Forever Like That (#Wattys2015) (#YourStoryIndia)

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: As Difficult As Always.

 

Leah Simpson

“Why are you so tensed?”

I was flat on the queen size bed in our allotted room. Jake was pacing back and forth, tracing the same route every other step. He looked such a confident person at the sight of a glance yet here he was, pacing round the room in full nervousness.

He didn’t answer me and just continued the route of action he was on. My eyes traced his moving body with his every step. He was hitting his knuckles against his pearl white teeth. This was the first time I’ve seen him nervous about something so I don’t really know for sure but it seems like that’s  his nervous habit.

Everyone has one.

My foot which was swollen had finally come to a point where it was no longer swollen and the purplish colour on there, looked to be vanished. I guess, the glued to bed thing really did work. My foot was wet from the ice pack I had rested up on it, that was relaxing yet it sent sheer chills up from there.

While his one hand was up to his mouth, his knuckles hitting his teeth, he held white sheet of paper on which I had written everything I had to say in the presentation, which now he was doing by heart.

“All you have to do id mug it all up,” I say, “you can do that, right?” I said, popping a perfectly arched eyebrow at him, expecting a yes for an answer.

Was that too much to ask for?

“Haven’t been too good at it,” he said, making my brow slump down. I’m not gonna lie, I feel disappointed. By the looks of him, I don’t see him as the guy who was a high scorer in studies, no offense though. But then again never judge a book by its cover, it is said.

“Don’t tell me I have to tutor you into that you?” I asked lazily. Any other guy in his place would say “nope, I’m going to do it on my own” or just a simple no. and honestly, that’s exactly what I was expecting from him.

“you’d do that?” he said, his eyes light up with hope while my jaw just fell loose from the hinge of it right to the ground. What I said was just an expression, how was I suppose to tutor him into mugging all of it up?

For god’s sake, he was a grown up. And my bad choice of vocabulary just backfired right at my face.

“Seriously,” I started. “How did you get past high school and college?” I asked. As I said before, he didn’t look like the guy you expect to be a bookworm. He had to score to graduate. How’d he do it?

My last retort seemed to totally shut him up. He held his gaze down to his feet, suddenly taking an unexpected inters in them. I kept my gaze still on his but he dare didn’t look up.

Now, I think, I might have said something wrong. Did I?

When he didn’t look up, I was convinced that he wouldn’t until I made him too. I studied him closely, he was fiddling with his fingers, his eyes down on his shoes and he wasn’t moving at all.

Did he just die, standing?

No, his eyes were open.

I cleared my throat to make him look up but he didn’t. As if my voices were immune to him now. So I slid the cold ice pack down my foot and placed it on the bedside table. The coldness was quickly replaced with warmness as the pack was lifted. I stood up to my feet, trying to stumble but surprisingly, it didn’t hurt an ounce.

I walked up to him. I kept my cautions alert as to, I didn’t know when I feet would give up. I held my finger beneath his chin and slowly lifted it up so he could look me in the eye. His eyes met mine and I saw sorrow in them. It honestly broke y heart to see his face like this.