“Sean, get up man, you have your last final today,” My roomate, Todd, was standing in my doorframe yelling at me across the room. “Get up, Dawg!”
He crossed the floor in three steps and stood over me then shook me as he ahd done for the past few days. “What the hell is wrong with you? Is this about Trish?”
“I haven’t heard from her in five days, Todd,” I said pathetically. “she avoids me at school, she won’t take my calls, I think I’m going crazy!”
“You’ve got it bad, my man,” Todd clapped his hand on my shoulder. “She got to you, huh?”
“I love her, Todd.”
“I know you do, Sean, otherwise you wouldn’t be laying here unshaved and mopey when you are about to graduate from college and go out into the world.” He rubbed his shaved head and stood up. “You need to find out how she feels about you so that you know how to proceed.”
“I think she hates me,” I whined.
“I would hate you too, you whiny crybaby,” Todd laughed, his straight, white teeth glowed in his brown face. “She doesn’t hate you, Sean, she’s scared.”
“How would you know?” I demanded. I sat up and glared at him.
“I’ve seen her and talked to her a few times.” He explained. “She heard you tell Lizzie that you loved her—Trish I mean—that you loved Trish. It freaked her out. She didn’t know that you felt so deeply.”
“How does she feel about me?” I demanded again.
“Oh no! You have to ask her yourself,” Todd stood and shook his head. “Talk to her after your final. I’m supposed to meet her at Izzy’s at one o’clock. If I can’t show up for some reason, it would only be fair to send my best buddy instead to let her know.”
A smile broke out onto my face and I crawled out of bed with more energy than I had had for the past week. I hurried to get dressed, took my last final ever, then I ran back home, showered, shaved off the shadowy beard I had been growing since the day after the formal, and then dressed again.
I forced my self to walk slowly to Izzy’s, the coffee shop located just off campus, and make myself ten minutes late. I didn’t want Trish to see me and bolt first thing. When I walked in, it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the dimness of the coffee shop, but after a few blinks and squints, I finally found her in a far corner of the room, staring at me, her face blank. I raised my hand and waved a little, then I walked over to her table. She looked like she hadn’t slept very well for the last few days, and her hair was back to curly, but twisted up in a loose knot and held by a pencil.
“Oh Trish!” I breathed. “I missed you so much.”
“Sean,” she gave me a smile, then motioned to me that I sould have the seat across from her. “I take it Todd’s not coming?”
“He couldn’t make it,” I lied shamelessly. My heart was thudding in my chest with excitement. I hadn’t known how much I cared for her and missed her. I had been sleepwalking through life for almost a week now because I couldn’t be with her.
“He sent you here,” she said with a soft laugh. “You’re a bad liar.”
“He sent me, but only because he thought we needed to talk.” I reached out to take her hand and the spark that jumped from her hand to mine made me catch my breath. There was no doubt to me now that I was in love with her. I always had been.
