After the last bell rang, I rushed to meet Justin in the parking lot in front of the gates. As I walked through the front gates, I saw him leaning up against the wall with one foot up, staring down at his phone. He was wearing a tight deep blue shirt that seemed to make every muscle pop out of his body, a black hoodie on top, and a matching beanie that framed his face perfectly making his chiseled jaw line stand out even more. In other words he looked perfect. "Justin! You ready?" , I said with a smile and a little more enthusiasm than necessary. As soon as he heard me call his name, he looked up with a huge smile and walked over to me, throwing his arms around me, creating a barrier between me and the rest of the world. His smell filled my senses, making me dizzy with every breath. After he released me, we started heading toward his white jeep which was parked in the far end of the parking lot. I opened the door to the passenger seat and had to lift my foot a good few feet off the ground until I could finally reach the rough weathered interior. When I finally managed to get in, Justin turned the radio on and cranked the volume up. As we drove, the wind whipped my hair back and forth, tearing at my neck and cheeks.
We pulled into the small dirt parking lot just across from the Coffee Bar. When I opened the door, the smell of freshly ground coffee overwhelmed me. I had forgotten how much I'd missed this place with its friendly people and inviting environment. I ordered an iced chai latte while Justin got black coffee with a touch of cream and sugar. We took our drinks and sat on an empty couch that sat just inches away from the cozy fire they had going. "So, how's senior year treating you?" I asked, as I turned my attention away from my drink for a split second. "It's actually going very well, in fact, better than I expected... I met someone." I froze up. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I turned away, pretending I saw something outside that had caught my attention, while I composed myself so that I may form words. I could feel the anger rise up inside me, the tears on the verge of spilling over and giving away my true emotions. "Oh really? That's great! What's her name?" I asked with the best faked enthusiasm I could muster. "Julia Bell". As he said her name, I could feel my body sinking deeper and deeper into the cushions. I couldn't help but feel that I had failed again, that this year was my last chance to create something different. "She and I are both in 2nd hour french, and we've been talking for quite a while now. ". At the beginning of the year, he and I had a conversation about how he doesn't want any relationships this year, that he felt that they are always weighing him down. Right now I felt like screaming those words at him, the words he had told me, that had stopped me from telling him anything about how I was feeling. I could feel my fingers tightening around the paper cup holding what was left of my coffee. "Wow! That's really awesome." was all that came out of my mouth. "Ashley, I don't even know if I want a relationship yet, I just kind of want to see where things go." he said with a smile. I forced a smile back and returned my attention to the now cold coffee sitting in my hand.
YOU ARE READING
Don't Let Go
Romance"Justin, like the sun, followed his own path, his own course in life and there was nothing I could do about it. I felt as if I were a bird, following the path of the sun, needing its warmth in order to survive, utterly willing to follow wherever it...
