When I met you

Her - Chapter 11

If it was all a dream, I don't want to wake up. I don't know him yet, I know almost nothing about him, but I feel like I never want to be away from him again. I want to breathe the same air he does. I want to see what he sees. I want to feel what he feels. I want to dream what he dreams. I know that it's little time to feel all of this, but I want to feel everything, and this time I won't wait for everything to happen in one part: him. I want to be the other party. I want to be what he needs, what he wants. I'll be what he needs, I'll be what he wants...

I woke up from my dream and went to take a shower, I needed to pack up for tomorrow's classes. Then I went to the kitchen to eat something. I took my book and went straight to the bedroom. I think I dozed off while reading because I woke up with the cell phone ringing, I answered it without seeing who was calling me:

"Hello?"

"You were already sleeping?"

His voice was calm and smooth, I remained lying down:

"I was reading, and I fell asleep, I think I was tired."

"Tired? We didn't even do anything to make you so tired."

We laughed:

"Tomorrow I'm taking you to lunch at an Italian restaurant in a part of the town you don't know yet. You like Italian food, right?"

"Yes, I do. As long as I don't have cheese, I do."

"Cheese? Don't you eat cheese?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it's disgusting, smelly and too salty."

"Okay. We'll order something that doesn't have cheese, I promise."

"Thank you. But I need to sleep, I have to get up very early tomorrow."

"I just called to let you know about our lunch, and to say that I loved being with you today."

"I also liked it a lot."

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

I hung up the phone and went back to sleep. The sleep I had was one of the most peaceful I have ever had.

***

Him

As soon as I left her at home, I received a call from a new client, an indication from one of the publishers for which I work. It was about a new job, something I had never done before, but it would be a great opportunity for me. I stopped the car so we could talk and work out the details. We left everything agreed, and I would start next week. It would be a pretty big job, and it might get me out of town for a month at the end of the summer, and coincidentally it was in the same city where I planned to buy a house and move out. This move would now be in the background. I do not know how this story with Amanda would unfold, I did not want to create illusions and expectations, but nobody ever made me want to be together all the time, and with her I felt that I now had someone for me, someone to worry about, someone to care for, someone to love.

I got home, took a shower, went to the garden and sat on the edge of the pool for a long time, thinking about her. I took out my cell phone and called her.

Tomorrow we will have lunch together, and maybe spend another afternoon together.

***

Her

I woke up in the morning with the incessant ringing of my cell phone receiving messages:

        "Where have you been all day? I looked for you all over the town."

        "I want to take you to the movies today, and we can also have lunch together at that restaurant you like."

        "I'm going to attend sophomore class today, so we can spend more time together."

        "See you at school."

I got ready, had my breakfast and left the house straight to school, the day was wonderful.

As soon as I arrived at school, Ethan came running to talk to me:

"Didn't you get my messages?"

"Hi Ethan. Good morning to you, too."

"You haven't responded to my messages."

"I saw them, but I didn't have time to answer them. Can we talk about this later? I have to prepare the first-year class."

"Okay. See you in sophomore class."

I went straight to the first-year class and stayed there until class started. After the break, I went to the sophomore class, and Ethan was already there, sitting at my desk:

"Hi! I hope you don't mind if I sit at your table."

"No, that's fine. I just don't want the principal to see it, I'm new here and I don't want any trouble involving students and me."

"Don't worry. It won't happen. So? Is everything all right for our lunch and the movie?"

"Ethan, I apologize, but I won't be able to go with you. Dylan will pick me up as soon as class is over."

Ethan was very angry, and said:

"Are you dating?"

"No, why?"

"Now it's just Dylan, you don't go out with me anymore, you don't answer my messages..."

"Ethan. You are my student, you are an incredible, polite, kind, loving boy..."

"Stop it. Didn't you realize that I don't want to be just your student? You are so beautiful, and I want so much more than just being your summer student."

"Maybe what you want, I can't give it to you, I'm sorry."

He looked at me in such a furious way, and then said to me:

"What does this Dylan have that I don't have? Money?"

"Who gave you the freedom to talk to me like that? You are my student until the end of the summer, and that's it. This class is not yours, so I want you to leave, go to your house. Tomorrow we will have class all morning. Let's forget about this conversation."

Ethan left the room slamming the door. My sophomores arrived and class started. The class passed quickly. I dismissed the students, and put my things away. When I left school, Dylan was waiting for me outside the car.

***