Guess That Is How I Know You

Chapter XIX

September 2, 2016

Today could not have come fast enough. After we had driven together to campus, I did not see Cecilia again yesterday. I did try though.

After my classes were over, I texted her to see if she wanted to have lunch with me—I am aware I can be clingy sometimes—, but it did not happen because she was still stuck in that fucking meeting.

The thought of the new professor also being there, did not help.

Cecilia spent most of her meeting texting me pictures of herself pretending to be bored, and at least that managed to get my mood back on its track.

At some point, without being able to control myself, I answered back to one of her pictures saying, "you look cute even when you're bored (also, I know you're only pretending)". That woman loved everything about her job, regardless of how tedious.

But there was still the nagging feeling surfacing from the back of my mind, and I could not help but mention it, even if I had been trying all afternoon to refrain from doing so.

I decided to send her another text, this time it said, "on a more serious note, I hope that kid who has a crush on you isn't being a problem, xo".

I could see on my screen that she was typing something, and those three dots were getting me mortified until I saw what she had sent in return.

It was a picture from the other side of what I assumed was the meeting room in which I could see Professor Fisher sitting with both hands on his lap. The picture came along with a small text that read, "he really does look like a kid... don't worry about him, love".

The pet name did not go unnoticed—that one I approved of—and before I realized it, I was doing a happy dance with my hands as I held on to my phone.

The next message I got was from Lucy asking me if it was okay if she brought a friend along to the girls' night Cecilia was planning. I replied telling her I did not see a reason to mind it at all.

I knew how seriously Lucy took those gatherings, and that should have be indication enough that she was doing something she was not supposed to.

I was about to lay down on my bed for a nap when I got yet another message, this one from Evelyn.

It was a picture of Cecilia smiling down at her phone, along with a text saying, "I don't know what's going on but she looks like a teenager every time your name pops up on her screen, tell her to concentrate before someone else notices it."

Was Evelyn Mace really trying to scold us? Because all her message did was make me smile like a lovesick teenager. The way Cecilia was smiling like she did not care about anything around her other than my texts was endearing.

I did not answer Evelyn's text, but instead switched on to Cecilia's conversation to do as ordered. "Eve said I should stop texting you before someone notices you're not paying attention (you look cute smiling like that, btw)", I sent the text before deciding to complement it, "let me know when you get home, so I know you're okay."

It was one thing when she lived with someone else, but now she was completely alone—not that I was much different—and I wanted to make sure she knew I cared, because I knew how much of a nerve-wreck she got driving back home by herself ever since the hijack.

I was both surprised and excited when my phone vibrated once again, "how do you know I'm smiling??? I'll call you when I get in the car."

I thought it was best to keep her wondering, so I did not answer anything back to that.