Finding Life | Finders Keepers #2 ✔️

10. Hemmingway Residence

Blythe

Right after we signed the lease with our name, checked out the apartment, and had a little hugging session back there, we were pretty hungry so we went to Sal's, sitting on one of the empty booths, and ordered some coffee and cheeseburgers for our lunch. It was our go-to food and being apart from summer, this was our way that we could reconnect to.

He still eats sloppily, not even wiping, just continuing to chew. "Oh my God, so good."

I still felt like shit but coming back, seeing him, I can't help but smile for a while. It felt good to be with him and I didn't realize how much I missed him right after I saw him last night. The emotions ran up to me so fast that I had to just have him hold me while I cried my eyes out.

"Hey, I have to tell you something," he turns to me, brows raising at me, waiting for me to continue. He's got ketchup on the corner of his lips again. "Um, I'm coming back next week on Saturday. Nathan always wanted me to quit and not always put the gang first before myself so I'm doing just that. I'll come back on Sunday so we can pack up our things and move to the apartment, don't worry. I just don't know what time I'll be back here."

He starts to shake his head. What? "I'm proud of you, Bly, for quitting but I think I should come with you. We can take my car and we'll take turns on driving."

"Look, you won't like what you'll see," I explain, placing down my half-eaten burger back on the plate. "I never really told you this but when we quit, we have to go through initiation again. It's a way to prove that you're ready to go to the outside world where you'll be able to take care of yourself. I'll have to fight an opponent of Antonio's choosing since he's taken over now and if I can't pull myself up for the first fight, a second one will happen with a different person. It'll be like that until I knock one of them down. You'll see me bruised, Dean, and bloody, too. Seeing as how you're overprotective of me, I'm worried that you might get inside the fight and try to stop it."

His emerald eyes shine through the sun that's come down on the windows of the diner, but they don't leave mine. I knew that he was processing everything. He would see me hurt and I knew that he wouldn't be able to take any of it, he'll try everything just to make sure I don't feel any pain.

Then, he nods, slowly, like he's understanding it. "Okay, I won't do anything to try to stop the fight. Just don't make me stay here because I'll be more worried imagining you hurt. I can't handle that. The three days you were gone almost drove me insane. The only thing that stopped me from going to you was that I had to take care and talk to your professors."

My brows knit. "Talk to them—what?"

"I said you're dealing with a death in the family," he tells me, taking a sip of his coffee before continuing. "and I asked if I could sit in for you and they were okay with it. Mind you, I didn't understand half of what they were talking about but I still managed to take notes. I wrote it in your notebook so you won't have to worry."

He... he did that?

Dean was taking up Civil Engineering for a course which meant that my course against his were far apart so it was surprising to know that he managed to take down some notes. Moreover, he's also in football, sometimes their trainings would start before my classes even ended. Did that mean that he would be late to his training just so he could get me some notes that I can study when I finally came back?

Nevertheless, I can't help but be thankful to have someone like him in my life. All those time I rejected his friendship offering, I regret it all the moment I finally got to know him.