Voicemails to Will

three; of car trouble

Sometimes my fingers involuntarily curl, and I miss you, Will. I miss how your chaste kisses felt on my cold skin; I miss the way your laughter seemed to resonate through your whole body.

It's the weather, I'd like to think, that makes me crave your touch. The frosty air and the bitter winds leave my whole body aching for you.

This reminds me of last Leap Day, when it was near freezing outside, yet you were still overly excited for free frozen yogurt.

It sounds arbitrary, perhaps, but that was the day, Will. Now it wasn't the day you asked me to be your girlfriend or even admitted your feelings to me, (for you were pretty shy about that), but it was the day I realized I could and would very much want to date you.

The day started as you sprinted across the front lawn and showed me a card for free frozen yogurt in your hand.

"Do you wanna get some after school?" You asked.

Despite the cold weather, and my lack of a coat, I couldn't say no to your bright smile and twinkling eyes.

"You're the best, Eleanor," you said with a wink.

As the day wore on, you continued inviting more and more of your friends to go, and by the end, it seemed as though the whole school was going.

I walked to my car, head in the clouds, and stuck the key into the ignition. I tried once, twice, and even a third, but my '08 Corolla would not come to life.

As pathetic as it may seem now, I was near crying then. My head was throbbing in pain; my car, that I spent hundreds on just last week, was dead, and I promised a certain brown haired boy that I'd meet him at four.

As though you could read my thoughts, you drove by and hopped out.

"Eleanor?" You called. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," I answered dismissively.

You, of course, weren't paying attention to what I was saying and popped the hood of my car.

"Looks bad," you commented.

"Really, Will?"

"No," you laughed, "I don't know much about cars, but your frown gave it away. Want me to wait with you?"

"No," I answered instinctively. "Will, go. You're going to miss out on tons of frozen yogurt."

"Nora-" you tried protesting.

"Will," I mimicked in my sternest voice, as I tried shoving the boulder that was Will Hunter. "Go."

With a soft, "fine," your car rumbled, and you left. I'd be lying if I said a little part of me wasn't hurt, but I watched you and even urged you to go. So I slumped into my seat as I waited for a tow truck.

An hour passed, and I was still there, hot, sticky, and sweaty. I heard a soft purr, and leapt to my feet.

But instead of the giant truck I had envisioned, it was a smaller Volvo, and inside sat, you.

"Hey," you greeted with nonchalance as though we weren't the only two people left on school grounds.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting your eighth helping of frozen yogurt right now?" I asked jokingly.

"I decided," you lingered as you pulled something out of your car, "to get you some too. After all, you did agree to getting froyo with me, and even though you totally bailed on me, I came back for you."

With a roll of my eyes that was more to suppress the giant smile that was forming, I took the cup from your hands and began shoveling it into my mouth.

"This," I commented while continuing to stuff it down my throat, "is great. Thanks."

"No problem, Eleanor," you answered, taking a seat on the hood of my car.

The sun was setting, an array of violets, roses, reds, and oranges dancing across the wide sky. Your soft breaths were the only sound in the entire parking lot.

Although I was certain they forgot about me, and my request for a tow truck, my head was against your shoulder, your coat was draped on my body, and your smile was as bright as a thousand suns, meaning everything was perfect.