Temporary Love

Twenty Four: Cancelled

Ally

Following the voice of an australian accent spewing direction to my final destination, I drove south on Sheridan Road, away from Loyola campus.

It was mid-afternoon in Chicago. The weather was as labile as usual. The heat of the sun shining its rays between the buildings I passed by was accommodating to my tanned skin in contrast to the chilly wind that blew my hair all over my face.

"Turn left and the destination is on your right," the GPS instructed. I obeyed and turned into Grandville Avenue.

It was a dead end street as the building nestled itself right in front of Lake Michigan. Perplexed by the proximity of the address to the campus, I hit the break outside of a high-rise glass building with Stonecrest Condominium engraved on its marbled exterior.

The condo had a valet service, but I drove away in search of a free street parking. Driving in the Chicagoland area, parking had always been a constant struggle. The Edgewater neighborhood was one of the worst due to the heavy automobile and foot traffic from the university, multiple private schools, train stations, and the lake within the area.

After a few minutes, I found myself lucky to have found a spot in front of Sacred Heart Montessori, two blocks away from my destination. It was past four in the afternoon and parking restriction during the school day was no longer in effect.

Despite the gray blazer and jeans I had on, my tremulous body gave way to the cool breeze, or nervousness, as I stepped out of the car and walked towards the building. 

Nothing is going to happen. Just don't do anything stupid.

I recited these lines continuously in my head as I neared my destination. I stood outside, contemplating on a strategic plan to reschedule this spontaneous meeting. Coincidentally, my phone vibrated before I could even sum up any valid  reasoning in my head.

Harvey (05:04 PM): Let me know when you're almost here.

I dialed for him.

It rang and rang until it reached his voicemail with a robotic female voice reciting his phone number. I ended the call. I could not control my anxiety as I paced back and forth.

Fuck. I could still back away. Why the hell did I agree to this?

It had been a week since our dinner. Every day after that, I was greeted with a "Good morning, Beautiful" message from him. Although the text came quite early for my liking, I couldn't complain about that morning compliment and attention. At the end of the week, my body unlocked its built-in alarm clock for six in the morning, anticipating the text that never failed to come.

The week following my return from vacation had been pretty hectic. Ryan and Ken had asked me to cover a few more extra shifts due to Nina's absence. I knew they were desperate for help. Although I was busy preparing to finalize my spring semester, I couldn't say no. They both had been good to me, especially with the flexibility of my schedule. This was my way of showing my appreciation.

Harvey and I tried to meet up a few times this week, but our conflicting schedules didn't help. On the days I had some free time, he was either committed to a band rehearsal or out of town. Albeit, we had learned some basic facts about each other. I finally had the chance to ask him about his birthday. It was coming up. June 24th, a Cancer.

According to Google, their emotions are at the forefront of their existence. They are aware of their emotions and equally aware of the feelings of those around them. They also bring out the best out of their loved ones and are considered the most romantic. I was never one to believe in signs and horoscopes. But so far, he was a textbook example of it.

Towards the end of my speech class, a vibration from my pocket saved me from almost falling asleep. I fished out the phone and was greeted by his message.

Harvey (04:17 pm): Good news! Aaron had to cancel our band rehearsal (technical issues) so I'm free. Meet me at my place and I'll drive us for dinner.

He knew I was off on Thursday since I worked the entire weekend. So, I couldn't even use work as an excuse.

Me (04:19 pm): Wait...what?

Harvey (04:19 pm): Here's my address. 6157 N Sheridan Ave. I'm going to get ready now. My phone is always on vibrate, so I won't hear it if you try to reject me. (; See you soon.

I tried typing my hesitation. I could've rejected his invitation. I should've. But like he said, he won't have his phone with him to even read my rejection. And if I really wanted to be an asshole and reject his spontaneous plan, he would've been dressed and ready by the time he reads it.

As much as the idea of going to his place was nerve wracking and possibly reckless, I couldn't hide the fact that I've been wanting to see that man since our last date.

Four thirty came and class finally ended. I tried to bid my farewell to Gio as quickly as possible, but the guy decided to go up to the professor and ask about our paper. It took a few minutes of exchanges between the two men as I stood idling by the door, ready to leave his ass. 

He had asked me to hang out with him at the cafe after class and I accepted, not having any plans prior to that spontaneous text. When he finally finished, I broke the news to him as soon as we stepped out into the hallway.

I told him it was an "emergency" with an emphasis on it. His eyebrows met. Curiosity filled his eyes, but I didn't have time to tell him the full story after making me wait almost fifteen minutes for him.

"Who is this guy?" Gio asked as he walked me towards my car.

"I told you I'll tell you all about it later," I rolled my eyes at him. I felt like I was being interrogated and it was getting on my nerves. I quickened my pace, while he walked like he was strolling through a picturesque park, enjoying all the greenery around him. I did not have time for that.

"Can you walk faster?" I asked, annoyed by his nonchalant mode. "You don't have to walk me to my car if you're gonna move like a damn turtle."

He mocked my asperity, laughing as he finally caught up with me. We talked about meeting up to finalize our paper the following week before we parted ways.

***

I dialed for him again. One last time before I walked away, I convinced myself. Unfortunately, he answered after the first ring. My shoulder dropped as disappointment and anxiety consumed me.

"Hey, I'm outside," I hesitantly confirmed.

"I'll be right down," he assured.

"Ok. Bye," I replied with a tremulous tone before ending the call.

After a few minutes of pacing, I stopped and stared out into the passing cars on Sheridan Road as the changing street lights controlled the pace of the traffic. The sun was beaming against my back, the lake's cool breeze blowing my curled hair.

Thankfully, I decided to dress more decently today instead of my casual bum sweater and yoga pants.

The longer I waited, the more my stress level heightened. When I finally turned to face the entrance of the building, I stood still with my mouth agape with incredulity.

There he was, stepping out with his black jeans and fitted henley shirt. His sculpted pecs pronounced under his shirt and arms flaunting its strength as he ran his fingers through his golden brown hair. If this man asked me to strip naked for him right now, I'd do it in a heartbeat.