A Crowded Place

Chapter 23: Word gets out

My friends back in Australia were fully informed of all these happenings.

I made sure to message them every night. Even though they would not reply immediately due to the inconvenient time difference, they would eventually see my texts. The drama unfolding before their eyes was completely alien to anything they'd known before. They were surprised at the extent of this drama; at how complicated and how big of a deal it was.

Are you sure you can handle it, Liv? Jessica had said, no doubt full of concern.
Jacob must be sooo hot! Michelle had texted. I could almost imagine her giggling hysterically as she sent the text.

They expressed their regret in not being able to help me with in this drama except provide emotional support.
I wish I could be here to help you out, girl. Michelle had said.
Me too! But if any of those idiot guys make you sad or mad, I swear I'll find a way to stalk my way into Yale and bash their heads in! Sophie had said confidently.

They were like my guardian angels, except a bit overly aggressive.

I even told Aaron about what had happened, even though I was unsure about how he would feel - it felt like just yesterday when we had mutually agreed to end our relationship, and the emotions were still raw. However, I had to put the past behind me and see him now as a friend.

He told me that he 100% knew how I was feeling, and that he was really sorry he couldn't be there to support me. I felt too ashamed to think about how it would appear to Aaron - me hooking up with a guy when he and I had just broken up. Then again, I didn't know if Aaron himself was already in a relationship as well. I thought it best not to ask.

Rather, I didn't want to know.

——

Back here at Yale, word had also spread pretty quickly.

First it was the stares. I was accompanied by weird stares from guys and girls alike, wherever I walked. Some girls stared with jealousy, some with compassion, some with admiration. Guys seemed to want to avoid me, although it might have just been my paranoia and overactive imagination causing me to believe that.

But I made sure not to appear on campus alone too much. Most times, Jacob and I walked hand in hand, not afraid of some PDA. His presence felt strong and assuring, and he squeezed my hand to comfort me whenever he sensed me tensing up.

When we were together, I could definitely feel the title of 'hottest couple on campus' levitating above our heads. Even though sometimes I felt intimidated by all the attention, I realised that the two of us were invincible.

I never found out how that girl - Julie Blanche - felt when she realised that she would never have a chance with Jacob. She must've felt devastated, but I tried not to think about it, because I knew that a feeling of guilt would just overwhelm me.

One day, however, I passed by her whilst I was on my way to my documentary-making class. We both stopped a few metres apart, looking a little bit awkward. Julie had a head of golden hair and her eyes were piercing green. I had to admit, she was beautiful without a doubt. And I knew that she had a good heart, too, because she said to me: 'Congratulations, Liv. I hope you two are happy together.'

Her eyes were genuine and and she smiled kindly at me, even though I could catch a hint of sadness and pain in them. I nodded, thanking her with a grateful smile. Maybe we could have been friends in a different world. We stood still for a few seconds more, and I would like to think that my lingering glance conveyed to her how sorry I felt, more than I could ever express in words.

——

The talk finally started after Yale Gossip confirmed, a week later, that Jacob and I were in a relationship. We were described as the 'it' couple. We were described as lovers whose passion for music allowed us to connect so deeply. It was rumoured that instead of professing our love to each other, we would play serenades and odes instead. I laughed at that - music definitely was a language through which Jacob and I bonded, but that theory was taking it a bit too far.