I Have Loved You

Chapter 4 - Liaison

I have loved you, my future. You are my tomorrow, my every day. 

The message on her phone blinked during study hall. She hid it covertly in her notebook with the sound on mosquito so her teacher wouldn't hear. 

It was funny too, because this particular teacher tried to connect with the students, acting younger than his actual age of 40. They tested it once too, and he never heard it. Zara kind of felt bad for how her classmates would laugh behind his back. He really was a cool teacher. 

She barely lifted the pages of the notebook, tapping the screen. It revealed one new message from none other than Liam. 

"Can we try talking again."

She tapped her pencil furiously against the desk, looking up to see if Mr. Harris noticed. He didn't.  She grabbed her phone and hid it under the desk while she rapidly typed her response. 

"This is getting us no where. We are at am impasse."

"..."

Not this again. She watched as the ellipsis disappeared. 

"I have a solution to our problem."

She looked around the room again. She was pretty sure Mr. Harris was playing solitaire on his laptop, or writing some breakout novel that gets him out of this excuse for a school. No one was paying attention to her. Everyone was split into friend groups; all were covertly texting back and forth like she was with Liam. 

"Fine. Where are you?"

She didn't have to wait long for his next text. 

"Chemistry."

She couldn't play his waiting game any longer. It was infuriating to wait for the text that would never come. Her Biology book, Concepts of Biology, was mocking her. She knew sheneeded to study for her quiz, which was right after after lunch. She flipped through the pages, practically ripping the rarely opened book. 

She found the section she needed, Chapter 3, "Cell Structure and Function." She tried to read the chapter, which admittedly she should have already read. She thought a lot of things. She thought she had study hall. She thought this thing with Liam was in the past. She thought...

She couldn't focus on the words in front of her. The only text that stood out was, "Close your eyes and picture a brick wall." She felt stupid, but she did it. When she closed her eyes she didn't see a brick wall. She saw her hands against Liams abs, his hard, six pack abs that might as well be a brick wall. 

The guy must be on synthetics, or something. She tried to shake the image from her mind. She focused again. Wall, abs. Abs, wall. Liam. 

"Damn him." She slammed her book shut. A few of her classmates looked over at her, but instead of feeling embarrassed she through her book into her backpack and walked over to Mr. Harris' desk. 

He straightened up, closing his laptop. She was right, solitaire, or novel. She would have to find out later which it was. 

"How can I help you Ms. Reed?" He was eager. His face had the look of an eager Lab ready for the next command, or in her experience, car ride. 

"Can I go to the nurses office? I'm having cramps."

Sputtering, "Yeah, sure. Of course."

Mr. Harris was funny. He wore a blazer, but to seem relevant, or retro, she wasn't sure, sure wore a Janes's Addiction band shirt. No one would think he got it on re-sale. She was sure he went to the concert back in the day. 

She smiled benignly, and took the pass he offered her, and went, but not to the nurses office. She found the chem lab. She wasn't even sure which one was Liam's class. She felt empowered to be the one seeking him out, and not the other way around.