Nessa's legs are dangling from the side of Vy's bed. She swings them back and forth as she glances around her surroundings, noticing the apparent differences about the room since the last time she sat in that exact spot. Traces of someone else dot the room.
A black t-shirt sits in a bundle on the floor near one of the posts of Vy's bed. Nessa wonders how long the article of clothing has been lying there. Draped over the desk chair is a large hoodie that Nessa's never seen in Vy's closet before. Both the t-shirt and the hoodie probably belong to Vy's new boyfriend—the one she met at the sorority party over a month ago.
When Vy comes out of the bathroom, Nessa says, "So, I kind of dropped my art history textbook on this guy's foot today on my way over here."
Nessa laughs softly, severely embarrassed at herself for being so clumsy in public of all places. Vy nearly drops the hairbrush in her hand at the sound of the news. She twists her head around so she's directly addressing Nessa.
"What do you mean kind of? You can't just kind of drop ten pounds on someone's foot, Ness."
"He was pretty nice about it afterwards even though it probably hurt like hell."
"Well, onto the more important question. Was he cute?" Vy asks out of curiosity, her dark brown eyes shining with interest.
It takes Nessa a moment to recall the boy she ran into, the images of his blond hair and ocean blue eyes gradually finding their way back to the surface. She eventually nods her head affirmatively.
"And guess what, Vy."
"What?"
"He's going to be at Dawson's tonight, too."
"I think it must be fate, Nessa!" Vy squeals and claps her hands together eagerly. "You just found your soulmate. Wouldn't it be funny if one day someone ended up writing a story about how this all happened? I mean think about it . . . it all started with a textbook."
***
Dawson's bar is located on the farthest side of East Campus. Its exterior is a combination of gray and white stone, but the interior is comprised of solely wood from the walls to the tables to the bar itself—everything. When Nessa and Vy walk in, music is already bouncing off the walls in the room, a combination of voices singing the lyrics on the screen hanging from the ceiling of the bar.
They take a seat at one of the few empty tables in the back and order their first round of drinks. Nessa spends most of the waiting time scrolling through her phone, completely unaware of her surroundings.
It isn't long before Vy spots her boyfriend walking through the entrance, clutching a jacket in his hand. He sees them immediately.
"He's coming over. I can't wait for you to officially meet him, Nessa!" Vy eagerly says. "You two are almost never free at the same time. This was a miracle on its own."
It really is a miracle, but not in the way Vy thinks.
When Nessa glances up from her phone, all she sees is a male profile as Vy's boyfriend leans down and places a quick kiss on her lips. Vy pulls him into a hug almost immediately after their first embrace. He mutters something under his breath that Nessa can't catch even though she is only sitting on the other side of the table. All Nessa can think about is that his curly blond hair is strikingly familiar.
Then the boy turns around, and it hits her smack dab in the middle of the face.
Both literally and figuratively.
His elbow accidentally hits the middle of Nessa's forehead as he turns around, trying to put a picture with the title of "the best friend." The room spins for a couple of seconds before her vision field clears. She can't believe what her eyes are seeing.
"Oh my God," the boy utters, recognizing the familiarity of Nessa's face. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there."
"It's perfectly fine. I guess that's what they call payback," Nessa jokes lightly, rubbing her head. Only the two of them can understand what it is exactly that she's referencing.
"Liam!" Vy yells, trying to quell the awkward situation.
"Liam?" Nessa repeats after her best friend, her eyes shifting back to the boy standing in front of her—the same one whose foot she dropped a textbook on.
"I totally forgot to introduce you two to each other. This is the guy I've been telling you about. This is Liam," Vy reveals, smiling proudly up at her boyfriend.
Nessa doesn't know how many times she's going to be smacked with information today. And suddenly, all the puzzle pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fit together. There aren't any unanswered questions left, but she doesn't know if that's a good thing.
Liam and Violet.
No—Liam and Vy, the girl whose full name he thinks is Violet.
Liam and Vy, the girl whose name actually isn't a nickname for anything else.
Liam and Vy.
Liam.
Liam from textbook incident.
Liam from the hotline.
"And Liam, this is my best friend Nes—" Vy starts but is abruptly interrupted when Nessa grabs her purse and slides out of her seat.
"I've got to go, Vy. Something's come up. I'm sorry," is the last thing Nessa says before she makes a beeline for the exit.
YOU ARE READING
Say Hello For Me
Short Story"Hello, we are here to advise you on all your questions, concerns, and problems related to relationships. How may I assist you today?" "I think my girlfriend is cheating on me." Everything started with this simple line.
