ELLE
It was almost midday when I woke up alone in Noah's bed, his floor finally rid of the clothes that normally sprawled across the carpet and his favourite duffel bag missing from the corner. Those two small things signalled to me that the moment I'd been hoping wouldn't come was finally here: Noah had left for football camp.
It wasn't that I didn't want him to go. It wasn't that I didn't support his dreams. It wasn't even simply that I'd miss him. It was the fear that distance would force a wedge between us and our relationship would fail.
I'd been forcing the words "we'll be okay" out of my mouth the last few weeks to make Noah feel better about it all, but truthfully I needed to convince myself as much as I needed to convince him.
I knew what distance did to us. It made us snarky, jealous, and insecure. It had happened before and I was terrified that it would happen again.
I shook my head as I lifted myself upright. Noah's bed was comfier than mine, I was sure of it, but I had to head back to my dorm and get ready for classes.
I dressed lazily - a white t-shirt and shorts - and then fumbled my way through the corridors.
It was distinctly quite in the halls. Without Noah and Jimmy and the other few guys from our college who were on the football team, things certainly seemed dull.
Rita would be having a fabulous time, I thought.
I winced as my hand met the cold metal doorknob to my room, shocked by its cold kiss. I pushed my way in through the door and sighed at the empty room. Only twenty-four hours ago, Noah had been kissing me in that bed.
With another heavy sigh, I changed into something more public-appropriate, gathered my books, and lumped them into my bag.
On my way back through the grounds, I inhaled the smell of freshly mown grass, took in the sight of the red brick buildings and relished in the cool air. The campus really was beautiful, and being on my own let me appreciate it just a little bit more.
Outside my classroom, Lincoln was waiting with a wry smile. His brown hair was swept to one side and his slightly crooked teeth were poking out of his lips.
"Smelly Elly," he said. "Was starting to think you weren't coming."
I scrunched up my nose. "Where did that name come from? I don't smell!"
He laughed as he tightened his grip on his books, pulling them close to his chest. "I just thought it sounded funny. Hey, what are you doing after class?"
I shrugged my shoulders. I had no plans. Normally, Noah would occupy my free time. That wouldn't happen again for two more months.
"Nothing," I said. "Why?"
"Wanna catch a movie?"
"I guess so," I said nonchalantly.
Lincoln's smile spread eagerly across his face. "Awesome. How do you feel about Marvel?"
I snapped to attention. All of Lee's favourite movies were Marvel. I preferred DC, but if I ever told Lee that he'd threaten to beat me up.
I wondered if Lincoln would be the same.
The thought of seeing a superhero movie without Lee made my stomach whirl. Would it even feel right? Would Lee think I was cheating on his friendship?
Then, something else crossed my mind: would Noah think I was cheating on him?
He wouldn't. It was just a movie. Lincoln and I barely even knew each other, and even if we did, there was nothing wrong with being friends with guys. My best friend was a guy, after all.
But Noah knew Lee and I weren't like that. Would he know it wasn't like that with Lincoln either?
I shook my head. Why did it matter? I was finally making friends away from home and I didn't want to ruin it.
"I love Marvel. Let's do it."
"Great," Lincoln said. "It's a date."
My heart sank.
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Author's Note:
Hi everyone. I'm so sorry for the lack of updates in the last month. I had a friend pass away and things have been kind of crappy since. Thank you all for being patient and please forgive me. Xo