again || robert pattinson

part thirteen.

11:34am

I shuffled the piece of paper in my hand. It was weird to think I took so much value in a small piece of paper, which was uneven at the sides.
I sat in my room, which I had managed to finally get around to getting a bed for.
Maya's room was much more lively than mine, and I almost felt ashamed about it. Her having her room already prepared, made it feel like it was being rubbed in my face. But, I reminded myself we had only been here less than a week.

"I got you a present." Maya's voice echoed throughout the apartment the minute she stepped in the door.

She seemed to find any minute she had outside of the movie set, looking around the town. I admired her. I was jealous of her. I was aching to look around the town, as well. I haven't found much time, between writing and preparing to write.

I smiled. "Really, what is it?"

"Close your eyes." She demanded, and I did.

She rested a larger piece of roll on my hands. I hadn't opened my eyes yet, but I could feel it. She told me to open my your eyes now, and I did. I looked up to her a little confused, she pointed at the roll. I opened it up. It was an old movie poster, I hadn't seen the movie on the poster and I felt guilty admitting it to her.

"Maya, thank you. This feels like an insult but I'll take it." I joked and she nodded.

"It definitely is. I mean, you haven't left the house much, so I don't expect you to have as much as me, but I can't stare at a plain room any longer." She jokingly belittled.

I sighed, completely agreeing. I wanted things in my room I could admire, except it was just white walls surrounding me.

There was a knock at the door, a sudden perfect timing as Maya was just about to speak. I looked at her, as she quickly rushed to the door. No one had rang the doorbell, or let alone visited us since we had moved here. I could only guess who it was and who I was expecting.

"Shaun."

An obnoxiously synthetic tone left Maya's mouth. It echoed throughout the apartment unwillingly, and I wished she could have at least faked it better.
I didn't really have any urge to jump up and run to the door, to quickly leap into his arms.
Today felt like a cycle on the calendar, a new emotion to follow for each day, on today's register is; artificiality.

"Maya, nice to see you." He played along which I appreciated always.

It's a Friday. He told me on Wednesday, that he would be here on Friday. He said he had a lot of papers to grade, more than he was expecting.

"Are you sure you don't mind? God, I feel terrible." His voice was heavy.

"It's really fine, I'm not going anywhere." Literally.

You would easily think, a relationship with a college professor, or your own (former) college professor, would be every ounce of awkwardness you could imagine. I would be lying if I said some of that wasn't true. It would creep at the back of my mind, trying to convince me to be weirded out. I sometimes could not tell the difference between my heart and my head, which one was speaking.
This never helped with making decisions.

"In here." I called, yet he was already at the door.

He smiled. "Hi, babe."

I wondered if he only ever called me babe, because he thinks I like it. That the only way I could feel validated was through pet-names.
I imagined a college professor would almost dry heave at the thought of words like bubba and baby-girl. I almost giggled to myself as he stood right in-front of me. I wanted to laugh at myself too, why was I randomly questioning these things?