heartstrings, semi eita

ix

at the thought of semi, your mind immediately recalled the dream you awoke from. involuntarily, you carded through images of him pushing you against the wall and kissing you—images of fake memories that made your face blaze with heat and your breath cut short.

you gripped the edge of your comforter, squeezing your eyes and trying to shake off the memories of something that had never—and will never—happen.

the night before, you had fallen asleep thinking about what semi was trying to say to you in the museum. though you acted nonchalant, you knew the message never got through to you. so you couldn't help but make up scenarios in your mind, trying to come up with the most realistic continuation of the conversation the two of you had.

unfortunately, it seemed that the theme of realism got lost in the haze of sleep clouding your mind because the events of your dream were anything but realistic. maybe you had watched a few rom-coms too many or read a chick lit too many, but clearly, your brain didn't get the memo.

frustrated, you slipped out of bed, deciding that eating something would distract you from this. when you got to the kitchen, you realized it was monday and that it was already lunchtime.

monday. that meant semi was at oxford, experiencing his first day in what you could only hope was misery. okay, maybe not total misery.

the hours flew by quickly, the house eerily empty without semi—and quiet, save for your mother's soft snoring. it made your heart clench because you knew she only snored when she felt completely drained.

you spent the day cozied up on the couch, scrolling through emails and trying to get yourself signed up for fall classes. first, you had to get through the hard part: picking a school.

eventually, you got tired of trying to decide and opted for watching a movie. besides, your head was pounding, and you could hardly breathe through your nose.

it wasn't until late into the afternoon that your attention was grabbed by something other than the images on your tv screen. when you heard the front door open, you turned your head to see who it was, though it could only be one other person.

"there she is," semi said, then sang loudly: "honeyy, i'm hooome—ough!" he was cut off by a pillow you threw at his face, shutting him up.

"shhh!" you shushed him, "my mom is sleeping, you idiot!"

semi looked offended by your interruption, putting a solemn hand on his heart. he looked apologetic but only rolled his eyes at you. "thanks for the warm welcome," he sniffed.

you blinked, fixating on his slightly nasally tone. "you're sick?"

"yup. sick for my first day of school, and it's all your fault," semi sighed, throwing his phone on the couch and plopping beside you.

"okay, well, i got sick, too, dumbass," you huffed, kicking his side. with a smile, you watched him slowly turn his head to you, splitting his attention away from the tub of ice cream on his lap. you had no clue when he got that from the freezer.

"um, ow!" semi cursed, reaching over to knock you on the forehead with his spoon. when your hand flew to your head to rub the spot, semi laughed at the shocked expression on your face. "i see you've missed me."