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SEVEN
Arlo
I droveBriar and me to campus yesterday but since it was Tuesday, we didn’t share any classes or see each other. She had texted me when she got out and I drove back to pick her up. She had offered to just walk home but it was late, and I don’t like the idea of her walking around by herself at night. Besides, I like spending as much time as possible with Briar so picking her up isn’t a hardship.
We didn’t stay up late last night, so she slept in the guest room. It’s Wednesday and our first-class today is astrology and it’s nice walking to class with her. We stop at the campus coffee shop on our way and I get Briar her tea and some pastry thing and a coffee for myself. She smiles at me as we exit and head to the science building.
It feels like she’s walking closer to me than usual, but I shake it off. It’s probably all in my head. I have no experience with girls, and I’ve been trying to figure out how she feels about me since we met. I mean she gave me her phone number and we went out to dinner, so she has to feel something for me, right?
Then, I remember how on the phone she kept saying that I’m her only friend at this new school and I wonder if maybe she only sees me as a friend. My heart sinks at the idea of Briar putting me in the friend zone. I just wish that she would give me a definitive sign one way or the other.
Briar squeezes my arm and I jerk out of my thoughts to see that we’re standing outside of the science building. I must have been so lost in my thoughts that I stopped walking.
“Are you ok?” She asks with concern written across her face.
“Yeah, just tired today, I guess.”
She frowns but seems appeased when I take a big gulp of my coffee. She tries to reach for the door, but I sidestep her and pull it open, ushering her past me. I follow her down the hallway and into the astrology classroom, taking my usual seat beside her. We still have a couple of minutes until class starts and we talk about what to have for dinner as we wait.
Briar’s phone starts to ring, and I watch as she excuses herself and walks outside the classroom door. She comes back right as class is starting and slides in next to me with a smile on her face. She leans over in her seat and whispers, “That was my landlord. He said I’ll be able to come back tomorrow night. I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”
She smiles at me as she opens her laptop and starts to take notes. I stare at the whiteboard as I try to process the news. I mean I knew that she was only staying until her apartment was safe again, but I guess over the last two days I forgot that she wasn’t staying forever. I frown as I think about not waking up and having her there anymore. Maybe I could convince her to stay longer. After all, she’ll be coming back on Saturday so she might as well just stay Friday night at my place too. I wonder if I could convince her that her place wasn’t safe and that she should just move in with me?
I don’t take a single note that class and I still don’t have a solid plan by the time the professor dismisses us. I wait while Briar packs up her things and grab her teacup and my coffee cup, tossing them as we walk out of class. I walk her across campus to her English class and she stops outside the door.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” She asks, trying to feel my forehead. “You’re being awfully quiet today.” She says skeptically as she frowns at me.
“Yeah, I’m alright.”
“Are you not sleeping well because I’m there?” She asks hesitantly.
“NO!” I blurt out. I don’t want her to think that I don’t love having her around me, crashing with me, because the truth is that I love having her in my space.
She doesn’t look convinced and I tug her into a hug before I can second guess myself.
“I love having you at my place. I was just thinking that you shouldn’t go back to your place tomorrow.” I say, putting the idea out there.
“Cause I’m going to be at your place on Saturday?” She asks, looking up at me.
No, because I love you and never want to spend a second away from you.
“Yeah. Doesn’t make much sense when you’ll be back the next day.” I say instead.
“Are you sure that you don’t mind?” She asks, still looking uncertain.
“Not at all.”
She smiles at me then and my chest warms as I see the happiness in her eyes.
“Ok, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
Her class is about to start and the last of the students rush in. Briar looks over her shoulder into the classroom before she sucks in a deep breath and turns back to me. She leans up on her tiptoes quick and the next thing I know, her lips are on my cheek. It’s a featherlight kiss, there and gone in a second, but it still happened.
Briar smiles, a pink blush covering her cheeks as she turns and walks inside her classroom. I stand frozen outside for far longer than I should as my mind tries to process what happened. I want to burn this moment into my brain so that I can always remember every detail.
I mean, that had to be a sign, right?
