Innocent

A Promise Kept

Ignoring the small, digital clock face on my computer screen became increasingly harder as today turned into tomorrow. I stopped caring about the draining of my energy and of my internet when I noticed Endavi was also on his emails.

ETurner42: Ok, so school's been out for only two days and I'm already bored. How have your holidays been so far?

HWinters34: Actually, I've been out for the entire weekend. Went over to Benjamin's on Saturday, then to a close friend's yesterday.

ETurner42: Let me guess; either Roxanne or Evelyn? You three always seem so close.

And he was right, we were. We had enough in common to be compatible, but still different enough to keep life interesting. Roxy was the loud, funny one, who spent most of her time reading or looking at memes. Eve was the party girl, who could move the world for her friends. And I was the intelligent introvert, who didn't know anything about the real world. Evelyn made us outgoing, Roxy kept us laughing, and I like to think I offered wisdom. That's the inner workings of Evelyn, Harley and Roxanne. A small shift on the inside would bring down the whole system, but nothing on the outside could destroy us

HWinters34: Neither, thank you very much! Contrary to popular belief, I have other friends

ETurner42: I'm actually not that surprised. You have a metric shit-tonne of natural likability, so it's not that shocking for you to have plenty of friends.

I have to admit, my heart rate jumped at that. My face turned red, and the cocoons in my stomach began to hatch into butterflies the size of magpies.

HWinters34: Naww, you made me blush. Anyway, you were saying you were bored...?

ETurner42: Like a child at a business meeting! It's as if everything fun doesn't exist in this town. Think about it: Overburg is probably the least impressive town on the coast because our only attraction is the lake to fishermen.

HWinters34: Oh please, even if Overburg had any attractions, we'd still complain. Humans are greedy, to the point where we are never happy with our lot. Imagine if this town had more tourist attractions and stuff - we'd whine about it's lack of character.

I believed every word of that message. Overburg was pretty much a place for geriatrics to retire in peace. What made it worse, was that majority of citizens - including myself - live on farms out of town. Lake Overburg - on the other side of town, where all the ferrels live - is a murky brown puddle that rakes in tourists with it's crocodile infestation. People can be so stupid.

ETurner42: You make an excellent point. How do you think you went on your exams, on a scale of aced-it to threw-up-on-test-paper?

HWinters34: Better than I though the night before. Is it just me, or do teachers over-prepare us so we all stress too much?

ETurner42: I'd rather be over-prepared than stress over it. I like knowing exactly what I'm doing before I do it, it's just who I am.

Well, at least he didn't try to make small talk. I was now starting to realise just how different we were. Like chalk and cheese, he was practical, if a little uptight. Yet I was... well, the opposite. Endavi probably had most of his life planned and mapped out before him, prepared for every possible twist and turn, which is as wise as it is unattractive.

That's what attracted me to Benjamin - among other things. He couldn't care less about the future, and lived in the present just like me. Yet compared to him, I got too hung up on the past, unable to let things go. By that point, I wished for the past to come back, so Benjamin and I could be happy without a shadow of doubt. The shadow that he cast.

HWinters34: You make a valid point, but I still disagree. Hey, are you planning to go to the Fair tomorrow?

The Overburg Fair was held on the school holidays at the equine centre on my side of town. For two days only, a menagerie of rides, stalls and attractions rally the whole town together. It's like the New Years party of the coast; everyone goes, but never alone. Benjamin and I had planned to kiss atop the Ferris wheel - I don't care if that's cheesy, I find it romantic! - but his Aunty from Brisbane put a stop to that with her birthday.

ETurner42: My plans bailed on me earlier today, and I wanted to go on the first day, before all the litter piles up.

Call it what you will, but could almost see the words I hadn't yet typed on the screen. I wanted to ask him so desperately, that I could hear my pulse beating on my eardrum. This adrenaline rush was something I felt quite often whenever I was stressed, but never to that magnitude. For a split second, Benjamin no longer existed. He had never done what I am starting to refer to as 'the Situation'. It was me and Endavi, face to face, nothing but a burning desire to be nearer to him.

Then, I came crashing down to reality, the Situation fresh in my mind. But that didn't stop me from reaching out to Endavi - nothing but friendship on my agenda. After all, I was madly in love with Benjamin, regardless of how terrified of him I was.

HWinters42: I'm free. Meet at the grounds at about 3?

I was replied to in record time, barely having time to blink before I received his message.

ETurner42: I'd love to. See you at the ticket booth at 3 pm. I think I should sleep now, to prepare myself for all the rides tomorrow :)

HWinters42: Me too. Sweet dreams.

I waited for a only a minute, promising myself that sleep will come soon. The smile that grew on my face once I saw he replied before logging off was anything but forced.

ETurner42: You know what, I think I will.

And you know what, I did too.