Hazel's

October Nineteenth

It had been four days since the night I drove Clair home from the party and had not heard a word from her since. My homework had not been touched, and I could not remember the last time I slept soundly. My meals had consisted of instant macaroni and cheese with a side of packaged pretzels, and I had completely given up on checking my phone for missed calls or texts from Clair. I didn't know if she was avoiding me because she was angry at me, or if she was embarrassed to confront me after all that had happened at the party.

I needed to take a break, so I put on a pair of old sweats, a white tee shirt, and a pair of pumas that I had owned since the eighth grade. Grabbing my iPhone and a pair of white headphones, I ran out the door. Running was not my strong suit, but it always helped me to clear my head.

The feeling of my thin rubber soles on the hard sidewalk calmed me. It was hard to focus on my breathing when all I could think about was Clair. Before I knew it, I was choking on air. I spotted Hazel's and ran inside. Kelly, the young woman that worked at the counter smiled at me and waved.

"Hey Kelly," I panted, completely out of breath. She took the cue and ran to grab me a glass of water. I placed both of my hands on top of my head and stretched out my shoulders. Kelly came over to me and handed me the water.

"Here ya go. Take is easy, Spencer. Please," she said kindly. I smiled really quickly, then gulped down the entire cup. Wiping my hand over my mouth, I sighed and caught my breath.

"Thanks, Kelly," I smiled at her. She smiled back before returning to the front desk to attend to a customer. I took a newspaper with an interesting headline off of an empty table before walking to the back of the coffeehouse to my usual spot. I sat down and sank back into the plush seat, feeling my worries sink into it along with my weak body. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a wisp of blonde hair. I sharply turned my head to see a familiar face. She ducked behind her coffee and turned in the opposite direction, probably wishing that I hadn't seen her. Annoyed, I stood up and walked over to her.

"Clair," I started. She turned to face me with a dumbfounded expression.

"I-I... Spencer I don't know what to say..." she broke into tears.

"Hey, hey," I tried comforting her. "It's okay, really". I put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly and she looked back up at me slowly.

"No it's not," she spat out. "I was drunk and pushed myself at you. I embarrassed myself so much, and I cannot imagine how uncomfortable I made you. I don't deserve to have a friend as great as you, Spencer," she choked out.

"Listen to me, Clair," I said sternly. She stopped crying almost immediately and met her eyes with mine. "You were drunk. I understand. It's over now and there's nothing we can do about it but move on. So can we start over?" I asked her. The corners of her lips turned up into a small smile and nodded. I stuck out my hand for her to shake. She took it in hers.

"Hey there. My name is Spencer. Would you mind giving me your number?" I asked her. She giggled and I thought I could see a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"I'm Clair, and I think you already have it," she laughed, throwing her head back. All I wanted to do was kiss her, but I held it in. Looking down, I realized that we were still holding hands. I think she noticed too, but neither of us said or did anything to stop it.

~ . ~ . ~

We walked around the quad together for two hours chatting about insignificant things, telling each other jokes, and sharing funny stories. Her hair glistened in the light and her smile was truly beautiful.

"So one time when I was younger, I was on a field trip with my school. We-we," she broke into hysterics before she could continue the story.

"Hey! Tell me!" I playfully shoved her shoulder. She took a deep breath in before bursting out laughing again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she spat out between gasps. "It's just so-- so stupid!" She continued laughing for three minutes. "Okay, okay. So, when I was younger, I went on a field trip with my school to this farm. We were shown how butter was made, how to milk a cow, feed the animals, the works. Anyways, I was feeding some pigs. Somehow while I was feeding them, a few birds thought it would be funny to poop on my head," she held in her laughter, but I couldn't hold in mine. Before we knew it, we were both cracking up, rolling around in the grass. My stomach was aching, but I couldn't control myself.

We had both stopped laughing and ended up side by side in the grass. I felt her shoulder touching mine. Leaves were spread around us, as it was the season for them to change color and join the grass on the ground. She turned on her side to face me, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Hey Spencer, can I ask you something?" she asked. I was freaking out inside. What did she want to ask me?

"Uh, sure," I responded.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked very quickly. I was taken aback. Did I look like I had a girlfriend? Or was she just being kind and giving me the benefit of the doubt?

"No. I don't. How about you?" I asked back. She laid back down in the grass.

"Nope. Not in a while".

"Oh," I said.

"Oh," she said.

We sat there for what seemed like forever before I felt her hand being woven through mine. I gripped it loosely and looked down at her. She looked up at me and smiled before we both stared at the sky and soaked in the tranquility of the season.

~ . ~ . ~