Beside

65 - fly

"What's infinity?"

"I don't know."

"Thought you knew everything, Fox."

"Jeez, okay. It's like the number of stars in the sky. Can't count."

"So our friendship is infinity?"

"Yeah, Jellybean. Our friendship is infinity."

ｃｈｒｉｓ

The bell over the door chimes, a soft, silvery note that floats across the shelves, and I glance around, watching as regulars shuffle in.

Every few minutes, my eyes flit to the clock. An hour left. Just an hour until I can take my name tag off and walk across campus to meet him.

"Your stars are very pretty, honey," a woman says as she passes.

I smile, tucking my hair behind my ears. "Thank you. That's very kind." I painted tiny white stars on my cheeks this morning and the customers have been noticing all day.

I return to cataloging with my cart, letting my fingers skim over the spines. I place the heavy books on the geography shelf one by one.

Today, The Book Nook is a gentle hum of creaking floorboards, whispered words, and the scent of paper. Outside, the sun's a muted haze, sifting through the high windows in golden threads that paint everything with a sleepy glow.

Fox. I'll find him waiting, leaning against some lamppost with a quiet, sleepy smile. He'll be tired. Yesterday... I know how hard he tried, and how the professor likely never had a chance. I've seen it enough times to know Code Blue rarely runs that long with success.

I reach up, fingertips brushing my cheek, where the stars glow faintly in my peripheral. They're warm, alive, whispering things to me as I work. Almost there, Chris! Just a little longer!

Today's the day I pick my courses. I'll register, settle into routines, carve out a path. Fox'll be there, my anchor in the shifting tides. He promised to meet me, and last night, when we said goodnight, his hand lingered on face, and he gave me that look—the one that feels like a thousand unsaid things pressed between book pages.

It was just enough for me to hope my love might not be unrequited. At least not completely.

The bell chimes, pulling me from my daydream. Thirty minutes. Soon, I'll take his hand, pull him close, and kiss him until we glow brighter than the stars.

ᖴO᙭

The wind slips through the trees, curling around me like something alive. It's a steady, cool breath, carrying a dampness that smells like rain, like cut grass.

I lean back against the rough bark, eyes closed, breathing in everything the wind brings with it. It's calm here, calm like I haven't felt since... maybe ten years old. Maybe that was the last good year.

I open my eyes, and there's Cam up ahead in dark sweats and hoodie, tossing a tennis ball for Charlie. The dog bounds after it, a blur of black and white.

She must feel my eyes on her because she walks over, brushing her hands on her sweats, and flops down beside me.

I crack my neck. She cracks her knuckles.

"You told her you cared about her."

"Because I very much do." I don't bother pretending. I'm not acting.