The Time I Tried to Act Cool Around My Crush and Failed Immediately

Photo by Ioana Cristiana on Unsplash

I once tried to look completely normal around my crush and somehow became the least normal person in the room.

I had planned everything in my head. I would smile casually, speak confidently, and act like I was the kind of person who never overthinks anything. In reality, the second I saw him, my brain left the building.

I said hello too fast, laughed at something that was not even funny, and somehow nearly knocked over my drink while trying to lean in like a calm, mysterious adult. Nothing says “I’m very composed” like almost spilling water on yourself in public.

The worst part was that I kept trying to recover.

Every time I thought I had fixed the moment, I made it worse. I asked a question, forgot the answer two seconds later, then nodded like I was deeply impressed by my own confusion. At one point I even said “yeah, same” to something I clearly did not understand.

My **crush**, to his credit, was extremely polite. Which somehow made it worse. There is nothing more humbling than realizing the other person is being nice while you are mentally tripping over your own thoughts.

By the end of the conversation, I had not impressed anyone, but I had definitely entertained myself later when I replayed the whole thing and cringed for ten straight minutes.

Still, I learned something important: sometimes the funniest thing you can do is simply be yourself, because trying too hard is where the real comedy begins.