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Take as much time as you need, but I wanted to let you know I’m here to talk whenever you’re ready
Message sent, I returned my attention to Noah. “It’s hard, you know? I don’t know what to do. It probably sounds dramatic, because it’s been three days, which isn’t a long time, but I really, really miss him.”
“It’s not dramatic. It’s—” Noah cut himself off as Adam and Nick, two of the guys from our running club, approached our table.
“Are these seats free? It’s so busy in here today we can’t see anywhere else to sit,” Adam said.
I attempted and almost successfully achieved a small smile. What could I say? I was experienced at compartmentalising everything Ander-related. I’d been doing it for most of my life, after all. “Yeah, take a seat. Everyone’s in here escaping the rain, I think.”
“Cheers, mate.” Nick pulled out the chair next to mine. “I think you’re right. It’s pissing it down outside.”
Adam groaned. “Yeah. Tell me about it. I stood in a puddle that was more like a pond on the way in and got fucking soaked. My socks are wet, and it’s fucking disgusting having them squelching in my trainers. It’s meant to rain for the next few days. Anyone up for holding our next running club meetup inside? With a film and popcorn?”
“Isn’t that what the film club does?” Noah raised a brow, grinning, and I found myself returning his smile. Here, just for now, I could pretend that everything was normal.
“Why don’t we crash the film club’s next meetup instead?” I suggested, making an attempt to contribute to the conversation.
In the middle of stuffing fries into his mouth, Noah nodded and gave me a thumbs up, which I took to mean that he was up for it, and Adam followed suit.
Nick turned to me. “Do we even know what kind of films they watch? Isn’t it all arty foreign ones with subtitles?”
I shrugged. “No clue. They have a page with the listings, though…let me find it.” Tugging my phone from my pocket, I unlocked the screen. The first thing I saw was a new message alert, and my stomach flipped. My hands were trembling as I navigated to the messages, and I bit down hard on my lip to stop myself from reacting to the words that were written there.
Ander:
I need more time. Sorry E. DON’T STRESS. We’re still best friends *smiley face emoji*
Still best friends.
“Did you find it?”
“Huh?” My voice cracked, so I cleared my throat and tried again. “What?”
“Did you find the page?” Nick was eyeing me expectantly.
Clearing my throat for a second time, I once again pushed everything Ander-related down, and it took all my effort because all I wanted to do was overanalyse the message he’d sent me. “Sorry. Um…just give me a minute.” Quickly logging into the LSU network, I scrolled to the clubs and societies section, then scrolled through the alphabetical list until I found the film club.
“Here.” I placed my phone down between us so Nick could see it as I thumbed through the dates. “It says the next film isThe VelociPastor. What the fuck? With a title like that, there’s no way it can be an arty foreign film.”
Nick’s brows flew up. “What? That can’t be a real film, surely? Check IMDb.”
Pulling up my web browser, I opened IMDb and typed in the movie title. “It actually exists. Look.”
As we read the film’s description, which involved a man who could turn into a dinosaur, and ninjas, apparently, Nick began chuckling, and I unexpectedly found myself laughing along with him. When Nick read the synopsis aloud to Adam and Noah, they were in instant agreement that we 100 percent would be crashing the film club’s next meetup.
It felt good to laugh with my friends, but at the same time, it was hollow. I knew that as soon as I was alone again, I’d be back to feeling low and hopeless, missing my best friend, and wondering if things between us would ever be the same again.
* * *
Stepping outside the student union, I grimaced as the freezing rain hit my face. I burrowed deeper into my coat, tucking my hands in my pockets and hunching my shoulders to protect as much of myself as I could from the elements. Thanks to the weather, there was hardly anyone around, other than a few students dashing between buildings. Keeping my eyes on the ground, I made a run for the library, dodging the puddles as I went. It was on my route home and would give me a minute to shelter from the rain before I had to face the full force of the elements.
Because my eyes were on the ground, I narrowly avoided colliding with a girl, changing my trajectory at the last second and skidding on the wet ground as I twisted around her.
“Sorry!” I called out automatically, the wind whipping away my words.
Then I looked at her. And then looked again.
It was Daisy, the girl I’d met at the student union with Ander.
