17 Last Times

⤹25❁ Last Times

Welcome back! I don't have much to say apart from thank you for all my birthday wishes. It means a lot ❤
Enjoy the chapter!

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I sit in my dorm with a notebook clutched between my fingers. I've been trying to write something merely decent for an hour now. Two lines. Just two fucking lines. What happened to me? Have I completely lost my ability to create?

I close the notebook with a slam and let out a growly sound of frustration.

"Are you okay?" Rayna glances over at me with a phone glued to her hands.

"No, I'm not." I get off the bed and begin to frantically wander around the room. "Nathan offered to take me to another live poetry event and I can't even write anymore."

She gives me a dubious look. "I'm sure you still can. It's probably just writer's block."

"Well, unblock it then." I let out a heavy sigh. "I've got till Saturday and I only wrote two lines, Rayna. Two lines."

She examines me for a moment. "Why is it so important, though? Like, why can't you do it some other time? You don't have to perform this weekend, do you?"

"Yes, I do," I snap, angry, then press my fingers against my temples. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

"No need to apologize. You're just nervous." She locks the phone and discards it aside. "But what's with the rush? It's not like you've got a deadline for it."

"Believe it or not, I actually did have a deadline. I just didn't know it."

She stares at me, bewildered. "What do you mean?"

I shake my head, unwilling to reveal my reasons. "It doesn't matter." I approach my bed and grab my phone. "And it's already half four. Just great," I grumble.

"Is it a bad thing?" she asks, more perplexed than before.

"Yes. I agreed to meet Will–"

There is a knock on the door.

Rayna looks at me. "I'm guessing at half four?"

I take a deep, calming breath and pace towards the door to let him in.

He stands at the threshold, tall and elegant as always. His dark eyes brighten at the sight of me, yet I can tell by the way he fiddles with his hands that he's quite nervous. Surprisingly, he didn't hide them in the pockets of his smart, black trousers.

"Straight from the gallery?" I ask, referring to his white shirt and shiny Oxfords, gesturing for him to step inside.

He walks in slowly, as if testing his welcome on our territory.

"Actually on my way there," he explains.

A frown crosses my forehead. "I thought we agreed to half four?"

"Well, yeah. That's why I'm here." He seems equally bemused.

"Weren't we supposed to grab a coffee?"

He nods his head. "We are."

I give up at this point. I just accept my fate of not having to understand everything at all times.

Rayna drags her sight along Will's tall posture. "You know what?" she says, sounding quite approving of the way he presents himself. "If I didn't know you so well, I would probably find you attractive."

His nostrils release some air, and it sounds like a laugh. "Wow." He gives her a look full of amusement and disbelief.

"You didn't disagree." She shrugs her shoulders.