Boundless

can we talk for a minute?

Jeremiah

She's beautiful. Her skin is burnt sienna, her physique bodaciously contoured, but Jeremiah Jackson doesn't seem to register her body when he's consumed by her face. She has bags under her eyes and her lips colored a deep burgundy. Her face is heart-shaped but her cheeks aren't full which makes her cheekbones prominent. She has a thick, full mane of pale blonde coils pulled into a bun atop her head, leaving visible a long neck. Jeremiah can still see the light tinge on her cheeks from when he caught her staring.

Jeremiah's curiosity about this woman next to him causes him to flash her a coy smile and ask,  "What's bringing you to Philadelphia?"

She jolts at the sound of his voice, and his smile becomes effortless. Slowly, she opens her eyes and peers at him with light hazel brown eyes. He watches as she opens her mouth to speak but closes it, straight teeth taking her bottom lip hostage. Jeremiah's eyes lingered there for a moment too long and the heat reddened her cheeks again.

She clears her throat. "School, I'm a freshman."

Jeremiah raises an eyebrow. "Freshmen didn't look like you when I started school."

He doesn't miss the hitch in her breath or the guilty look in her eyes. Her unsteady breath slowly eases out of her nose. She blinks before lowering her gaze.

"I took a few gap years," she says.

"Oh?" Jeremiah can't hide the interest in his voice. "Well, college is pretty expensive so saving up for a few years is a smart choice."

Her eyes snap to his. He watches as the tension partly leaves her jaw and as she separates her lips to speak. "That's what I said, but I suppose six years is a long time to wait to some."

The woman had tried to make her voice light but it had instead sounded tight and strained. Jeremiah furrows his brows. Why does it matter how long she waited? He's had the pleasure of learning alongside people who were ten, fifteen, twenty years his senior. It's a blessing to be able to pursue higher education, no matter when one decides to pursue it. She had to know this, right?

Kellin Jackson, Jeremiah's older sibling, always told him that his curiosity makes him ask too many questions, even if the other person doesn't even want to answer them, let alone have a conversation. Even though he knew they were right, Jeremiah can't help that he wants to know more about this beautiful woman beside him with the chip on her shoulder.

"I don't think that that's long at all though?" He says finally. "Everyone moves at their own pace. Six years was your pace, and that doesn't mean you have any less of a right to be a freshman."

She looks at him before a small smile curves her lips. "Thanks for saying that." The woman looks thoughtful for a moment before adding, "Are you in school yourself?"

Jeremiah stretches his legs into the aisle, almost tripping a flight attendant. He apologizes to them and quickly tucks his legs back behind the seat in front of him. "Yeah, I'm a fifth year, taking up English Literature."

"Somehow I feel like that can't be true." Her arms are crossed but she's shifted in her seat so she can be facing him. Her brows are forming a crease between them and her teeth have her bottom lip again.

"And why's that?" I don't look like the kind of guy who enjoys reading various works and figuring out their contributions to the literary world?

Though Jeremiah has a smile fixed on his face, there is a tightness in his jaw. His flying companion notices the atmosphere change and she frowns deeply.

"I didn't say or think that at all. I just would've expected you to say something like Communications or Journalism before English Lit."

"How come?"

She rests her face on her fist and looks thoughtful for a moment. "How honest can I be with you?"

Laughter briefly erupts from Jeremiah's mouth. "As honest as you want to be."

"Anyone I've ever known to like studying literature were folks who didn't hold conversations well, let alone start them. You don't seem to be like that."

Jeremiah quirks a brow at the interesting woman next to him. "Then pretty lady tell me what I seem like."

An emotion that is familiar to Jeremiah flashes across her face. She had just started to open up and converse more naturally with him. Looking at her now, he can't tell if she's repulsed by him or herself. Her jaw is tight as she picks at her nails. Did I say something wrong?