Tough Love - Chris Sturniolo

Remission

Chris

I walked into her room on a fucking cloud. Somehow that little speech I'd made in the hall had worked and she was about to give me a chance to explain myself. I don't know how I'd come up with that, or how it had worked so easily, but I wasn't going to waste the opportunity.

I looked around her room as she put her backpack under her desk. She had a single room with its own en suite, which was insanely rare, but varsity scholarships always got the best of the best. The school wanted to keep them, so they treated them well.

"I'll be right back," she said, walking into her bathroom and giving me a moment alone to look around. She'd snooped around my room that night of the party, but I'd known she was coming and I'd wanted her to do it. This wasn't the same, so I didn't invade her space. I placed the flowers on her desk, sat in the chair and just looked around. A shelf of novels was above the desk, all with titles I'd never heard of. I fucking hated reading, but it was cool that she liked it. A speaker was plugged in beside one of the rows of books. On the cork board were pictures of her and her friends. I saw Ella in a few and realized that girl had a major glow up somewhere after high school. That checked out. Her and Matt were so alike sometimes. Anastasia looked just the same in every picture, absolutely fucking gorgeous, just slightly younger versions in each. I pulled off my hoodie so I could chill in my t-shirt. I tossed it on her bed and rumpled my hair back to the way I liked it.

She came out of the bathroom in a big t-shirt, sleep shorts and her pink glasses on.

"I like your glasses," I commented, not having told her that before.

"Really? Thanks," she said, not sure whether my compliment was genuine or not.

"They're cute," I added. She gave me a look.

"No flirting," she responded and I laughed.

"Come on, we're way past that now," I looked around her room.

"Oh yeah, since when?" she challenged as she walked to her dresser and opened the top drawer. Apparently she was feeling playful. Not sure what I'd done to earn that but I wasn't gunna fight it.

"Probably around the time you came for me on my bed," I snipped back. She glanced back at me. "I mean come on, that bet's gotta be void." She closed the drawer, opening the next one, looking for something.

"I didn't come on your bed," she denied. This fucking girl, man.

"Wow," I replied, playing up my shock at her denial. "What a liar."

"I didn't," she said, sticking to her story as she continued looking through her drawer. "Is your ego really that big?"

"I mean my ego is huge, but you obviously finished," She closed the drawer and opened the bottom one. "I could show you again if you're having trouble remembering."

She looked at back at me then with lust in her eyes. Fuck she was so hot. I was fully on board with a repeat if she was, but we also had things to talk about, and that would have to wait.

I laughed lightly at her reaction and she turned back to her drawer and groaned.

"What the fuck are you looking for?" I finally asked.

"My god damn hoodie," she said, slamming her drawer shut and heading to her closet.

"Just wear mine," I stood, grabbing it from her bed and holding it out for her.

"No I want mine," she replied, rifling through the hanging clothes.

"Come on, just take it," I said, draping it over her head and l laughed as she yanked it off.