Unseen

Chapter 34

"My dad won't stop pushing me to go to UCLA, but come on! I got into Harvard! As in, the other side of the country from his demanding ass. Also, did I mention that it's Harvard?" Connor fumes, exasperation radiating off of him in waves as he rants about his father. Not that I blame him, the guy is kind of a dick.

"Do you really want to go to Harvard, or do you just want to try and get as far away from him as possible?" I ask curiously as I poke at the food on my tray, not really hungry at the moment.

Flynn has been acting weird ever since he came home late after his meeting with the head coach of UCLA last month. Apparently things went well with the coach, which is great, but I can't imagine the meeting took four hours, so clearly he was out with whoever was on the phone with him that Saturday.

Today is a perfect example of his odd behaviour. Since we started dating officially about four months ago, we've been eating lunch together every day. Such a small detail, I'm very aware of that, and it may seem petty, but today, he's nowhere to be found. I have scanned the cafeteria a solid dozen times, but can't see him anywhere.

He's also been evading my questions whenever I ask where he's been disappearing to, his eyes darting around and laughing nervously like he does when he's lying about something. Logically, I know I should have confronted him about that phone call when it happened almost a month ago, but I just didn't want to argue. I managed to convince myself by the time we went to bed that it was just a misunderstanding, and I tried to let it go.

I really, really tried.

But the more he continues to dodge my questions and disappear without an explanation, the more nervous I get, and I'm getting really worried. Try as I might, I can't help but let my thoughts turn dark and spiral into worst case scenarios.

"I really want to go, the location is just an added bonus," Connor replies with a light chuckle and I smile in return. "Besides, I already submitted my acceptance and applied for a ton of grants and scholarships just in case the old man decides not to help me, so what he thinks really doesn't matter." His face takes on one of determination and my eyes widen slightly.

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

"What do you mean?" he asks shyly with a light blush and I grin at him as I shake my head.

"The Connor I know would never stand up to his father in such a rebellious way. I must say, I'm quite proud of you."

"I'm just over it, you know? I'm sick of him dictating my life; for once, I just want to live for me, not for him. I have this amazing opportunity in front of me, and I'm not about to let him steal that away from me."

This conversation kind of makes me think of how Flynn finally said fuck it and told his parents he was gay. Yeah, it caused him a lot of problems because he was kicked out of his house, but he was still brave enough to do it, and he went through all of that hell just for me. That thought brings a small smile to my lips and I try to push aside all the negative thoughts I've been having and focus on the fact that he loves me, and I love him.

"Good for you! That's amazing, Connor. You deserve to be happy, and if this is what will make that happen, then I say go for it."

"Thank you," he says with a bright smile before he rests his elbow on the table and props his chin in his palm. "Now what's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. You've been off for like a month. I was willing to let it slide, thinking you would talk to me if it was serious, but I'm starting to worry about you. What has you moping around lately?" Frowning, I lean back in my seat and run a hand through my hair.