Authors note: Hi everyone. This is my first short story. I was going to do a novel but I sat down one day and this came out. Please read it, vote on it and definitely comment. This story is very close to my heart because in some ways I have felt exactly the way Norah has felt before. And I think that most people out there, when it comes to love sometimes feel this way too. I hope you enjoy it. And if you're lucky, I may turn this into a full-blown novel that I will post on here.
Wish me luck,
Love and strawberries Jattiem
The Beginning
Norah sat on the stairs outside the campus library, fervently reading her psych textbook. She was just about to finish reading page 389 when she looked up from her textbook and saw him. At the exact moment he walked past the library, 13 steps away from her, she held her breath waiting and hoping he would look up at her. But James was oblivious to her or her stares. He had been oblivious to Norah's stares for exactly 13 months, 2 weeks and 3 days because that was the exact amount of time since James had broken up with her.
Some days Norah didn't feel it, that unexplainable feeling that bubbled up inside of her. Sometimes she didn't miss him or his shoulders or his eyebrows. Sometimes she forgot about the way he made her smile just by saying her name. The reason behind their break up was not important to her anymore but the feelings still remained, even after all this time. Norah was worried about that. She had tried to like other guys but it wasn't the same. She was worried it would never be the same.
Norah sighed. She didn't have time to daydream about James, even though after every exam was done she imagined James coming up to her, putting his arm around her and smiling down at her. That was all she ever wanted.
Three days later...
Norah was having coffee with her best friend Caitlyn, sipping on her cup as carefully as she could as it was still hot. After discussing Caitlyn's new job
at the local art gallery, Caitlyn told Norah something that shocked her. It took Norah a moment to compose herself and her thoughts but after a minute of Caitlyn looking at her with sympathy Norah realised that it was happening. James was moving on. He had started dating someone named Nadia and thought she could be the one. Norah was trying to keep it together, she couldn't break down in front of Caitlyn even though they were best friends. She hated the way Caitlyn said his name around her, like she would break into thousands of tiny pieces. She also hated that sometimes she felt like she would.
Later, after digesting what Caitlyn had told her and analysing her feelings like the psychologist she was studying to be, Norah came to a conclusion. Yes, she was sad. Yes, she still loved him. Yes, she wished she was the girl he was with. But Norah realised that even though she loved him, she still wanted him to be happy and if him being with Nadia did that then she would accept it.
Two weeks later...
It was Caitlyn's birthday and she was having a huge party at her parent's holiday house somewhere by the beach. Norah travelled down with Caitlyn two days before the party to set up the house. Norah realised that James would be there with his new girlfriend but she decided that she would just avoid him and concentrate on helping with the party. Heavens knew she would need all the time she could get.
