The Bright Side

Chapter 15 - Part 1

SKY

It's almost eleven until my phone vibrates on the bed next to me and the Buckingham Palace Picture Tristan took in London flashes on the screen.

"Hi," I say.

"Hi." Hearing his voice only triggers the sensation of missing him. "Sorry, I'm calling so late. People went nuts today."

"It's alright."

I admit that I have been wondering what kept him, worrying really. "So, what did people go nuts about?"

"Urgh. Everything. It's not important." Tristan waves it off. "How about you? Settled in alright?"

I take a look around my room in Oxford, look at the bags that are still sitting fully packed next to the door. "Yeah."

"What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much."

After I had arrived, I sat in my room for about an hour, staring at the walls, hating that I had to be here already before Jo snapped me out of it and dragged me to Foxy Roxy's, the bar she's working at. I went through her notes for the collections on Saturday, had some dinner, but left early, absolutely not in the mood for being around any people other than Tristan. And back at our flat I tried to convince myself that I wasn't waiting three hours for his call, pathetic sissy that I am, not even daring to go for a shower in case I missed it.

There's the rustling of papers and people talking somewhere close to Tristan, but other than that there's only silence. I'm racking my brains for something harmless to say, something that will erase the tension, something interesting maybe, but nothing comes to mind. I have so many questions to ask – about us and everything, but I don't want to push him; I don't want him to freak out again. Well, saying nothing might do the trick, too.

"It's weird right? Going from seeing each other every day to this." Tristan finally breaks the silence.

"Yeah," I sigh. "I'm sorry. I really hate talking on the phone."

I'm not the most talkative person anyhow, but not being able to look at people and see their reaction to my words while having to do so, is entirely uncomfortable. And with Tristan, whose face I can read so easily, whose face I can read so well that he really doesn't even have to say anything, talking on the phone just seems like torture.

"Do you want me to hang up?" Tristan interrupts my thoughts.

"No!" I exclaim. "Let's switch to video call, alright? I'd really like to see you."

Well done, Sky. Wasn't that hard, was it?

Tristan instantly hangs up on me and my heart hammers in my chest when my mobile rings again just seconds later. And even more when I accept his call and his face appears on the screen. I'm probably smiling just as goofy as him.

"Hey." He's positively beaming.

"Much better."

He's so beautiful with his soft features and the crass contrast between his black crazy curls and the pale blue eyes, even the crappy quality of the video cannot hide that. I scan his face for any signs of change during the past hours, there are dark circles under his eyes and he does look a bit strained.

"So, how are you?" I ask him. "You look tired."

Tristan runs a hand through his hair and sighs.

"I am tired. Dead tired. Not enough sleep," he winks, "and I've been working all day."

"And other than that?" I've seen him tired before, there's more; I'm sure of it and it makes me uneasy.

"Urgh, I don't know. It's all so weird at the moment," he grins.