how to catch feelings

108

Cole and I weren't sending Tik Toks to each other anymore, but I was slowly making my peace with it.

Classes started to wrap up for the semester.

We spent a long Sunday in the office putting together our 36-page orientation issue.

I deleted 'Editor-in-Chief' from my email signature and officially passed the torch to Marie.

Exam week was the only thing standing between me and summer.

He texted me the last Tuesday of the semester. "I want nuggets," he said.

"Alright," I said.

"Wanna go with me?"

I sat up. "Sure."

"Lit. Lemme get dressed and then I'll come pick you up."

"Okay."

"What?" Damaris asked. She and Meg had both paused their studying to look at me.

"Nothing."

"You're smiling."

"I'm not."

"You are. Did Cole text you?"

"Maybe."

"He did. Are you guys going to hang out?"

"Gonna get chicken nuggets."

"Aw. Cute."

"Shut up." I went upstairs to grab my keys and a jacket.

As an afterthought, I put some stress relief lotion on and took a moment to just breathe.

It's just chicken nuggets, Nat.

Yeah. It would be okay.

I took one last deep breath and went back downstairs to wait.

***

"Hey," he said when I got in the car.

"Hey."

He had the Hamilton soundtrack playing, and as he backed out of the parking spot, he was humming.

"Oh. So... Maybe a fun summer project for your new EIC. Me and a bunch of the guys filed complaints against Harding. Heard from one of the other guys that he's getting called into a meeting with the athletics director tomorrow. Should be interesting."

I stared at him.

"Well, I told you I was gonna make him pay. Also, I took my math final and finished the class with an 86 percent." He glanced over at me and smiled.

"Wow. That's great. All of it."

"Yeah. I thought so, too. Oh. Are you okay with Hamilton?"

"I mean, yeah," I said.

"Good. I have yet to find anyone who hates Hamilton, but if they do, they can just tell me to change the fucking music, you know?"

"Yeah."

"You've seen it, right?"

"Well... no. I started to watch it. Charlize would always listen to the soundtrack freshman year, though. And last year my roommate got really tipsy and performed half of it for us. So kind of. But technically no."

He laughed. "I love that for you. But you should watch it."

"I know."

"It starts out kinda slow, but I think the first half has the best music. The second half has the best plot. But that's just me."

"Sure."

He cranked the volume up, beating on the steering wheel and bopping his head so hard that his baseball cap slid off.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you judging me?" he asked.

"Of course not."

"I think you are."

"Well."

He continued to sing along, and I had to admire his voice. I could've listened to him all day and all night.

There was a long line at McDonald's, not that I expected anything different.

"Whatcha want?" Cole asked as we inched forward.

"I dunno. Probably just a Happy Meal."

He busted out laughing. "That's all?"

"Yeah," I said indignantly. "It's the perfect serving size."

"One time I ordered two ten-pieces and ate them both."

"Oh my God. Okay, but I'm smaller than you."

"Fair. You want the six-piece?"

"The four."

"Four?"

"It's the perfect size!"

"I love that for you," he said again. "Alright. A four-piece chicken nuggie Happy Meal."

"With extra fries."

"Right. And what to drink? Chocolate milk?"

"Ew, no. Um... a lemonade."

"Got it." He opened the sun roof and flipped down his visor, playing with the mirror so the light kept going on and off.

I felt like a fool for just non-stop laughing, but I couldn't help it; he was so silly.

"Hey, have you seen Phineas and Ferb?" he asked.

"No."

"You—" The car in front of us moved up, so it was our turn to order. "Hold that thought." He ordered my Happy Meal and his five million nuggets. "You haven't seen Phineas and Ferb?"

"No. But I know the theme song."

"Lit." He grabbed his phone from the cup holder and scrolled through his music. Within seconds, the Phineas and Ferb theme song was blaring from the car speakers, Cole screaming the words.

I was too busy laughing to join in.

These were the kinds of moments I wanted to last forever.

But the drive-thru line moved up, and we got our food, and we headed back to campus.

"Okay, so I know this was kind of lame," he said as we drove under the arch.

"Lame? Nuggies are never lame."

"Oh. Right. I didn't say the most important part. Yeah. So... I never got the chance to ask, since this year was a giant shitshow, but... I meant to ask you if you wanted to go out sometime."

"Like...?"

"I mean, friends, if you want. But yeah. We could get chicken nuggets as more than friends."

I burst into laughter.

"What?"

"No, just... Wow. Okay. That's like the best thing you could've said."

"I'm glad? But an answer would also be cool."

"Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We can get chicken nuggets as more than friends."

He swung his car into a parking lot by my building. "One more question... Did this nuggie run count?"

"I'm tempted to say no because of the whole ex post facto thing, but on the other hand... Yeah. Sure. It counts."

"Yeehaw."

*** ***