Write Off (On Hold)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

This was unbelievable. It had really come to this.

I stood in line at the library with my hands barely able to properly hold the book I had picked out. I could feel myself growing more and more self-conscious the closer I inched to the checkout counter. The cover featured a very buff and shirtless man with longer hair than the female protagonist who was held tightly by the man as she looked into the distance. They seemed to be on some kind of tropical island for some reason and I barely read the summary to fully understand what the contents had in store for me. All I understood was there was a hot guy and a hot girl on an island and probably doing whatever aggressively straight people do.

I was suddenly snapped out of my anxious trance as a vaguely familiar voice called out to me.

"Boo?! Is that you?"

My head swivelled to see a face that I haven't seen in some time and I found myself gaping at the person in front of me.

"Allie?"

Her short soft curls were brushed to one side of her head which was a significant difference from high school when she had long hair. An array of tattoos covered her left arm and there was no attempt to cover it up as she was wearing a black tank top.

"How have you been?" She beamed. "You haven't texted me."

"I've been, uh, busy." The lie stumbled out of my mouth and someone loudly cleared their throat.

The librarian looked at me impatiently as he gestured to the line behind me. I attempted to shrug it off by adjusting my bag on my shoulder and proceeding to place my student card on the counter. The transaction went smoothly and as soon as I had checked out the book, I shoved it into the deepest depths of my bag.

"So, what are you doing here, Allie?" Despite my twitchy stance, I was able to come off more casual than I had expected. "I thought you went to the university downtown."

"Well, I was only going because my parents really wanted me to go into med. You know how some Asian parents are," she said with a shrug. "I came out saying I didn't want to be in med and quickly came out as lesbian right after."

"Ahhh, so you've finally done it.  I remember how you kept saying you would do it one day," I nodded. "How did they take it?"

"They were more upset that I didn't want to go into med which was the goal, so exactly how I planned it." She gave her signature lopsided smile. "Now I'm here with the rest of you losers to take a degree in English."

"Look at you, you're all grown up," I laughed and clapped proudly. "Where has the time flown?"

"It was like only yesterday that we were dating and I thought I was straight."

My smile soured. "Ouch, you really had to go there."

"Hey, I thought we broke it off on a high note. Unless you have something to say." She raised an eyebrow and I turned away.

"Nah, we're good." So good that I haven't tried texting her in literal years.

"Where are you headed next?" She asked. "I could walk with you there. My next class is in two hours and now I regret scheduling my classes this way. Hell, I could even sit in on your lecture for a bit."

My shoulders tensed. "I've got an elective. History of astronomy something. I forgot the exact name but you get the idea."

"Boo, guess what? I saw Janice carrying around an enormous plush toy and I think Barbara got it for—" Angelo stopped himself as his eyes landed on Allie. "Oh, I didn't realize you were talking to someone else. Did I interrupt something?"

Allie was about to speak but I held up a hand.

"You're good. I was catching up with an old high school friend." I tilted my head towards Allie with an apologetic smile while shoving my hand back into my pocket. "I forgot I had plans but I can totally catch up with you next time."

Allie only smiled back but she seemed more rigid than before. "Well, you still got my number, right? Don't be afraid of texting me."

"It was nice meeting you," Angelo said. He looked visually uncomfortable as his eyes darted back and forth between Allie and me.

"You as well." Allie's eyes met mine for a brief moment and I saw a twinkle of mischief. "I've been meaning to explore the Lassband building anyways. I heard there was a student-run bakery lurking inside it."

I gave a dry chuckle. "Well, have fun with that."

As she walked away, Angelo took a side step closer to me. He seemed to have been watching her as well and I could feel his curiosity radiating off him.

"That was awkward," he remarked.

I sputtered. "It's not like she knew you were going to come. I didn't really expect it either honestly."

Angelo stared at me for a long amount of time. The pressure of his stare made me recoil internally to the point that I was ready to flee from my spot. That was when he leaned back and the uncomfortable feeling slowly turned into dread.

"She's your ex, isn't she?"

My silence must have said everything as I couldn't make myself find the words to confirm or deny his suspicions.

He frowned and crossed his arms. "I don't understand how you can't write romance if you're still into her."

My whole face froze and I swore every muscle on my body tensed. "I'm not."

He seemed to have waited for an explanation but I began to walk away. I could hear him following after me but I didn't dare look back.

"Hurry up or we'll be late for both our classes," I said.

I saved all my drama for my stories. I didn't divulge it for casual chats.

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Want some more romance? Out of Order by zoe_grimm is a fantastic read.