Meant For You

thirty-seven.

Miles Dempsey

I woke up the next morning in search of my phone. The thing was gone and I couldn't remember when the last time I saw it was. My mind raced with all the horrible possibilities of where it could be. When my search party was getting nowhere, I grabbed my laptop from the kitchen and tracked my phone. I zoomed in on the location when I realized it wasn't here.

Emerald Oaks.

Nola's apartment.

Why the hell did she have my phone?

I grabbed my keys quickly and found myself at her apartment in less than ten minutes. Even though I'd only been here once, I remembered where her apartment was. I rang the doorbell and stepped back. My foot anxiously tapped against the ground. She had my phone. Why did she have my phone?

It took a good two minutes before the door was opened. Nola's blonde hair was all over the place and it looked like she hadn't washed the makeup off her face from the night before. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of me and she rushed inside. I caught the door before it closed on me. "Yes, I have your phone! I'm so sorry, I must have taken it by accident and didn't notice," she rants.

Nola fishes through her purse and pulls out my phone, placing it directly in my hands. At first, I was worried, but knowing it was with her made me calmer. I press the on button and am relieved to not find it locked for hours. That meant she didn't try getting into it. When I look up, Nola swallows roughly.

Though she may not be so put together right now, the sight of her puts me on edge. Being around her for too long makes me realize things I don't want to realize. I'm surprised I'm still standing here. I would have thought she would kick me out by now. "Thanks," is all I say. She nods and we stand in silence for a couple of seconds.

"I wa-"
"I'm s-"

We speak at the same time. "You go," she says before I can. "I was just going to apologize. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you the way I did yesterday. I know you were just trying to be there for me and you're right, if I didn't want you there, I should have said something," I breathe out. Nola looks down. "Thanks...for apologizing." She looks back up at me. "So... you didn't want me there?"

I choose not to lie to her. "Not in that moment, no. It's just, I'm always around someone. Days alone are rare for me and lately, all I'm been craving is to be alone. Again, my communication sucks, I should have told you that," I explain. Hurt crosses her features. I'm not trying to be an asshole. I'm telling her the truth because lying isn't an option when it comes to her.

"I've been in my head too much because of this whole," I swallow the sudden lump in my throat, "adoption thing. I thought once I set my mind on a plan of action, I wouldn't think about it much but that hasn't been true. It's fucking knawing at me, Scott. It's the only thing that I've been thinking about for weeks. I'm usually an asshole but not this bad," I admit to her. She hasn't done anything wrong. All of this bullshit is my doing.

She nods, hearing all my words. "What are you going to do about it? You can't keep letting it overtake you, Miles. Trust me, I know how bad that can get. What can I do to help?" she says, stepping closer. I sigh, taking in the sight of the girl in front of me. Why does she have to be so good to me? After all the shit I pulled, she's still here. If I were her, I would've been long gone.

I hesitate to say my next words out of fear. Once I say them out loud, taking them back won't be easy. "I'm going to talk to mom and pops about my adoption soon. I can't wait another couple of months until the seasons over," I stammer. Nola's eyes widen but she retracts quickly. "O-okay. That's perfectly fine. Plans change. How soon were you thinking?" she questions.