OLD Campus Crush

30

"Come on, come on... pick up-Please pick up." I paced the yard behind my dormitory building, pressing my phone to my ear.

I huffed when David's number went to voicemail for the fourth time. I decided to call it quits because I didn't want to be that creepy boyfriend who leaves like sixteen missed calls and double the unread text messages.

I didn't get much sleep last night, knowing that there was a possibility David was hanging on the brink of death.

Okay how about I not think about death right now.

Certainly, I was just bring paranoid and I needed sleep. Maybe it wasn't a car accident. Maybe... He... has asthma and suffered an attack?

Oh god.

Oh god.

I tapped his number again and held my phone to my ear, still pacing fearfully. "Pick up, pick up-"

"Hello? Casper?" A groggy, baritone voice answered.

My hand flew to my chest. "David? David! Oh my god-damn you; I thought you were dead!" I let myself catch my breath.

"Casper, I'm so sorry I worried you. I've had doctors swarming around me; I wanted to call you ages ago."

"What happened to you? In fact, don't tell me or I'll have another heart attack. Just promise me you're okay."

I could see his tired smile in my mind, and a weak smile appeared on my own face.

"I'm okay," he promised.

"Good," I whispered. "That's good." I ran my fingers through my hair, walking to an empty bench and cautiously sitting down. The relief that washed over me was enough to drown me, but I welcomed it.

"Your turn to promise me something... That your voice isn't a dream," he requested. "I was sedated a while ago. I'm not dreaming?"

I couldn't help my little chuckle. I bit my lip then my smile spread just a tad wider. "You're not dreaming," I reassured. "When can I see you again?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Soon, alright?"

"Alright. We had such a perfect day yesterday, you know. Usually a perfect day follows."

He laughed under his breath and I closed my eyes, missing him already. The sound was igniting. I just wanted to be wherever he was. With a heavy heart, I looked out across the yard. Some of my dorm mates were relaxing on the green grass and on hammocks, enjoying their lives and their friends.

I wondered if any of them felt as shitty as I did. I guess not because if so, they wouldn't be relaxing.

The weather was a bit damp. The sun was deeply hidden behind thick clouds, evidence that it would rain at some point today.

Good. Gray clouds to match my gloomy life.

"I wanted you to know a few things I realized you probably don't know. My middle name is Cyrus, I hate corn, I was actually born in England but lived in New York for the first few years of my life-"

"David," I laughed. "You're not... Look, you're gonna be okay. No final goodbyes, no last few words, and definitely no if-something-happens. I'll see you again real soon. Right?"

"Right. Casper?"

"Yeah?" I giggled.

"This isn't a goodbye, I know. But you said you wanted be a neurosurgeon. Is that true?"

"That's true," I confirmed.

"I think you're gonna do great things, Casper. You'll be one of the best. Have I told you that?"