Episode 4
716 Words
The first message arrived two days later.
Clairo was halfway through annotating an article on attachment theory when her phone buzzed against her desk.
Unknown number
Psychology major.
She stared at the screen.
Then at the number.
Then back at the message.
A laugh escaped before she could stop it.
She typed carefully.
Clairo: I have a name, you know.
The reply came almost immediately.
Unknown Number: You do?
Clairo: Very funny.
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Unknown Number: I finally asked Maya for your number.
Clairo blinked.
Maya?
She frowned, already reaching for another chat.
Clairo: You gave my number to a stranger?
Maya's reply was instant.
Maya: Correction. I gave your number to Toni Corvin.
Clairo: That's somehow worse.
A string of laughing emojis followed.
Maya: You're welcome.
Clairo dropped her head onto her desk.
Traitor.
Her phone buzzed again.
Toni: Still mad?
She smiled despite herself.
Clairo: I'm considering it.
Toni: Can I bribe you with coffee?
Clairo read the message twice.
Then a third time.
Her heart was behaving very inconveniently.
She had expected another conversation in the library.
Another accidental meeting.
She hadn't expected Toni to seek her out.
She typed a reply.
Deleted it.
Typed another.
Deleted that one too.
Finally—
Clairo: Depends.
Several seconds passed.
Toni: On?
Clairo: Whether you're buying.
The café sat just outside the humanities building, tucked beneath a canopy of ivy that climbed the brick walls. It was quieter than the larger coffee shop near the student center, which suited Clairo perfectly.
She arrived ten minutes early.
Not because she was eager.
Because she hated being late.
At least, that's what she told herself.
She was stirring the foam of her latte into abstract patterns when someone slid into the seat across from her.
"You came."
Clairo looked up.
"I said I would."
"You'd be surprised how many people cancel."
Something in Toni's voice made the joke feel less like a joke.
Clairo studied her for a moment.
"Do people cancel on you often?"
Toni shrugged.
"More than you'd think."
It was an odd answer.
She was Toni Corvin.
Captain of the basketball team.
Confident.
Funny.
The kind of person who always seemed surrounded by people.
Clairo couldn't imagine anyone choosing not to spend time with her.
"You don't believe me."
"I didn't say that."
"You thought I was exaggerating."
"...Maybe a little."
Toni laughed softly.
"I'll prove it one day."
The conversation drifted easily after that.
They argued over whether dog-eared pages was a crime.
They compared favorite authors.
Clairo discovered Toni kept a notebook full of story ideas but had never let anyone read them.
"You write?" Clairo asked.
"When I can't sleep."
"Can I read something?"
Toni looked down at her coffee.
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
Too firmly.
Clairo nodded.
"That's okay."
"It's not that I don't trust you."
"You don't have to explain."
"I just..."
Toni searched for the right words before shaking her head.
"They're embarrassing."
Clairo smiled.
"I think the best writing usually is."
For a moment, Toni simply looked at her.
As though she was trying to decide whether to believe that.
Then, quietly, she smiled.
"You always say things like that?"
"What?"
"The kind of things that make people feel understood."
Heat rushed to Clairo's cheeks.
"I didn't realize I did."
"You do."
The words lingered between them.
Neither seemed eager to move past them.
Outside, rain began tapping gently against the café windows.
Students hurried across the courtyard with jackets pulled over their heads.
Inside, time seemed to slow.
When Toni eventually glanced at the clock, she groaned.
"I've got practice."
"And I've got a lecture."
Neither of them stood.
Not immediately.
Finally, Toni pushed back her chair.
"Same time next week?"
Clairo tried not to smile too obviously.
"I think I can make room in my schedule."
"Liar."
"I am a very busy woman."
"I'm sure."
They stepped outside together.
The rain had eased into a drizzle.
As they reached the fork in the path where they would have to separate, Toni hesitated.
"I'm glad I asked for your number."
Clairo looked at her.
"So am I."
For the rest of the afternoon, neither of them could quite explain why the campus seemed a little brighter than it had that morning.
- Writer
