Callie and Lexi's Kiss List | ✓

46: Callie

Flynn's body was rigid for a couple of beats of my heart before his arms gingerly came around me. 

But his hold was weak. 

Friendly, not loving. 

And he felt distant.

Pulling back, I glanced up at him to search his face. Though he took my slight retreat as an invitation to completely drop his hold on me and take a small step back so that I was no longer touching him.

"How... how are you?" I stupidly asked, knowing the answer because it was clear on his face.

Flynn gave me a small shrug, then looked to the ground.

"Have you... have you been getting my texts?" I then asked.

He nodded, but didn't open his mouth to speak.

"Why are you... are you coming back to school?"

"I'm just picking up my things... my teachers have been leaving work I can do at home and I pick it up once a week."

"Well um... I can't stay long but I just want to say—"

His head snapped up as his eyes met mine then he glanced behind him towards my mum's idling car. "Wait, why are you not in class?" he asked as he turned to look back at me.

"I have a doctor's appointment."

"A doctor's..." He momentarily glanced down towards my leg before meeting my eyes. "Are you okay? Is everything okay?"

I gave him a small nod, shocked he was worried about me with all that was going on. "I'm fine," I said softly, taking a small step towards him, closing the distance he had put between us before.

But whatever closure I thought we had achieved from his care for me disappeared as I came closer. Immediately, he took a step backwards. "Then why are you—"

"Just a checkup. I have to visit my prosthetist every now and then as I acclimatise to my leg."

"Oh... right," he said, eyes going vacant once more. "Sorry... I forgot."

Shaking my head, I reached a hand out and placed it on his arm. "You've got enough going on."

But then he shrugged my touch away, making my heart throb.

What can I do to help him? I wondered. "I have so many questions I want to ask you," I started, including where he was been, how is he, how are his studies... so on... but I was conscious that mum was waiting for me so I had to get to the more important parts first. "But I just want to say that you're welcome over any time to talk."

Flynn's brows furrowed as he looked up, finally meeting my gaze properly for the first time in this interaction. "I don't have time to talk, Callie."

"You don't..." I started to repeat him, but the words slowly sank in. "That's okay," I then said. "When you've got time. I'm here. Always here. Just a phone call—"

But he was shaking his head, cutting me off. "I've been meaning to talk to you about this but..." He trailed off as his eyes slowly lowered to the ground, mind seeming to drift off to somewhere that wasn't in the present.

"But you don't have time to talk?" I asked, hoping I could pull him out of whatever dark place he had just gone to.

My heart ached seeing him like this.

Long gone was my Flynn, it seemed.

His smiles, his laughs... they looked like they hadn't crossed his face all this time. Though that was understandable.