Stars

00:06

[dedicated to Sev, who is such a sweetheart]

.*.*.

He remembered that night now sitting on his bed. He liked Kathleen so much that even after the few nights they shared he hadn't kissed her. He made his move obviously making up every excuse to get closer to her. She wasn't like a lot of the girls he met during high school or in university. She didn't want to kiss him or get into his pants. Now that he clutched the book she wrote for him close to his chest he discovered that she did want to kiss him, and that they liked each other so much they were anxious to know if the other felt the same, the fear of rejection making them stop from their desires.

Now this is where the lines got a bit blurry. He didn't remember everything so vividly after the date they shared at the restaurant. The memories up to the date was crystal clear but the memories that followed the date were blurry, he couldn't place a finger on them. And in the pit of his stomach he knew he buried those memories deep down because they hurt and he knew he was responsible because one thing that was clear about the memories that followed after their date was that he was the one who broke up with her.

He set aside his thoughts and pulled the book away from his chest. Opening the next page, his eyes scanned the words, his heart pounding loud in his ears from excitement as he read on.

.*.*.

CHAPTER FIVE

The next two weeks I wasn't able to meet you and you barely got on your phone to talk. We wouldn't talk days on end like we usually did. We kept conversations to a minimal and I knew you took your education seriously and what with all these upcoming exams I figured it would be good for you to keep conversations to a minimal and it didn't look like you were complaining about it much so that was alright.

I did get Landon's number off you and I talked to him over the past two weeks. If I didn't know how much you valued your education I'd have picked Landon to be the more serious one. He told me how when it was exam time that you were the worst roommate because you'd barely talk to him. Your head would be buried within a textbook or you would be writing furiously over tons of pieces of papers trying to solve as many questions as you can or you would be in the laboratory trying to fix something up so you could prepare for the practical part of your exam. Engineering sounded stressing. Well, your best friend sure made it sound that way.

I asked Landon if he was having any exams and he said he was writing the same ones you were since you both took the Mechanical Engineering course and I was surprised he wasn't studying as hard as you were. But then he told me about your scholarship and that if your grades starting dropping your scholarship would get cancelled and you couldn't afford university. I didn't understand why you'd never told me that since I was on a scholarship as well and I too was trying my best to keep it till I graduated. So when we met two weeks later, after all your exams were completed I intended to ask you why you didn't tell me that you were on a scholarship.

But the instant I saw you in the park all my questions disappeared from my head. A chequered black and maroon blanket was sprawled beneath you as you lay back down staring up the stars. I felt like I haven't seen you for years even though it had only been two weeks. You were wearing black jeans that hung low at your hips giving me a slight peek of your dark blue boxers. Your t-shirt was a faded white colour and it fitted you snuggly and perfectly on your body. You looked calm, like your mind was finally at peace. Your eyes were closed and your hands were behind your head which you used as a head-rest. You glowed so bright, looking so free and relieved that I couldn't help but smile as I approached you.