Perfectly Imperfect

19

The next few days seemed surreal. We never talked about the future or what was going to come. I focused more in the now than ever before. We also didn't spend every minute together, since Chris had work and I had...my sisters.

I was still waiting for him to open up, though. There were times when he stood quiet, completely lost in his thoughts. I didn't want to push him and even if it killed me, I was trying to give him space whenever he seemed to need it. There were roughly two weeks left before I leave, and I was just hoping that we could talk it out before.

My excitement for the weekend increased when Chris asked me if he could invite himself to go to New York too. He didn't have to ask twice. I was leaving on Friday and he'd catch up with us on Saturday morning, since he had to finish something from work.

Cassie and I had been talking over the phone for the last few days and she was planning a whole bunch on things. We were going to the theater, the Guggenheim, the Museum on natural history, the Empire State building and more.

I honestly didn't know how were we going to pull that off in such a little span of time, but Cassie was really excited and sounded confident that we would.

On Wednesday, Caitlin insisted that we meet up at the karaoke bar. Since I didn't have anything else to do and the week seemed to be passing too slow, I agreed. However, I did ask her not to invite Tyrell. The guy gave me the creeps.

I also warned her that I was not going to sing for everyone else's benefit. She agreed to everything after sending me the address. We were to meet at eight. I googled the place and it wasn't hard to locate.

Chris disappeared after class without saying much. It was one of those moments where he was quiet and more to himself. That didn't mean that we hadn't made out or that he hadn't teased me to no end for screaming like a little girl when he grabbed a toad and urged me to take it in my hands. For the Frog Prince, he'd said. Idiot. He had laughed his ass out at my expense.

Having free time, I started to work on the portfolio Michael had asked us to send him after the weekend. He was exposing in an art gallery, but he also wanted to present his student's accomplishments. It was sort of a graduation thing. Out of the five of us, he was going to choose one picture from each, but as a prize, he wanted to expose one person's full portfolio. Thus, we were to send out best work.

I spent two hours trying to find my finest shots. When my neck started to hurt, I called it a night. I turned off my computer and stepped outside the room into the hallway. Mom's bedroom door was open. The sound of fake laughing reached my ears. My lips curved up. That could only mean one thing, she was watching one of the old comedy shows she loved.

I peeked my head through the door. She was laying on bed, watching reruns. She smiled at my sight and patted the empty space next to her. "Did you finish?" she asked absentmindedly, her eyes on the TV, as I laid beside her.

"Almost. I think." My brows furrowed. "I hope."

She squeezed lightly my arm. "I'm sure you'll do well."

Scrunching up my nose, I turned my eyes to the screen in front of us. "Mom? Can I ask you something?" I don't know what she sensed in my voice tone because she sat up and gazed at me with utter concern. "What would you say if I wanted to transfer from California to New York?" I asked, feigning nonchalance.

It was something that had been roaming in my mind through the last couple of days. I wasn't thinking about it because of Chris. Yes, he was part of it, but I also missed my family and friends. I needed to this for myself. Being away for a year had been harsh. I wanted to be close, so we could visit each other, but not in the same city. I'd also appreciated the independence.