Touch me Not

31. bright smiles

Chris let out a heavy sigh, his hands hiding the dark circles beneath his eyes. Empty coffee cups littered both our desks, stacks of books piled up on the floor, and crumpled papers lay strewn across all available surfaces. At any other time, I would have cleaned up the place for both our sakes, but I didn't have time to spare.

He let out an exasperated sound, anger blended with exhaustion. "I can't...I don't get this shit." Those words had been on repeat for the last three hours.

I leaned back in my chair, shifting around to find some sort of position that wouldn't kill me slowly. "Don't worry so much."

"I wouldn't worry if I thought I would make it through."

Shaking my head at Chris' lack of confidence, I continued to read through my notes. We were both in the same position, trying to cram as much knowledge as possible into our poor brains before the finals. I was strangely happy for the distraction. It left me no time to think about Gabriel or what the attorney and the police were doing to get him incarcerated. It also gave me a sense of purpose and normalcy. Even if things had happened, life went on without pause.

He slammed his laptop shut and swerved his chair around. "I need a break."

So did I, but time was scarce.

He stood, obviously sensing my reluctance. After a second of hesitation, he grabbed my upper arm, pulled me from my seat and steered us both to the door. "You need a break, too."

"I don't know—"

"I know. We both need to get out of here for a minute."

I rubbed my eyes, a clear sign that I had stared at the notes for far too long. "Fine. I need to get back soon, though."

"Let's get a coffee." He pulled on his sneakers and tugged at his sweat pants with a dismal frown.

I chuckled at his sudden bout of attention for his general appearance. "If we drink more coffee, we'll likely get ulcers. Think I've had ten cups already today."

Chris winced. "True."

I wondered if I looked as exhausted as Chris did. He had this haze across his eyes even if they were wild from all the caffeine. It was an unsettling appearance, and I hoped we hadn't studied like this for nothing. If I failed my exams, this year would officially be the worst one ever.

The large cafeteria in the building next door was almost empty, which wasn't so strange considering the hour. Most students had likely retreated to calmer spots to study. The place would soon close, anyway. The balding man working behind the counter threw us a flat stare as if he didn't want any more customers.

The chair screeched as Chris pulled it back from the table. "You're not getting anything?"

I shook my head. "You?"

"Too tired."

"Same."

He leaned back in the metal chair. "So, are you happy classes are over soon?"

"Yeah. I need a break from this."

Chris mussed his hair, waiting a second too long to continue. His hesitation nudged my warning bells. I didn't need another conversation about Gabriel.

"Nothing to do with Cameron finally becoming available?"

I swallowed hard—that was not the question I expected. I had no idea that Chris had caught a whiff of my secret crush.

"I can't believe you said that."

Chris cleared his throat, staring at me intently.

"What?" I asked.