AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Catching up on the gaps and spaces in each other’s lives.
“So, when are you going to admit that your major is just glorified coloring?” I whisper, dodging the pen she throws at me.
She shushes me, a finger to her lips, but there’s a smile hiding there. “Shut up, Cal. Some of us are trying to learn.”
I lean back, arms behind my head, watching her. “You know, for a self-proclaimed artist, you sure are uptight.”
She snorts. “Closer to an engineer than artist, thank you very much. And uptight? You should see me when I’m not surrounded by dusty old books andhistory nerds.”
I lean closer, our faces inches apart. “I have. Not much to see.”
She shushes me again, but her voice is laced with laughter. “We’re here to study, so can you be quiet for once?”
“Studying you, aren’t I?”
She gives me a slanted look, painfully unamused. “What are you supposed to be working on, anyway?”
“Ah, just some boring old history stuff. You wouldn’t get it.”
“Try me.”
“The social dynamics of early Mesopotamian societies.”
“You’re right. That sounds ... incredibly dull.”
“Hey, the past is fascinating. You know, all those old dead people, doing stuff.”
She laughs, light and soft, green eyes crinkling at the corners. “Wow, you really sell it, Cal. I can see the passion in your eyes.”
“Passion, boredom, it’s a fine line.”
“I should have brought headphones.”
I lean back in my chair, arms folded across my chest. “You love my company.”
“Keep repeating that to yourself.”
Her soft laughter blends into the quiet tapestry of the library, and I’m somehow struck by it. It’s these small moments between us, simple and unremarkable, that remind me how much I’ve missed this. Missedher.
It’s been a whirlwind since we reconnected. Though, I’m trying my best to savor it. My one-game suspension came and went, and now I’m feeling better than I have in months. In years, really.
The way we are when we’re together? It feels a lot like it did when we first went off to college. Young, carefree, simple.
And yeah, I’m still hopelessly in love with her. I’m not sure that will ever change.
I’ve been trying to keep my feelings to myself, but my composure’s slipping day by day. I can’t allow that to happen, though, can’t risk it. Not now, not when things are going this well between us.
So, I’ll keep shoveling it down, burying it until my lungs are filled with dirt.
If it means keeping Lila close, then I’ll gladly lie in the grave.
* * *
Afew days later, we’re lounging in my bedroom, half watching some random movie on the tiny television set in my room. Lila’s head is resting on my chest, her breaths coming slow and steady. It’s the most peaceful, most serene that I’ve felt in a long time.
I stroke her hair gently, enjoying the softness of her long, dark hair under my fingers. “Hey, Li?”
“Mhm?” she hums, not opening her eyes.
