Emails

Chapter 3

Liv.

The first person I run into after five stupid minutes?

Someone who I forgot to see.

"You know, I never thought that I'd meet you here." I smile.

He smiles back, rosy cheeks showing adorable dimples on full display. "I never thought I'd meet a fellow club member here either."

This is more than awkward. I should've walked home faster, not stayed at that stupid red, green, yellow light for all of maybe five minutes. Enough time for a familiar freshman to come and tap me on the shoulder, asking if I was okay or if I was lost or if I needed help. Funny, I don't even know his name. We both ironically had a very good memory that we needed to work on a project we both volunteered for, unfortunately. 

He clears his throat. Rubs the back of his neck. "I don't know if you remember, but we need to work on a club volunteer thing together? Name's Cole." 

"Liv."

Bright, white, teeth beam brightly. He's one of those people who are inherently happy, or just obscenely optimistic. His eyes squint as he grins and I wonder if he can see through his lids when he smiles. Those really wide smiles that take up half of your face and your eyes are rendered nearly invisible. I didn't realize that I asked him that question aloud before his smile grew wider. 

He laughs. It's not one of those fake, polite, slightly scared laughs, but real. He's practically in hysterics now. "Sorry... I... don't... get... asked... that... a... lot..." 

"I can tell." 

Cole practically chokes. I let out a laugh. "So, can you see?" I tease as if I hadn't just learned his name. 

"I can see perfectly fine..." 

"That's good to hear." He loses it. He's bent over trying to reign in his guffaws. People stare at our interaction, curious as to what made Cole lose his mind in the middle of the sidewalk. 

He coughs, flushed. "Sorry about that. Do you want to work on the project now or another time...?" 

My smile drops. Falls to the ground. Sinks beneath the ocean. "It's okay. We might have to do it another time though. I was just going home." 

"Can I have your number? To text the location and the time and everything. I forgot to ask when we were both partnered up." 

My stomach drops. Falls to the ground. Sinks further than my smile beneath the ocean. That seems too personal. I only have a handful of contacts, all of them being either my family or close friends. 

He flushes red. It's cute. "Or we can just email each other. You know, here's my phone number and email address. You can contact me on any platform?" He ends this as a question and produces a pen and paper. 

I nod. Take the piece of paper with barely determinable writing on it. "Okay. Thanks."

"I guess, I'll see you soon?" He ends on a note of hope. 

"See you."

This time I really do end up walking home.