeah, good idea."

You studied her thoughtful face. "Zoey... Is everything alright? I know that look."

"Yeah, I'll just have to come up with a way to keep myself occupied for who knows how long."

You frowned. "You're welcome to come out there with us." You suggested, even though you knew that was out of her comfort zone.

She sighed. "You know me. I shouldn't. I'm so scared of embarrassing myself."

That's a fear I face every day.

"You can't just hide out in here. As much as I want you here, I don't want you here." You gestured to the kitchen.

"Yeah, you're right. I should probably leave..." Zoey looked down.

You grabbed her shoulders. "No, it's not like that-"

Zoey cut you off "-but it's a good idea. I'm gonna go."

You gave in. "If that's what you want. But I promise this visit won't go to waste. When we walk by Garroth, I'll make sure he gets your good side."

"Alright." She reluctantly responded.

"I'll go out first though. You know, make sure it's a good time to waltz on through."

"You did not just say 'waltz on through.'" Zoey teased.

You rolled your eyes and made your way out of the kitchen.

Travis was looking abnormally slick, but you let that slide as his normal vibe. Garroth was slightly flustered, but other than that, everything seemed fine. Nothing was on fire.

Peeking out from behind the swinging door, you asked, "How's everything going in here?"

Travis took charge. "Perfectly fine." He said smoothly. "Garroth here's just telling me about his thoughts on love."

"Uh-huh..." You nodded suspiciously.

"Something like that..." Garroth mumbled, then cleared his throat. "Perfect timing, ____. We were just finishing." Garroth motioned nervously. He shifted his gaze. "Right Travis? We're done talking about this?"

"Yeah, something like that." Travis mocked Garroth, indicating that they still weren't finished.

Garroth narrowed his eyes at Travis, daring him to say more.

"So... I'm gonna walk Zoey home. Come with?" You pulled Zoey out from behind the door and pushed her along.

Garroth and Travis sprung up from the couch and immediately joined.

At the sight of Garroth, Zoey blushed and looked at the ground. "I can... j-just walk myself."

You nudged her. "Zo, what're you doing?" You whispered through closed teeth. She ignored you.

Travis shifted his gaze back and forth between you and Garroth. He jumped to Zoey's side and stayed there. "We wouldn't want you walking home alone, now would we? I'll take you home. It's a great way to practice what I learned today." And Travis and Zoey were gone in an instant.

You let the door fall closed behind you and took a seat on the couch near Garroth. He still seemed tense, so you assumed it best not to mention his conversation about love.

"Is Zoey okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah, she should be fine. She's just feeling a little sick." You tried to redirect the subject before Garroth got any mental pictures of a sick Zoey. "So... um. You seem pretty educated in Wooing Women 101."

Garroth raised his eyebrows and turned to you. "Hm? Oh yeah. I've picked up a thing or two." He looked away, distractedly.

"I could only imagine from where." You teased. "And that whole demonstration for Travis really explains a lot. Is that the same compliment you use with every girl? One of the basics you learned from Flirting Academy?"

Garroth seemed to lighten up. "Actually, my compliment was genuine. What I said about you is exactly what I think. That's just one of the things that make me really happy to hang out with you."

"I-" You choked up, speechless.

"Cat got your tongue?" Garroth returned the teasing. That's what you get.

"Here you come like Don Juan. How am I supposed to respond to that? This is exactly why all of the girls are all over you." You crossed your arms.

"You say this about the guy who hasn't had a girlfriend in two years." Garroth looked away.

"Oh yeah? And you're proud of that?"

Garroth's grin was gone. "Actually, yes."

You dropped your goofy smile and narrowed your eyebrows, ready to listen. "You can talk to me."

Garroth exhaled through his nose. "No, no. It's not important."

You rested a hand on his shoulder tentatively, getting a warm sensation in the pit of your stomach. It wasn't healthy what his presence did to you. "If there's something on your chest, it's important."

Garroth looked down, nervously rubbing his hand through his hair. "Well... I wasn't always this way. Promise you won't see me any differently if I tell you this?"

"Promise."

"You won't look at me like I'm a huge jerk?" Garroth pressed on.

Whatever he was about to tell you, it was a deep, dark secret. You reassured him."I won't look at you like you're a jerk."

He breathed in deeply. "About five years ago, back in O'kh-" He bit down on his tongue. "Oak. Wood. My hometown, Oakwood, I used to... experiment. You know, with girls." He paused. "So many girls."

"Garroth." You redirected him.

"Right. So I was with a new girl... Every week?" He rested his hand on his forehead. "That's so awful. I can't stand to think about the old Garroth."

This new news was shocking... but it made perfect sense. "Wait, were all of the tips you gave Travis... strategies you used?"

He let out a big breath. "...yes. Look, I'm not proud, if that's what you're thinking."

You looked away, trying to sort through the jumbled mess in your brain. The perfect, charming boy you knew... went through girls as fast as Travis went through toilet paper? There's some human pile of Garroth rejects out there.

"Are you only polite because a girl 'can't resist a gentleman?'"

"No! Not at all. That was the old me." Garroth shut his eyes, thoughts about how much he despised himself swarming his mind. "See? I told you you'd hate me."

"I... don't hate you. We all make mistakes." Was this crush blindness again? Since you liked him, in your eyes, was there nothing he could do wrong?

"Thanks, I guess. But I really was the biggest jerk ever. I could get whatever- whoever- I wanted. I was self-centered and egotistical. There. That's the truth." Garroth's head hung low in shame, his clear, crystal blue stare still fixed firmly on you.

Here he was. So vulnerable. This was a new side of him- something you'd never seen before. He was putting himself in your hands. He cared so deeply about what you thought of him.

There wasn't much thought put into it when you suddenly wrapped your arms around his back and hugged him. He responded quickly, lowering his arms and holding onto you securely. You snuggled into his chest and sat like this for a while, listening to his erratic heart beat.

***