Working It Out

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Okay, so maybe asking Priya to pretend to be my girlfriend was a bit drastic. Probably up there in the top ten most moronic things I've ever done.

But to be honest, I didn't really see another solution. If I'd made the mistake of making up an imaginary girlfriend in front of anyone else, I probably would have just ignored the situation and gone on with my life.

But my stupid traitorous mouth had blurted out that not so true fact in front of Katie. Which meant I'd had precisely an hour before the entire campus was informed of my relationship status.

It isn't that I think she's a huge gossip or anything. But evidently she knows someone who is, because despite the fact I never went out of my way to tell anyone about our brief fling last semester, the entire campus seemed to know about it. And when I asked one of my friends how they found out, they said someone had anonymously posted about it on RidgeWorld, also known as the bane of my existence.

It's essentially this campus wide gossip blog in app form. You download the app and you're sent notifications every time a new post is made. I'm not sure how it got started, but it's all the rage on campus now. Not that I've ever used it. Because honestly, I don't give a shit.

Except now it seems like that app is attempting to ruin my life. Which is why this lunch meeting with Priya to discuss the terms of our agreement needs to seem like a date.

We picked the aptly named Grill, the school's on campus burger joint, for lunch, partly because neither of us has time to go off campus before our next classes and partly because we need to be seen.

I don't see Priya around when I arrive, so I snag a wooden booth near the back and pull out my phone to tell her I'm here. As soon as I finish sending the message, she appears, sliding into the wooden bench across from me with that radiant smile on her face.

"Hey!" she grins as she settles her purple backpack on the seat beside her, "Did you order already?"

"I was waiting for you," I reply. "Wanna hold the table and I can go order for both of us?"

Nodding, she digs around in her backpack for a moment before producing a teal colored wallet, pulling out her student ID, and holding it towards me to indicate I should use her meal plan to pay. "Burger, no pickles, fries, and Coke."

"You got it," I say, grabbing her ID and scooting out of the booth to go wait in the order line. Once I've placed our orders and retrieved our number card, I slide back into the seat across from her and smile. "So."

In theory, this entire meal should be awkward as hell. We barely know each other and the circumstances are unusual to begin with, but I don't feel uncomfortable in the slightest. She has a presence about her that makes me feel calm.

"You have a tattoo," she nods towards my shoulder, where the button down I'm wearing open over a tank top has pulled back slightly.

"Yeah, it's a constellation," I explain, readjusting my shirt and reaching for my chicken sandwich. "Perseus."

Nodding, she lifts the bun off her burger to pull off the tomatoes, setting them to the side before replacing the bun and lifting the burger to her lips. "You're a fan of astronomy?"

"My mom was," I pause. She tenses slightly, obviously noticing my use of past tense, but she doesn't ask me to elaborate. It's been a few years now, so it's not difficult to talk about anymore, but that doesn't mean I enjoy having this conversation. Still, I want to tell her. Bottling up emotions has never worked out well for me. So I clear my throat and go on. "She passed away just before I graduated high school."

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⏰ Last updated: Nov 25, 2017 ⏰

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