Sounds intense,I wrote.No dropping out over Danish philosophy. That’s in the student handbook.
A beat.
Lol. What’s up?
The question felt bigger than the bubble it sat in.
Keegan’s shoulder brushed mine. “You don’t have to tell her everything in one text,” he murmured. “Just open the door.”
I was thinking,I typed,if you wanted to come up for a bit? Before fall term starts? I know you took summer classes instead of visiting like we planned. No pressure if you’re too wiped, but I’d love to see you.
My thumb hovered over send.
My brain suggested twenty-seven additional qualifiers:
if it’s safe
if you feel up to it
if you’re not too mad I didn’t tell you about Malore until after
if you’re not secretly traumatized by the Moonbeam
I ignored all of them and hit send.
The three dots appeared again.
Stopped.
Appeared.
Stopped.
I exhaled, shoulders knotting.
“What if she says no?” I asked.
“Then you respect it,” Keegan said. “And maybe send more pictures of Frank in dog form.”
“What if she says yes?” I asked.
He smiled. “Then we prepare. And charm. And I make lasagna.”
“You can’t solve everything with lasagna,” I said.
“Watch me,” he replied.
The dots appeared again, then resolved into words.
Omg…i thought you were too busy for me this summer
Lol. I almost texted you like 3x to ask if I could come anyway, but I didn’t want to interrupt Magical Headmistress Business
That sounded… uncomfortably like something I would do.
You are never interrupting,I wrote, faster than I could overthink it.I’m sorry if you felt that way. Things got… hectic. I’d still love to have you here.
Another pause.
