My Professor

44. Aftermath

That weekend I moved all three boxes of my belongings into Theodore's apartment, shoving the boxes in the far corner of the living room to stay for the summer.

With my whole summer free, I spent my time picking up shifts to work in order to prepare for my own apartment, as well as spending as much of my free time with Theodore as possible. We both wanted to make the most of the time we had left together before the fall.

While Theodore hunted for a new job, I dusted off my writing project and started working seriously on my novel. I sat curled up on the couch with my iPad and bluetooth keyboard and actually started pumping out some chapters.

Theodore got hired at a university on the other side for the state before summer was half over. I was excited for him, but sad that our time was limited. I wanted to cling to him as long as possible. I wasn't ready to move out and trudge through my last semester alone.

Maria moved to Seattle right after she graduated in May; she landed an internship with an editor at a major company in the city. We hung out a few times before she left town, but she was so busy with finals, we couldn't find much time for each other before she had to go.

Huey, on the other hand, was still around, still working shifts at the bookstore. I told him I would be leaving Brighton in the winter and he didn't seem surprised. He was impressed that my relationship with Theodore had pulled through all of the drama, and he was even more impressed that I'd stood up for myself against Marcy, regardless of the repercussions. He was happy for me, of course, but I could sense a twinge of melancholy behind it.

At the end of summer, I moved into a studio apartment closer to campus, and Theo moved away. Our last days together were bittersweet, and the goodbyes were hard, but like he always said, it wouldn't be long before we were together again. I just had to be patient for a little longer. I had plans to visit him during the Thanksgiving break, so I at least had that to look forward to. Still, being alone was rough. All I could do was hope that my last semester would pass as quickly and painlessly as possible.