word count: 1032
The pair walked into the library and Iris led Eli to a small study nook at the back of the large room. It was her favorite place to go when she came to the library and she thought Eli would enjoy it too. Her favorite cubicle was the one at the end of the row, the only one with windows on two sides. The other two sides were dividers, something that every cubicle had between them, giving students a quiet and non-disruptive space. The small space was full of natural light and Iris always felt warm when she sat there. Eli nodded in approval, taking in the space. "Good choice." He stated, a small trace of a smirk on his face. Iris looked down to hide her blush as they settled in at the small desk.
Typically these cubicles were made for one person so they had to sit their chairs close together to share the desk. Their shoulders brushed occasionally while they got out their papers. "Okay so Turner basically just wants us to read our own paper and answer these questions," Iris begins to explain, showing him the first page of the assignment packet. "And then we'll trade papers, read each other's and answer these questions." She continued. "Then we meet up and discuss our opinions and suggestions for each other." Eli nodded as she finished her explanation of the assignment. "Sounds good. So we read our own first?" He questioned, hoping to clarify what he was meant to be doing. Iris just nodded and started to read her own work, answering the questions quietly. Eli worked on his own paper beside her.
The lines on Iris's paper began to blur as she lost focus on the assignment and could only think about how close Eli was to her right now. She took a quick peek at him, her eyes being met with the side of his concentrated face. His eyebrows were furrowed in a similar way to the time she first saw him and his pencil was drumming on the desk beside his paper. She smiled to herself but quickly wiped it off her face and looked back down at her assignment. Her mind was buzzing and her stomach was tied up in a knot just by looking at him. What is wrong with me? She thought, rubbing her forehead.
"Are you okay?" Eli asked, his voice laced with what seemed like actual concern. "Y-yeah," Iris replied, clearing her throat. "Just stressed. I'm taking a lot of college courses this year." She gave him an excuse that wasn't entirely untrue. Four out of her six classes were college level this semester and it was a lot of work. The workload never really bothered her and it definitely wasn't the reason why she was flustered right now. "I feel that. My mom made me sign up for three whenever I enrolled here. She wants me to have something to focus on." Eli said, still writing an answer to a question on his paper. Hearing him say this, Iris thought she may be able to learn more about him if she asked more about his mom. "Your mom seems a bit controlling. Do you get along?" She asked, afraid that she may be overstepping once again. "Sometimes." He shrugged. "I know she's trying her best but so am I and sometimes I don't think she gets that."
Iris felt her heart hurt a bit at his statement. She related to that in so many ways. She was always trying her best for everyone and no one ever seemed to appreciate it. She put in so much effort, only to get none in return. "I feel like that too sometimes. Like I'm the only one who is putting in an effort." Iris looked down at her hands on top of the desk whenever Eli's eyes met hers. "I'm sorry you're going through that though. Parents are hard to deal with." She says somewhat quickly, trying to get his attention off of her. She could still feel his eyes burning into the side of her head, the same feeling that she had whenever he sat behind her on his first day.
Iris quickly checked her phone and realized that the bell would ring in a minute. She started to gather up her things, looking up at Eli again. "Can I have your number?" She asked Eli, not thinking about how it sounded. She knew that they needed to meet up this weekend which meant that she needed his number to set up a time. As Iris handed him her paper so that he could read it before they met up, he handed him hers as well. "You're asking me for my number?" Eli questioned her, with raised eyebrows and a smirk on his face. Iris blushed and tried to hide it by focusing on stuffing her notebook into her book bag. "I-I mean, for the assignment. We have to work on it this weekend." She explained, cursing herself for being flustered once again. "Oh yeah." Eli nodded but not before his face fell. Does that mean that he wanted me to be asking for his number for other reasons? Iris wondered, watching him take out a black marker.
Before she could hesitate, he was taking her hand and writing his number across her palm. When he finished he smiled at her hand, almost looking as if he was proud of his masterpiece. Iris chuckled. "Thanks. I definitely won't lose it." Eli let out a small laugh. "That would be highly unfortunate." Iris shook her head before standing up and leaving the library. On her way to lunch, she entered Eli's number into her phone and then sent him a text.
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To eli :) :
tis i, thee fellow shakespearean
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Within seconds, her phone buzzed with a response.
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From eli :) :
i am pleased with thee's presence
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Iris blushed after reading Eli's text and she was thankful that she didn't have to hide it in the lone hallway. As she continued to walk to the cafeteria with a smile on her face, a realization hit her. She would have to explain the number written across her hand to Declan.
YOU ARE READING
tragedy
Fanfiction- the version of romeo and juliet that doesn't end in them both killing themselves this story will include characters from degrassi but it doesn't follow the storyline. this is my own universe that includes my own scenarios, relationships, and chara...
