Lucky Sweater

Please don't get too close, don't look inside of me. That's where the demons are.

"The coffee here is... terrible." She smiles, and the demons claw at my insides. I can feel them twisting and turning in my stomach. I smile back.

"Yeah... but the company is pretty good." Oh my god who said that? Did I say that?

She laughs a little laugh, and pulls her hair back from her face.

Oh my god I did say that. I think that's the smoothest thing I've ever said in my life. The demons writhe in my abdomen, and I want to throw up.

Instead, I turn red and look away.

"I uh... I like your sweater. Very festive." I indicate with a gesture the knit christmas tree pattern.

"Oh, really?" She pulls the sweater out in front of her to examine it, like it's the first time she's seen it. "My grandmother knit it for me as a gift. When I told her I had a date she insisted I open it early. She asked me to wear it, for good luck." She's turned a similar shade to me. She lets the sweater snap back and shrugs. "I know knit sweaters are a little goofy, but... I couldn't let my grandma down." She puts both her hands on her coffee cup, and I guess finds something incredibly interesting in the foam.

I bite my lip.

"Is it working?" I venture. What am I doing? Who is saying these words? My entrails do a somersault while I await her answer.

"Huh?" She looks up at me, puzzled.

"The lucky sweater... is it working?" My face is a rigid mask of confidence.

"Oh! Heh, well... You tell me." She says coyly. Oh man, coyness!  Calm down.  Shut up stomach. We can do this.

"Well, like I said... I like your sweater." I look into her eyes, smile, and feel the bottom drop out of the world as I get lost in their gorgeous green depths.

She giggles. It's the greatest sound of all time.

"If only the luck had extended to the quality of the coffee..." I say, absent mindedly.

"Tell you what," She says, putting her cup on the table. "I'll pick the coffee place next time." And she looks back into my eyes.

My demons melt into butterflies. Everything is suddenly a buttery dream. Everything in the world is amazing.

There's going to be a next time.