#poethree

Callie was going back to poetry night for the first time in months.

It’s not that Callie lacked inspiration. (Pfft, as if). No, Callie had filled page after page, notebook after notebook to the brim with poems, scribbling in them whenever the bolt of inspiration hit her. Granted, some of them weren’t that great and some of them were so-so, but there were a few gems in there that she plucked from the sands and polished up and copied down in her proper actual poetry notebook (the one where she wrote her mostly-final drafts in) and then she closed them up and she didn’t speak them out loud to the world.

Because Callie was scared. These poems she’d written were very vulnerable, very raw.

Also, she’d just not felt like being around people. Around poetry people.

She’d done other things. Walked by the river. Read in the park. Did things by herself and learned to enjoy those moments alone, because before when she’d been alone she’d felt like something was wrong with her. But she was learning to enjoy solitude.

Now she was going back.

She’d told Kiara she was, because she and Kiara were talking again and they were friends again, even if they weren’t dating again. That seemed like the sort of thing to tell a friend. She’d always told Kiara and Bambi when she went before. So she mentioned it off-handedly, then she told herself positive things in the mirror and grabbed her notebook and went on her way.

Poetry night was in one of the community meeting rooms in town hall, all the chairs pushed together in a semicircle. It was the usual crew Callie recognized as she tiptoed in, there was Declan and there was funny old Tabitha and Kelsi the law student and Annika from New York and Leonard from Sheffield and a host of others.

Callie felt herself relax. Everyone was chattering; the poems had not started yet. Callie liked to be early. Callie took a seat next to Kelsi and Annika and they said something about how it’d been so long and Callie said something about busy summer classes and a busy fall semester and they nodded and Kelsi said something about finals and Annika said something about going back to New York for Christmas. Callie was about tos ay something back, but she lifted her head and out of the corner of her eye she saw another person from the usual crowd walk in –

Alice.

She’d forgotten about Alice, somehow. Even though Alice texted her from time to time. Even though every so often she thought about the smiling blonde girl and felt a pang in her heart. She’d forgotten because she’d been so focused on coming here herself, for herself, that she hadn’t even remembered.

Callie felt something catch in her throat. She hesitated, wondering if she should wave or say something or just pretend nothing was wrong, but before she could decide anything, the two women locked eyes and Callie felt a jolt through her. A small smile crept on her lips, but she didn’t say a word just yet.