From Fall to Winter

Chapter 13

"Well", my voice broke. I cleared my throat, "Thats amazing."

"She's going to finish school in Ireland as well."

I continued cleaning. Things were done, but I couldn't stop again to focus on the things he said. I shuffled the papers again to the point where I had to reorganize them again.

"I'm proposing to her this Saturday."

I heard myself flatline

"Will you be at the after party?"

I don't know what I said. I think it was just an mhm or something. He got the hint and left.

____________________________________

I was sandwiched between two bio majors like Angela discussing blah blah blah. I tried to be as interested as I could but I couldn't disguise the fact that I was thinking about them. You should have seen it. They came in with their hands locked. Angela flashed her ring to us as soon as we were in her view. Why is she lying, she knows she hates that ring. The room was split between Cillian's colleagues who happened to be some great literary scholars and Angela's side who were the bio whizzes. I just fell in the middle. I didn't want to make any conversation that I would not have any contribution to.

Last time I was here I got drunk and made that scene. Most of these people probably saw it. Hopefully they wouldn't recognize me. Maybe they did and that's why they're staying away from me. Instead of looking petty, I approached Angela who was talking to some of her cousins.

"Let me see it!"

She quickly extended her fingers so I could catch a glimpse of it.

"It's stunning."

"It's a little small but we're going to get it exchanged in a few days", she whispered.

There it is.

I guess that solves whether things were still awkward between us. I gave her a hug. It wasn't really something that we did. I kissed her on the side of her head.

"I'm so happy for you."

She was tended up from that hug, but as soon as I said that her shoulders dropped and I might have seen a genuine smile on her face. Too bad I wasn't being it.

"Thank you."

Angela got quickly pulled to the side by her other friends. She repeated the whole process again.

"Have you noticed that I always come up to you? Never to me?" I looked up at him.

"Have you considered that maybe you're unapproachable."

"You're pretty unapproachable too but here I am."

I laughed.

"I hope you come to me before my wedding."

I laughed again but I raised my eyebrows in confusion. I couldn't tell if that was an innuendo of some sort of if he was being serious.

"Thanks for coming", he tapped my arm. He returned to other people.

Was this my cue to leave? I don't think they'd recognize that I left with all these people here.