Beyond The Sky

27

The time comes for me to leave the house in the afternoon. I double-check the time both in the text and on my phone, making sure I wasn't too, too, early. Or overly enthusiastic. I take a deep breath. "See you later, Spencer!" I shout from the front door, letting him know I was leaving. His "job" is to let mom know I'm out if I'm not back by the time she gets home from work.

"See you, Rina," he responds as I shut the door behind me, exiting. The location we picked to meet wasn't far from either of us, so I just walked there. It was a nearby park, that's pretty nice this time of year. It's not quite winter yet, but it's really close.

I walk through the neighborhood, my strides even. I wasn't going to take my time, but it's nice out today. I decided to enjoy my surroundings and take it slow. This wasn't going to last forever.

I sigh as I approach the park's gateway. It squeaks as I open it, and I cringe at the sound. Not pleasant. I look around for Lance. I have no clue what he actually looks like - all he said was that he was wearing a gold-colored hoodie. So in reality, I looked around for that. It's bright, right? So it should stick out.

I shoot him a quick text. 'Are you here? I am.'

I go sit myself on a bench and wait for a response. Or, if not a response, him.

I twiddle my thumbs beneath my phone, awaiting the response. I guess I had started daydreaming, because the next thing I know there's a bright-colored hoodie in front of me after a tap on the shoulder.

"Serena?"
I snap myself out of it. It takes me a moment to respond.
"Hi... Lance, right?"

"That's me," I stand up as he confirms, "I'm so glad to finally meet you in person."

I laugh awkwardly. "Yeah, sure is." I squirm a little.

Lance notices this. "Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Oh, no, no, not at all!" I say reassuringly. He backs up a little anyway, just to make sure I'm good.

"Let me know if I ever make you uncomfortable. I'll back off." He says, smiling softly at me.

I smile back. "Okay, sure."

The air grew a little colder as the chill grew. The sweater I was wearing wasn't quite enough, but I made it through. I wasn't going to burden Lance with anything - we're just hanging out. As friends.

Right? That's what I wanted - wouldn't it be the same for him, too?