CHAPTER 12 (FICTIONAL COMFORT)
525 Words
CHAPTER TWELVE
By Thursday, campus was loud with plans for the upcoming student festival. Banners fluttered across buildings, clubs were recruiting volunteers, and flyers littered the sidewalks like autumn leaves.
Asher sat beneath a tree, scribbling in his journal. Not poetry. Just thoughts. He couldn’t call them letters. He never sent them.
*I don’t know what I’m doing. But I know it’s you I’m thinking of.*
He paused, chewed the end of his pen, then shut the book.
“Guess who scored us booth volunteer shifts,” Zayn said, flopping down beside him.
Asher gave him a look. “You signed me up again, didn’t you?”
“Come on, it’ll be fun! Arts and Culture Club. You love that kind of vibe.”
Asher sighed. “What time?”
“Two-to-five. Saturday. Just wear something that says ‘I’m approachable but also mysteriously poetic.’”
“I’m not even in the club.”
“They don’t care. You’re pretty and polite.”
Asher laughed. “Fine.”
---
Elsewhere, Rhett walked the hallways with his earbuds in, music blaring louder than his thoughts. But not louder than his memories.
Asher’s laugh.
Asher’s sleepy voice.
The look in Asher’s eyes when Rhett had shown up at his door.
He rubbed the back of his neck. He hated this feeling. Like he was unraveling.
He stopped when he saw Jude leaning against a pillar near the literature faculty block.
Jude arched a brow. “You’re heading toward the Arts building?”
“No.”
“You are.”
Rhett said nothing.
Jude grinned. “So that’s where he is?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
---
Friday morning came with a light drizzle. Asher stood by the campus coffee cart, cradling a hot drink, when a familiar voice called out.
“Hey, Freshman.”
He turned.
Rhett.
His heart did something ridiculous.
“Hey,” Asher said, keeping his voice steady.
“You always hang out by the coffee cart?” Rhett asked, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.
“Only when the sky’s crying and I don’t want to.”
Rhett smirked. “Still poetic.”
They stood in silence for a few seconds.
Then Rhett said, “I’ve been thinking. Maybe we could… hang out again. Talk. Not at your dorm. Somewhere neutral.”
Asher blinked. “Like a date?”
Rhett looked away. “Like a maybe.”
Asher smiled. “I’ll take a maybe.”
Just then, Zayn came bounding down the steps with a drink in each hand. He slowed when he saw Rhett.
“Oh. Hey.”
“Hey,” Rhett replied coolly.
Zayn handed a cup to Asher, then turned to Rhett. “I’m watching you.”
“I’m used to it,” Rhett said.
The tension was almost comedic.
“I’ll see you,” Rhett said to Asher, then turned and walked away.
Asher sipped his drink. “He came to talk.”
Zayn nodded slowly. “I saw.”
Asher looked up at the sky.
For the first time all week, the clouds were finally clearing.
[TO BE CONTINUED...]
- Writer
