That guy you know

There is this nervous charm about him. The kind that takes you in yet keeps you at a distance. The kind that speaks for itself yet leaves a lot unsaid. The kind that is not out there, but the kind that grows upon you.

                He will not be noticed for his grand entry. But he will be noticed in a room full of people, more for his commonality than for any distinguishing uniqueness. One look at that approachable face and a voice in your head will go- “Hey, I know him!” And when you realise you don’t know him, you will want to know him. There is no specific quality about him that one can pinpoint as the one that makes him stand out. But he does stand out. Soft yet strong. Firm and clear.

                He always wears full-sleeved shirts. Extremely lanky, with a curly mop of hair and a quiet countenance; he could easily be passed off as that boring geek sitting in a corner, happy in his own world. But then you notice his smile. Because when he smiles, that brightness around you will be hard to escape. There is a spark in his eyes when he smiles- slightly mischievous, purely innocent. As he speaks to you fiddling with the rings on his fingers, that husky baritone turns around his seemingly quiet persona. That slight drawl when he talks, those constantly moving hands trying to explain his point,  that tilt of the head when he is listening to you— you would feel like you’ve known him forever.

                Somehow, his messy appearance is a pleasing contrast to his genuine, unaffected charisma. He walks out of the room, but a major part of him stays with you. A memory that won’t recede soon. Magnetic. Amusing. Imperfect. Mysterious.