Five Month Lie | t. holland

March | II

With finals approaching, you didn't have that much spare time to give to Peter, but that didn't stop you from fishing out ten minute breaks to video chat with him.

You didn't even text him beforehand anymore, you just called. You liked that sort of level in a relationship.

As you stumbled through the gross ice and slush your freezing fingers dialed Peter's cell. You were too cold and your hair was too crazy for you to want to video chat, so you called him.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hi Peter, I'm walking to class but it's freezing so I'm going slow. What's up with you?"

"Nothing much, just on my lunch break. Oh, oh, hey guess what? Guess what I did today?"

"What did you do Peter?"

"I met.... Elizabeth Olsen!"

You gasped and stopped in your tracks. "You did! Why didn't you call me?"

"Sorry, it was only this morning. I was on set doing uh... some set stuff.... and she was doing a scene in the movie I'm part of. And uh, yeah I said hi and told her I was Peter."

"Wow," You continued to walk. "That's a dream." You had told Peter that Elizabeth Olsen was one of your favorite actors a few weeks ago, and he got to meet her!

No freaking fair.

"So uh, yeah. That happened today. No biggie."

You grunted. "Yeah, no biggie. You just met one of my all time favorite actors this morning. No biggie."

"Well you must have done something interesting today, what's been going on?"

"I'm studying. All morning. All last night. I've got my bio quiz today and I'm gonna flunk it."

You heard other voices on Peter's end of the call. "Uh, sorry ___, my break is ending early. Uh, good luck on your quiz, you'll do awesome. Oh! And uh, gah I can't believe I forgot."

"What?"

"Um, remind me when I call you next that I have big news. Okay?"

"Okay, But Peter don't you-"

"I really gotta go, bye!"

"B-"

The call beeped over before you could even finish your word. You shook your head and smiled. He was always rushing around on set. You were surprised he had even picked up.

So shoving your phone into your coat pocket, you trudged on in the frigid frost to your impending biology doom.

~~~

"___!"

You shoved the phone away from your face and flinched. "Peter!" You yelled back through the call. You put the phone hesitantly back near your cheek.

"Remember when I said I have great news?"

"Yeah," You twirled your pencil between your fingers as you sat at your dorm desk.

"Well the great news was that the movie is finished shooting after tomorrow. But, I got even better news than that. You ready to hear it?"

You spun the pencil faster. "Yeah! Sure! Wow, you're gonna get more time to call now!"

"Yep! And... and... my producer said that they would give me a bonus."

"Peter that's amazing!"

"But wait, here's where it gets good. I won't need to work for another two weeks. And I was expecting to be finishing up this movie in those weeks so I have nothing planned. And since I'm getting a bonus I don't necessarily need..."

You froze and the pencil dropped from your hand. "Are you... you wouldn't-"

"I'm buying a plane ticket to come see you. Two days from now. ___, I've decided something." You heard him take a deep breath- you were too shocked to respond. "I've been thinking," he resumed, "I really like you. Like, I've got a huge crush... on- on you...." You heard him gulp. "And uh, I don't know since I got this bonus and I don't have plans for it I figured I'd come spend it with you and... I don't know... maybe we can do more than just video chat for the next two weeks..?"

You sat open mouthed.

After a spell Peter said "___... You there?"

You screamed. You jumped up out of your seat and screamed. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Holy crap! Why would you want to do something so stupid! I have class still, and it's freaking below freezing still here. Like, what the heck."

Peter laughed. "I thought you'd say that, so I... I already bought the ticket." He sounded sheepish.

"You what!"

"You uh, you heard me." He laughed nervously. "It's a yes, yes, yes."

"Gosh, Peter you are so dumb to waste such money on me."

"Trust me," Peter smiled through the phone. "I'm not."

You smiled and shook your head.