by Margaret Iuni
Click here to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.
Straya
Six hours. That’s how long it takes you to convince yourself you’re an idiot. That’s also how long it had taken me to get to Boston. The bus I was on was lurching along through traffic and my stomach was somersaulting each time we stopped short. I was ten minutes away from Tod’s dorm, but I was also ten minutes away from being able to get on the bus to turn right back around for New York City.
So what’s my surprise? My phone buzzed, startling me out of my own head. It was Tod’s birthday and I’d been planning a surprise trip to visit him for weeks. It’s already 2 pm. The suspense is killing me.
I rested my head against the filthy bus window. I smiled that stupid smile at my phone screen and closed my eyes for a second, trying to calm my stomach. It was Tod, not like this was just a random guy. But that was the real problem. I was doing this because Tod wasn’t just any guy. It’ll be there soon. Probably. Shipping is always a mystery. I texted back while watching the road signs creep by.
Well I hope it’s nothing crazy, his next text read. Me too, Tod. Me too.
Tod
I rolled off of Mike’s couch at 2:17, phone pressed to my ear. “What do you mean you’re outside?” The guys looked up from the basketball game, half of them confused, the other half annoyed.
“I mean I’m outside?” Straya laughed on the other end. “Well. Not right outside. I’m somewhere on campus but I don’t know where you are. Surprise!” I lightly smacked Mike’s head, forcing him to look at me. It’s Straya, I mouthed.
“Holy shit, really?” he spat through a mouth full of chips. Mike was my roommate and had been stuck listening to one side of strange phone calls for seven months. I nodded and he gave me a thumbs up.
“Where are you?” I asked, slipping my sneakers on and checking my hair in the mirror in the hallway. It was fluffier than usual.
“In front of your library, I think,” her voice sounded distant as she searched for some sort of sign of where she was.
“I’m on my way,” I nodded goodbye at Mike, who was the only one looking at me.
“Go get ‘er, man,” he said as he turned back to the game. I was already halfway out the door.
Straya
“Hey there,” Tod said as he hung up the phone. I closed the distance between us and gave him a tight hug.
“Happy birthday!” I tried to stop myself from burying my face in his neck. I had missed his cologne almost as much as I had missed him.
“I cannot believe you came all the way out here,” Tod held me closer. “You’re crazy. Don’t you have a paper due in a few days?” He was right about the paper, but I hoped he was wrong about the crazy.
“It’s mostly done,” I shrugged. “I hope this isn’t weird… I missed you,” I finally let go and pulled away.
“I missed you, too,” he blushed. “It’s not weird. I surprised you in a New York City subway station. I feel like this is fair game. Three months is a long time.” His eyes drifted down, focusing on my shoes.
“Too long,” I linked my arm with his and cocked my head toward a random building. “Can we go get lunch? I’m starving.”
Tod
Six hours. That’s how long it took for us to broach the topic of feelings. The whole day had been a dance of sorts, skirting around the awkwardness of our situation. We held hands, we leaned on each other when we sat, I brushed her hair from her face, and we completely avoided talking about why this was so uncomfortably perfect.
But then, six hours into her visit, she kissed me. And six hours after that, we were fast asleep in each other’s arms.
