An Angel's Love

Small World

**Three weeks later**

Ever since Michael and I had agreed to live together on our own, he seems distant.

Today we would finally be moving into our new apartment, and now more than ever did he seem farthest away from me. He always seemed lost in thought, or rather, memories. Zach noticed this too, so I asked him to do me a favor.

"Can you at least ask him what is bothering him so much?" I pleaded. "I need to know!"

He shook his head, clearly he knew a lot more about what was going on than I. Yet, he still seemed confused as to why Michael was reacting the way he was.

"Just give him time, he's just confused."

It was my turn to shake my head. "There is no more time! I cannot move into an apartment with him if he is acting this way. What good would that do?" I paused to catch my breath. I pushed my hair back in frustration. "We will not even speak. He has not in a while, and I doubt us moving will change that." I gave a small sigh and my mind was finally, after a long time, clear. "I refuse to move in with him." I said.

I saw Zach's eyes widen, and he quickly tried to reach my arm, but it was too late.

"Ele, wait, you can't just leave him like that!" He tried, but it was no use. "He'll be devastated!" He tried. But my mind was already made up. It was pointless to move in with him. If anything, that, right now, could be the end of us.

And just like that, I picked up my stuff and left Zach's apartment. I got on the bus and made the short trip to Grace's apartment. Hopefully, my new home.

~~~~

I knocked on her door and it opened moments later. Grace saw me with my suitcases and gave me a confused look, but none the less invited me to come in.

"I thought you were going to move into the new apartment today?" She asked right away.

I shook my head, and I found I could not meet her gaze. "I.. uh.. I left them." I said nervously. We began walking and entered her bedroom, where I took a seat on her bed beside her.

Grace gave me a confused look, but tried her best to understand. "For a quick visit?" She questioned.

"I could not do it, move in with him."

I watched as her eyebrows rose up, and her eyes widened slightly. The look on her face reminded me of Zach, and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I remember how I had just left them there.

"So you just left?" She asked me, clarifying.

I nodded and dipped my head down. I felt so embarrassed for my actions, yet I knew why I did what I did. But still, that did not mean my actions were justified.

"Why?" She asked with a sigh.

"Have you noticed the way Michael has been acting lately?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer to my question.

She nodded, I could tell by her facial gestures she was beginning to understand what this was all about.

"Well," I continued, "He has been acting this way since we talked about moving in together, and no one will tell me why. So I figured, what good will it do to move in together? He will probably just get more distant until we end things between us."

She gave me a nod, and I saw her move a little uncomfortably under my gaze, almost as if she knew something I did not.

"Do you know why he has been acting this way? Any ideas?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She closed her mouth but opened it again shortly.

"I'm sure you know the last person Michael lived with, before Alex, right?"

I shook my head, but took a guess. "His family?"

A smile appeared on her face, but she still shook her head. "Well, yeah. But after that." She asked. I shook my head again, so she began speaking again. "Well, when before he came here, his parents wanted him to live with Alex, and he did. For a few months. It was during their junior year of high school, I believe. Then he began dating this girl back home, Phoebe. Shortly after, he practically moved in with her in their dorm rooms, even though it wasn't allowed I heard she was more on the wild side so she made it work.

"He was still technically living with Alex, to please his parents, but he was never there. I can't say what happened between Michael and Phoebe, they never really told me. Zach told me few details from time to time, but I never pushed for information. I doubt he still has feelings for her, but I do think he may have some guilt, which might be why he has been acting this way."

"Do you think it reminds him of her?" I asked. "Us living together?"

She pursed her lips and leaned back in her now messed up bed. "I think it's possible."

I sat back and looked around her room. It was a lavender color and had white lace curtains by the balcony door. I turned and saw her small desk, and besides it a full length mirror. On the right corner of the mirror, I saw a photograph. It was of Zach and Grace, in their high school years.

"How long have you known Zach?" I heard myself ask.

She smiled and blushed. She grabbed a nearby pillow and hugged it close to her chest. "We met at the end of eighth grade, and we instantly became best friends. I didn't like him like that until the middle of senior year. Until then, I had been content with being his closest friend. We had both been in other relationships, and it didn't bother me until I realized how much I wanted him, how strong my feelings for him were.

"But still, I didn't say anything about it. He had a girlfriend at the time, she was the most popular girl at our high school. She was beautiful, and I was happy for Zach. I still remember this one time, we went to the pizza place, the one we took you to, and we just sat on the stairs of the playground together. I was tempted to hold his hand, but I decided against it. Anyways, I had been pretty much tuning him out as he spoke until he said something that caught my attention. I remember him saying something to me, something that gave me hope he felt the same way. He said 'I mean, yeah she's great, but I don't think she's for me. I think I'd prefer to be with someone that knows me, someone who gets my jokes. She gets offended whenever I joke about her and takes it too seriously. I don't know, sometimes I find myself wishing I was dating someone close to me, a friend.' I was so happy, and totally went along with it to my advantage.

'Yeah,' I had said 'Someone who understands you.'

'Yeah,' he said. He turned to face me and he smiled. 'That's exactly what I need.' We both smiled at each other for a while until moments later, his girlfriend called and he picked up. He said he needed to go, but he dropped me off first. I guess that's when I really started feeling this way towards him, when I saw it was possible."

I had been smiling at her the entire time, interested in the way Zach and Grace had come to feel this way for each other.

"What happened next?" I asked impatiently.

She smiled at the memories. "He acted different towards me. More caring, lovingly even. But he still had a girlfriend, and I wouldn't be the cause for him to be unfaithful, and I told him that. Three days after I told him this, he broke up with her. Yet, he never asked me out. We weren't friends with benefits or anything like that, but still we showed each other we loved each other. But at some point, he stopped. I didn't know why, and it made me sad. He still showed his affection, but he wouldn't tell me how he felt, and neither would I."

I saw both regret and sadness appear on her face. "So, it was skinny love?" I asked.

She nodded, and then sighed. "I guess it still is." She turned her head up and faced the ceiling. She began to laugh as she said "At least Tiffany didn't win!"

I looked at her in confusion, and after she saw my expression, she answered the question she had just created in my mind.

"Tiffany, was, in fact Zach's girlfriend in high school for a little over a year. They were the perfect couple, at least, until Zach changed his mind."

I grinned. "For you."

"Some might say."

I nodded. "I should have known!"

I heard her utter a small laughter. "What can I say," she said in between laughs. "True love conquers all."