#emfbro

      ‘ someone has a secret admirer ! ‘      was the first thing she heard as she opened the door to her dorm room.  her roommate all but shoving the vase into her hands.  her eyes scan over the vibrant red roses, the rings on her fingers clinking against the glass vase.  one arm moves to wrap around the vase as she other gently plucks the tiny note sticking out with them.  she doesn’t need to read it  --  she knows what it says, who they’re from.  abbie let’s her eyes move over the computer printed note, her teeth digging softly into her bottom lip.      ‘ so, who are they from ? ‘      her eyes move towards her new friend, a small smile pulling on her lips.      “i’ll tell you later  --  i need to call someone.”      she doesn’t wait to hear the girl’s response before she’s racing towards her bedroom.  the door shuts behind her as she lets her back rest against the door, eyes once again moving to the flowers in her hands.    (  what would she do without him ?  )    she places the vase on her desk, shoving her bag onto her desk chair before she’s pulling her phone from her pocket.  lips press together as she sits on the edge of her bed, listening to the loud ring coming from the device.

      “one bed ?”      she watches as he moves around her, sitting their bags onto the bed.      ‘ yeah, it was all they had. ‘      she nods softly, her eyes drifting closed for a moment.  she feels like she could fall asleep standing up.      ‘ are you  …  okay ? ‘      it’s not the first time he’s asked, and she doubts it will be the last.  her eyelids lift with excess effort, her eyes finding his.      (  even covered in dirt, sweat, and spiderwebs she still thinks he’s beautiful.  )    she nods once more as her feet shuffle lightly towards the bed.      “yeah, just tired.”      she sits against the bed for a moment before letting her back fall back against the plush mattress.  she turns her head towards him.  she’s never lied to him before and she thinks  ;  why start now.      “honestly, i’m still a little freaked out.”

      she hugs the purple stuffed plushie to her chest as he speaks.  embarrassment floods through her.  she has no idea why she reacted the way she did.  a simple compliment from him had her pushing him from her room, slamming her door, and telling him to leave.      (  it’s so hard pretending.  )      she can’t help but feel something close to hope blossom in her chest knowing he stayed.  she lets her feet drop from the chair as she stands.  she keeps the plushie tight against her chest as she nears the door.  she watches the folded paper slip under her door, as she bends to tug it from his fingertips.  she stands and unfolds the note, a small smile threatening to tug against her lips.  she brushes her thumb gently over the quick doodled figures of them, stick figure hands clearly linked.  an arrow over the sketch of her    ‘ super cool, ‘    is scrawled,    ‘ very, very sorry, ‘    sits next to it, another arrow pointing towards the sketch of him.  she slowly folds the paper and slips it into her back pocket.      (  she’ll add it to the small box hidden under her bed with his other notes later.  )      her hand twists against the doorknob as she slowly pulls it open.  her chin rests softly against her plushie, keeping her eyes off of him, a deep flush painting her cheeks.      “sorry.” 

      eyebrows furrow lightly as abbie shuffles her weight from foot to foot.      “i don’t know.”      hesitation rests in thoughts, as she does her best to keep the butterflies confined in her stomach.  her eyes slip from his and towards his lip without meaning to.    (  she can’t stop herself from wondering if anyone else knows how soft his lips are.  )    eyes lift back to his eyes, a soft rose dusting her cheeks.      “you don’t think that would be weird ?  i mean,”      her eyes slip to the floor.      “we used to hang out because we were …”      her voice wavers, as she lets the sentence linger. a few options pass through her mind  :  together, dating, in love.  her head shakes slightly before she takes a deep breath.  eyes move back to him, a small smile tugging at her lips.      “you know what, yeah.  yes.”      her smile grows against her features.      “i think that would be fun.”      a lingering thought passes through her mind, an unsaid sentence hanging in the atmosphere.    i’ve miss you.

      tear stains sit warm against her cheeks as she stares up at him.  she lets herself lean against her open bedroom door  --  anything to stop herself from falling into him.    (  she never should have told him she was coming back for the weekend.  )      “it’s not fair.”      she sniffles and brings the sleeve of her hoodie to wipe against her cheeks.  eyes squeeze shut as the smell of him invades her nose.  she really should give it back,  now that they’re    …    her fist balls under the sleeve as she lets her arm drop to her side.      “we agreed, long distance isn’t fair.  to either of us.”      she wants nothing more than to lift to her tallest tiptoes and press her lips to his.  to pour all of her into him, to hand him the fragility of her heart, to hold him until the ache in her heart is nothing more but a whispered memory.      “i’m sorry. i think you should go.”      she feels her own heart shatter in her chest.      (  she knows she’ll never love anyone the way she loves him.  ) 

      abbie’s lips curl into a wide smile as the flashing camera clicks.    ‘ thank you so much ! ‘    her eyes move towards the girl standing next to her, their arms still wrapped around each other from the photo.  abbie pulls her into a tight hug for a moment before she’s parting from the stranger.    “of course !  thank you for coming.”    she watches as the younger girl beams up at her, before she’s moving towards her mother.  she offers the woman a wave, which she returns, before she watches the two leave.    ‘ hi. ‘    her head turns at the male voice coming from behind her.    “hey !  thank you for coming.”    she wraps an arm around the younger boy’s shoulder, smiling once again at the camera.  her eyes trail from the camera as she spots rhett across the room.  his arm wrapped around a different boy as he smiles for his own photo.  as if he can sense her eyes on him, he glances towards her, a smile she can only describe as goofy falling on his features.  she watches his mouth part as he sends voiceless words her way.    ‘ i love you. ‘    she feels her heart soar in her chest as her smile widens, her nose scrunching softly.  she hears the shutter of the camera, and catches the flash out of the corner of her eyes before she’s mouthing her own,    “i love you,”    back at him.  as much as she loves meet and greets, it’s moment like these when she finds herself nearly unwilling to wait until they can be together again  --  for them to go home together, and spend the rest of their days in fits of laughter. 

      this was a stupid idea.  of course it was  --  breaking and entering was never smart, but when did that thought alone ever stop them.  so, here they are, chests pressed against each other in the tight closet as they listen to the sound of the security scanning through the vacant property.  abbie is doing her best to keep her breathing even, but with even inhale she can smell the lingering scent of rhett’s shampoo.  it’s like it’s intoxicating  --  making her head dizzy and the hairs on her arm stand up.  then again, that could also be because of his warm hand pressed against her lower back, keeping her from leaning back into the spiderwebs scattered in the dark space.    (  she knows if she feels a spider crawl across her skin, she’s going to scream and get them both caught.  )    she takes a deep breath and holds it as she watches one of the guard lights seep through the crack under the door.  his fingertips dig gently into her back, and she finds herself taking a tiny step forward, as her chest brushes against his.  her hand moves to rest against the arm wrapped around her as her eyes blink against the darkness up at him.    ‘ i love you. ‘    is whispered passed his mouth  --  so quiet she almost doesn’t catch it.  she lets her breath go, trembling lightly as it passes through her nose.  her free hand lifts to cover his mouth as she stares up at him, before her other hand squeezes three times against his arm.    (  she hopes he’ll understand her meaning  …  i love you, too.  ) 

      abbie sniffles slightly, the back of her hand rubbing against her cheek as she tries to prevent anymore tears slipping past her eyelashes.    “i know.”    the fingers on her free hand twists against his, as she tugs him closer, burying her face into his chest, her arms wrapping around his torso.    “i’m going to miss you, too.”