Nineteen

Chapter Thirty-Four

"What happened?" he asks.

I laugh, "long story."

"Do you want to go somewhere and talk? About all of--this?" he waves his hands at me.

"I'm fine, really."

"Well. Are you busy? We could hangout for a little bit. I mean, if you want to," he fumbles.

"Can we just go for a walk?" I want to hangout, but I don't want to leave campus. Not yet.

He shakes his head and waves his arm, giving me permission to start the walk.

We walk for an hour, talking and laughing about everything and anything.

We head back to my dorm building and the lights are brighter, signaling the late hour.

"I've missed being your friend," he says.

"Yeah, me too." I look up at him and he's smiling at me.

"We shouldn't have ended the way we did. We were too good."

My chest ignites at the sound of these words. For many, many nights I wished and hoped that we would hear words familiar to these. Here we are, many years later, and I am getting them.

But it's different. I don't feel the burn of intensity, only a flame.

"Bad timing, I guess," I say.

He smiles at me, but doesn't say another word as we walk down the sidewalk back to my room.

"So, when are you going to tell me what happened to you?" he says as we walk up the stairs of the dorm building.

"Hm. Maybe on our next walk," I reply.

"Good. That means I'm getting another walk." He smiles and it pings a familiar memory inside of me.

When we reach the hallway I'm looking at Link when he groans. "What?" I ask.

Then I see. Sitting at my door is Collin. He is filthy from work and has a bag beside on him. He sees us and stands up as we walk closer.

"Where the hell have you been?" he says. I give him a look.

"I hope you're not talking to her like that," Link says.

Collin doesn't look at him. "I went to Clark's to pick you up 30 minutes ago and he had no idea where you went. I was afraid that you were alone," he looks at Link, "but I see that you're not."

"It's none of your concern." I say as I open my door.

Link stands at the door but Collin walks in behind me. Link smiles at me and says, "I'm going to go. I'll see you for our next date."

My chest tightens and I nod. Collin's eyes light up and become black. Link shuts the door behind him right as Collin says, "date?"

"Walking date, not a real one," I say to explain myself, even though I'm unsure why I am. Collin has no position in my life to judge what I do, I have known him merely a week. 

He sits down on my bed. He's in a plain white shirt and a pair of work pants. He's covered in grease and his face is black. 

"What's in the bag?" I point to it.

"Clothes."

"For what?" I ask, confusion clear on my face.

"To spend the night."

What? I give him a weird look. Half of me is relieved to know I don't have to be alone, but the other half is very confused on what he feels like he's doing.

"I'm not your problem and you're not my babysitter." I cross my arms and stand across the room from him.

"Well, like it or not, I'm staying. Now, I'm going to go shower down the hall and then we're going to go out and get something to eat." He stands up and grabs his bag.

"Why do you tell me what to do? Why are you even here?" 

He doesn't say anything, instead he walks through the room and out the door.

Ten minutes later he's opening the door to come back into the room.

He's now in jeans and a black t-shirt. His curly brown hair is soaked but he has a hat on anyway.

"You ready?" he says as he stuffs his keys and wallet into his pocket.

"I guess," I huff. "Where are we going?"

He doesn't look at me as he opens the door and says, "a date."