The Last Week

- Chapter 6 -

I walk out of the bakery at 10:00 a.m. and the town is already filled with shoppers and pedestrians. But as I walk to the library, I feel like every eye is on me and is criticizing where and who I was going to.

But I know it was all in my head.

Remember Autumn no one cares where you are going. They're probably thinking about where they're going and what people think of them. That’s right, calm down.

   My whole life I was always the quiet kid. The kid where if I were in a group of people, you would forget about me because I would never contribute to the conversation. But little did everyone know, deep down in my brain I thought everyone's eyes were on me and criticizing me. But I learned way too late that they weren't. But sometimes I would forget that, and I would shrink into myself and want to hide from the world. So I had started teaching myself to calm down.

   But whenever I was with Calub, all that insecurity would float away and it would just be me and him. That was why I became friends with him. Because I felt safe and silly when I was around him. It felt like I could do anything with him, accomplish anything. And I think that most of all made us into best friends.

   I walked into the library and went down every aisle and asked the librarians if they had seen a tall brown haired grey eyed man. They of course looked at me strangely and said no. After that I went to the coffee shop where we met yesterday. But yet again, no Calub.

   The last and final place was the bookstore. I had to go there anyway to get a book for school. So why not look for him there next.

   As I step in, I get an immediate whiff of dust and parchment paper. Ahhh, the smell of love and comfort. Here in this place, I could drift away to anyland and fight imaginary pirates, or cast a spell on a beautiful maiden, or find my true love while fighting aliens. Those were what made books so interesting, while some people saw words, we readers saw worlds that only the brain could come up with. A world so immaculate that you felt like you were in it yourself.

   I think about this as I search, and realize that I had gotten to the end of the bookstore and had found no trace of Calub. After all this, he was nowhere. How could I have been so foolish that I could find him? I should have started with going to his house. He was probably there right now, nice and cozy reading a fun adventure book. While I was here trying to find him.

   I walk away grumbling over to the fantasy section and grab the school book off the shelf while muttering “jerk” to myself. I notice the book next to it is The Life of Others. How fitting.

   “What was that?” says a gruff voice.

   I turn around sharply, almost dropping the book. There in the middle of the aisle was Calub Fisher. In my haste and being occupied by my foul thoughts, I hadn't noticed anyone there.

   “Nothing.” I say looking at him.

   My ferode brows and turned down mouth quickly turn into a smile. Autumn this is your chance, go up to him and just ask, you got this! I take a deep breath and just let it out.

   “Well now that I think about it, I have something to tell you.” All he did was look back at me with a blank face.

   “And what would that be? Oh, don’t stop on my account, ask away.”

   Why did he have to be so, so, so... Autumn calm down!

   “I just wanted to ask…” you got this, almost there, “If you were ready to talk about what happened six years ago.”

   He stares at me and stares, and, oh nope, still staring. It had been a whole minute now and I was getting uneasy. Should I say something or should I wait for a response?

   As I am about to break the silence, Calub beats me to it.

   “You don’t know how long I have waited to hear those exact words.”