In Love: Against All Odds

When Someone's Absence Feels Too Loud

Count on Me – Bruno Mars ☀️
"You can count on me like one, two, three
I'll be there"

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The next day, I found myself heading to Golden Coast University with a strange sense of... anticipation.

After everything that had gone down yesterday, I should have been thinking about how to avoid Bradwin, how to ignore the lingering whispers, or how to convince my friends that no, I did not have a thing for Patrick Pennington.

But instead?

I was thinking about him.

His smile. His calm demeanor. The way he made everything feel lighter, even when my world was a chaotic mess. 

Patrick had barely spoken to me, yet his presence lingered in my thoughts like a half-remembered tune—something familiar yet just out of reach.

I pulled my tote bag higher up my shoulder and headed toward the bus stop. The streets were still waking up, the occasional breeze rustling through the desert shrubs lining the sidewalks. Coachella mornings had that deceptive chill—the kind that made you think you needed a jacket, only to regret it by noon when the heat set in.

By the time I reached Golden Coast University,the sun was already climbing higher, and I was glad I had skipped a jacket.

As I entered the building, Alista and Brailey were already waiting by the lockers.

Alista, with her short blonde hair styled into effortless waves, leaned casually against the metal doors. She wore a light rust-colored blouse tucked into a denim midi skirt, paired with white sneakers.

Beside her, Brailey's honey-toned hair cascaded over her shoulder in loose curls. She was dressed in a sleeveless ribbed top, linen pants, and flat sandals—practical for the inevitable afternoon heat.

"Ready for another thrilling day of classes?" Alista quipped, rolling her eyes dramatically.

I let out a small laugh, though my mind was elsewhere. "Oh. I live for lectures and caffeine-fueled note-taking."

As we walked to class, I subtly scanned the crowd.

I wasn't looking for anyone in particular. Obviously.

But if Patrick happened to be around, I wouldn't be mad about it.

Except he wasn't.

A strange disappointment settled in my chest.

I shook it off. Why was I even thinking like this? Maybe he was just running late.

But by the time we got to class, he still wasn't there.

I tried to focus, I really did. But my mind kept drifting, the lecture becoming white noise.

Brailey, ever the perceptive one, leaned over and whispered, "Looking for someone, Kat?"

Her smirk was infuriatingly knowing, and I shot her a glare. "Shut up," I muttered under my breath, though the heat creeping up my neck betrayed me.

She chuckled before turning back to her notes, letting me stew in my own undeniable curiosity.

----

By lunchtime, I was mentally drained—not from class, but from the constant back-and-forth in my head.

Was I overthinking Patrick's absence? Or was I hoping for something I wasn't ready to admit?