Serendipity

Heading out?

I kinda wish Tim was a jerk.

That way I'd be able to hate him and go on with my life.

But no, he just has to be a kind, sweet, double-dog-owning boy with eyes the color of jade and a smile full of warmth.

I wish he wouldn't keep throwing me mixed signals- like, he literally asks me about possibly being bisexual, and then goes and shrugs it off and never brings it up again.

"Ugh," I groan and cover my face. We planned to meet halfway between and then walk over to his house after lunch. I haven't told my parents about my feelings for him, but I think Lina knows. She's always known.

Now I have about twenty minutes to moan and groan to myself before I have to get up and get going to meet up with Timothy.

"I wonder why people named Timothy go by Tim when they could go by Moth," I say suddenly, sitting up as the random thought comes to my mind.

"That's a good question," Lina says from my doorway, making me jump.

"What're you doing in my room?" I yelp, grabbing a pillow and holding it in front of me defensively.

"I'm not technically in your room," She points at the ground. "See, that there's your room- this here's not."

I sigh. "Unless you have some helpful advice, go away and bother someone else."

"Oh, come on," She rolls her eyes. "I'm not gonna be here for long- the minute I graduate I'm heading out. You should be grateful that you have me in your life."

I roll my eyes.

"Look, I can tell something- someone- is on your mind," She says, crossing her arms. "And I might be able to help."

I hesitate, and she waits for the inevitable spill.

And I do.

I tell her everything -from the homophobic William to the poopy shoe- and she listens.

"Looks like you've got someone who's confused about what and who they are," She nods knowingly.

"And what does that mean?"

"It means that before you make a move-" I blush at her words, but she ignores me. "You have to let them figure themself out first."

"So, what, I just wait?"

"Yep. Nothing else you can do. Besides maybe flirting, but you're terrible at that."

"Shut up," I chuck my pillow at her and she catches it with one hand.

"I'm serious," She shrugs, fluffing up the pillow before tossing it back at me. "If you really love someone, you can wait however long they need."

She sucks on her cheeks, watches me for another second, then ducks out of the room, closing the door mostly behind her. Damn her, always giving good advice and leaving.

"She's got a point," I mumble.

The cheerful ding of a text coming through pulls me out of my thoughts, and I glance over to see Timothy's name on my screen.

Timothy |I'm heading out! See you somewhere in the middle :)

Shit.

I scramble to throw on some shoes and a light hoodie before skipping down the stairs with my phone in one hand and my beanie in the other.

"Heading out?" Dad calls from his office.

"Yep!"

"When are you coming back?" I told him before, but I guess this was to be expected.

"Dinner. Unless we end up having fun and want to have a sleepover...?"

"Yeah, sure," His tone is slightly dismissive, but also slightly excited. "Go have fun. Let me know if you're gonna stay for the night and I'll deal with your mother."

"Thanks, Dad!" I glance around, but don't see Lina. She's probably in her room. "Bye, Lina!"

I hear a faint, "bye!" from somewhere upstairs.

Then I unlock and open the door and step outside.

I check the time again- and shoot I'm late.

I jog down the sidewalk in the direction I saw Tim running in the other night, hoping to catch him in the middle like we said.

Finally, I see a Timothy-shaped someone approaching at a similar jog. He sees me a moment later and waves.

"Hey!" I stumble to a stop, trip on a crack in the pavement, and land in Timothy's arms.

"Nice one," He teases, lifting me back up. My face flushes at the sudden proximity, but he just grins and brushes off my shoulders gently. "You almost got your first kiss stolen by the pavement."

I scoff. "Rude of you to assume I've never had a first kiss."

"Oh, have you?" He raises one brow and links our arms playfully as he tugs me along in the direction of his house. "Please, tell me more."

"I mean," I bite the inside of my cheek and blush. "I haven't. But still." William came pretty close a couple days ago, but I wouldn't count that as a kiss anyway.

He's silent for a moment, then he pats my head affectionately and nods.

"Maybe that'll change soon," He says casually, but those simple words send my mind reeling.

What did he just say?

Was that flirting?

Or was he implying something else?

"Yeah," I say, keeping my voice as even as possible. "Maybe."

We walk in silence for a moment, but I catch him opening his mouth to speak before quickly closing it again.

"So, my mom said I should tell someone-" Tim bursts after a moment. I glance over at him curiously. "I can't tell her. Not yet. But yeah I feel like you'd get it...so..." He inhales deeply and licks his lips. "I'm bisexual."

That...

Was not what I was expecting.