Love Is Not My Forte

CHAPTER 6

Oh man. I am super sorry. I know I said I would try to update every week. But life got in the way and eventually, I actually forgot all about this story.....I know, I'm horrible. But thanks to you guys commenting on this story, I got messages about this story and I was reminded. So after rereading what I had written, I have a really good plan and layout to this story. Just please be patient, readers. ~Cheers, Nicole :)

        A couple of hours later, I’m finished with class. But there’s still a lot of time before the group meets up for dinner, so I decide to head back to my room and drop my things off and just listen to music for a bit.

            As I unlock my door, I remember the whole Callie scenario. Class turned out to be a better short term distraction than I thought. As I lay my backpack on the floor next to my desk, I pull out my phone and debate whether I should call or text Callie. I glance at the time and see that it reads 3:43 which means she should be done with classes since it’s a Monday. I dial Callie’s number just as there’s a knock. Phone in hand and pressed up to my ear, I go to see who it is, but as I open the door, I find the very person I have been trying to find. I quickly tuck the phone back into my pocket before it starts to ring.

            “Hey. I was hoping you were done with classes by now,” Callie greets me with a friendly smile. She must have just come from her last class because she’s holding her backpack. She shifts her weight before asking, “Is anybody else here? I was sort of hoping we could talk.”

            “Hey. No. Nobody else is here. Just me. I just got out of class. I was actually about to call you since you’ve been missing for a bit,” I reply as I move aside and let her in to the rest of the room.

            “Missing? What are you talking about? I was a bit sick earlier and then I had a class to go to. Didn’t I send out a text to let you guys know?”

            “Apparently. But Jennifer, Emma, and Michael said you did. I never got it.”

            “Oh. I must have just typed your name wrong. Sorry about that. But as long as everyone else got the message,” Callie shrugs and turns to place her bag at the foot of my bed before jumping up to her usual spot. She reaches for the stuffed dinosaur I received from an old childhood friend and cuddles it in her lap. I’ve noticed she only does this when she’s nervous to talk about something.

            “So what did you want to talk about?” I ask her, trying not to make things too awkward so she doesn’t get too anxious about whatever she wants to get off her chest.

            “Ummm…..” Callie starts to blush as she normally does when her words fail her, but she closes her eyes and breathes before continuing, “I wanted to talk about us. Me. You. Us.”

            “What about us?” I try so hard not to get my hopes up because that sentence could mean anything, but there’s still a part of me that wants to think she and I can be together.

            “Well, I know it got a little weird last night. You know, after I said the word ‘love,’ and I want you to know why,” there’s a pause, but I know she’s going to continue so I stay quiet and let her think about what she wants to say, “Brandon, things got weird after that because I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. And I know I already have. I know you have a really big crush on me. And I’m so sorry for giving you that false hope. I want us to just strictly be friends. And if you need some time to yourself before we can hang out again, I understand.”

            I look at her as I try to fully grasp the words she just threw at me. I blink a couple of times and bring my eyebrows together as I try to think of a way to respond to this. It definitely hurts that Callie doesn’t have the same feeling for me that I do for her. But I’m not going to let that get in between our friendship. I think it would be better to see her every day and have it hurt a little than to not see her ever again.

            “Okay,” I sigh, “You’re right. I like you a lot. But if it’s not going anywhere, that’s fine. We can still just hang out and be friends. But can I just ask why you don’t like me back?”

            “Oh jeez. I don’t know. Why are you making this into some middle school drama?” Callie says, but I guess she’s feeling a little guilty for letting me down because when I just shrug at her, she sighs, “I just feel like we’re too close. And it would be too weird if we went from this platonic friendship to kissing and stuff. I think of you as the brother I never had. I know way too much about you.”

            “Alright. That’s fair. It sucks, but it’s a fair point, I guess,” I tell her.

            There’s a tension in the air as the two of us decide what to do next. The tension quickly turns into an air of awkwardness. I clear my throat just to fill the silence. Finally, I turn around to put some music on and get some work done. As my laptop is starting up, I hear the creaks from my bed that mean Callie is jumping off. As I turn back round to face her, I see she’s gathering up her backpack and she catches my glance.

            “Um. I was actually going to go get some of my stuff done in the library. Just for a bit before dinner. I’ll give you some space. I’ll see you later, Brandon.”

            And with that, Callie lets herself out of the room. I sit for a couple of seconds just to hear her footsteps down the hallway. When her footsteps fade, I realize that I am left alone with my own thoughts and very little work gets done before dinner.