“Hey, Gavin, I’m so sorry. You really don’t have to do that. This was completely my fault.” I shift uncomfortably because he keeps giving me that intense look that makes my breath come out in short puffs.
He stands up but doesn’t hand me my things. “Why don’t I just hold on to these when we’re in proximity to one another. It’ll be the safer option.” He laughs softly at himself. He looks behind me where I just came from, at the classroom, as if he is looking for someone. “Would you mind taking a walk with me, while you explain why you are running away from Art History?”
I pause, wanting to be angry with him for disappearing without a word this week, but I know he never made any promises to me, so I try to forget about it. I give in and start a steady pace by his side as we walk through campus.
“So, what’s the problem? You burst through that door like you were running from something big and hairy. We’re not already at abstract expressionism are we, because I will never understand that.”
I laugh, almost forgetting the actual reason why I ran. Almost. I straighten my face, remembering the unsettling encounter. “There was just some creepy guy that wouldn’t leave me alone. He must’ve been crazy or something because he was saying some stuff that didn’t make any sense.” I shudder at the memory.
“What was he saying to you?” He asks calmly, avoiding my eyes.
“He kept asking me where my boyfriend was and saying something about him not being able to protect me for long, but I don’t even have a boyfriend. He was also bragging or something about having two girls to choose from. It was very strange and confusing.” I notice the muscles in his jaw clench tightly at my words.
As soon as it came, the reaction is gone, and he flashes me another adorable smile. “No boyfriend, huh?” he asks, sounding amused. “He must’ve had you confused with someone else, then. Let’s hope he was just a drunk frat guy or something and doesn’t bother you again.”
I shrug my shoulders and try to erase the memory of him sniffing me. I look back up at Gavin and internally sigh at his beautiful face. “So, where have you been? I haven’t seen you in class.” I try to sound mildly curious and not desperate for an answer.
“I had to drop the class. It wasn’t going to fit into my work schedule on most days.”
“Oh, where do you work?” I ask coolly.
“It’s just a family company. I pick up odd jobs here and there for my mother. Nothing too exciting.” He says, avoiding my eyes and not really answering my question. “Are you from around here or did you travel from somewhere else?”
I find it strange that he changed the job subject so fast, but I answer him anyway. “Actually, I grew up in San Francisco, so not too far away but it’s definitely a trip. This is actually my first time up in this area.”
“You grew up there? So, you weren’t born there, then?” his arm brushes against mine, sending that tingling feeling all the way down to my finger-tips and making me lose my train of thought for a moment. What is that?
I can see that Gavin is waiting for an answer to his question, so I quickly try to remember what exactly he asked me. “I actually don’t really know where I was born. Both of my parents passed when I was only six and I don’t remember much before that.
I do know that my mother was from Jacksonville, which is why I chose this school. I thought I could discover some of my own history in her hometown…maybe see if it feels like home.” I pause and look away, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and embarrassed about how much I'm sharing with him.
Gavin slowly turns me back toward him and places his fingers under my shy chin, lifting my face so that I will look at him. I comply and my shock from the intimacy of the gesture and the intensity of his eyes causes me to release a quiet gasp. The sound makes him release me so fast that I fear the moment never happened. It looked as though he wanted to say something, and I desperately wanted to hear it, whatever it was.
He clears his throat and takes a small step back from our close proximity, leaving me feeling a little cold and almost lonely. “I’m really sorry about your parents, Aella. But I am glad that you chose this place. It is beautiful and full of history. You’ll grow to love it just like I do and everyone else that passes through.” He looks thoughtful for a second before speaking again. “Are you and Kassy enjoying living in Jacksonville?”
I think about what he just asked, trying to remember when I mentioned to him that we were staying in Jacksonville. “Yes, we love it already. It is so small and quiet, and I am pretty sure almost everyone that lives there is prepared to die there in peace. A huge change from what we are used to in the city.”
We pass under a large tree along the path. A single leaf falls and sweeps, like a dull blade, across my pink cheek, leaving a vision trail in its path. Like a runaway truck speeding downhill, I fall uncontrollably fast and hard down the rabbit hole that seems never-ending until my eyes open to an unfamiliar scene playing before me.
I can already tell that this vision is different from the others. Other than how fast it comes; everything is a little clearer and I don’t feel like I have tunnel vision as I have before.
