"How was the test?" Zivia asked through the phone as Nate stood in the cold air.
"Fine?" he questioned, gripping his cane. "I don't know. I can't quite tell yet."
He sighed, tapping his foot against the pavement. The test had ended 15 minutes prior, and Zivia called him as soon as she got the chance. It had taken him two whole hours to complete it compared to the one hour it took the rest of his class. He was stressed the entire time. The questions were long and wordy, and the helpful paragraphs from his textbook were scattered everywhere; it was hard to find anything and answer everything. Much to his surprise, he completed it. It was a blessing despite the odds.
"I'm sure you did great," she assured. "Got any plans for the rest of the day?"
"Yeah, I'll probably go and study in Jude Hall...I'm not sure though. Would you want to come with me?"
"I would love to, but I have plans with Ella," Zivia spoke, mentioning the girl from her writing class that she had admired from afar.
"Oh my god, no way," Nate smiled. "What are you guys doing?"
"Just getting coffee and doing schoolwork, that's all."
"That's all....?"
"I don't like her like that. She's just so cool and she's so good at art, it's unbelievable," Zivia pleaded.
Nate didn't believe her for one second, but he let it slide. She would admit her feelings sooner or later.
"Well, that seems fun. I hope you guys have a great time."
"Thank you, Mr. Thompson," she replied. "I hope you have a lovely time doing whatever. I love you."
"Love you too, Zi. Bye."
"Byeeeee."
As Nate dropped the phone in his pocket, he decided that he was going to stick through his plan and go to the relatively desolate building to hopefully get some more work done. For once, he was feeling energized and motivated, and he knew he had to act on it before he turned into an unmoving blob.
The walk to the Hall was relatively quick; he had repeated the route many times, and he had grown comfortable getting to the building on his own. He arrived, scanned his key card, used the elevator to descend into the basement, and sat at one of his usual tables that was away from others. Nate made sure to make lots of sound as he approached the table. Usually, if people realized he was there, they would make themselves louder to let him know he was not alone. It wasn't as helpful as stating verbally that they were there, but it was better than not saying anything at all.
He sat atop the cheap, spiny office chair as he lied his backpack on the ground and folded up his cane on the table. The silver laptop had been removed by himself and placed in front of him. His headphones were inserted his ears, and he began to read through the next paper he was assigned to write. Naturally, it was due in a few days and he hadn't started it. He never ceased to amaze himself with his ability to procrastinate. It was a superpower that only ever caused harm.
Forty-five minutes of forming ideas and an outline passed by, and he realized that it was easier than he'd previously thought. He was in the flow of writing when someone walked up to him. They spoke.
"Can I sit here?"
Nate startled at the higher-toned masculine voice. They had seemingly come out of nowhere.
"Yeah," he nodded, trying his best to smile in the general direction of where they came fron.
The stranger replied with a thank you and sat across from him. Nate felt as if it was odd considering that there was another chair at the other end of the table, but he brushed it off. He continued to his previous activities.
YOU ARE READING
All Our Sensitivity
Romance"Are you always going to forget I can't see?" "I don't need to remember when we're kissing." "Weirdo." Nate was born blind. That was a fact. Nate was also gay. That was a fact that came much later after his six-month relationship with his best frien...
