“Agreed.” His smile was sweet. “Bye. Be safe.” He backed up a couple of steps and then spun around to head for his truck.
“Bye.”
I waited until Scott was out of sight to run up the stairs. It was time to get my folks and head west.
Move-in day was hectic. There were people everywhere. Crying moms and dads (fortunately, not mine). Laughing students. Trash and dropped belongings. Cars jammed into every open space (and some not-so-open spaces).
My suitemates were nice, especially Meggie, the one who shared a room with me. She was from the Mississippi Delta and had a fun accent that I could understand a lot of the time. The mountains amazed her. We’d see how amazing she found them when the snow started falling in a few months.
My parents didn’t linger. Dad helped me haul in my stuff while Mom decorated my room. Then they took me and Meggie out for an early supper before leaving for a friend’s mountain cabin about an hour away.
I texted Scott near his bedtime, so he’d have a legitimate reason to end the conversation.
I made it safely
Glad to hear. How’d it go?
Fine. My roommate is great
How’s the food?
I’ll be eating what mom brought for a while. How’s your day?
Busy. It’s strange how much time I have now that the b&b project is completely done
I’d run out of boring stuff, and intense stuff didn’t feel right. So I waited.
He must be waiting too.
Had we already run out of things to say?
Guess I’ll let you go
Thanks
K, bye
Bye
That had to be the most uncomfortable exchange we’d ever had. Hadthat conversationcaused it? The distance? Had I been right about our relationship? Was it too fragile to survive three hundred miles of highway between us?
Or maybe...I was overthinking things. Life had changed today, and we had to let ourselves adjust.
That was the answer I liked best.
Scott had texted me on Monday and Wednesday. But I’d been out the first time, and my phone had been dead the second. So, even though I’d texted him back, no conversation had taken place.
That changed late Thursday night. I was online, checking out the menu at a nearby restaurant, when my computer beeped.
You busy?
It was from Scott.
Yes. Getting ready to go out. Can’t chat long
So you’re saying this is a bad time
I wasn’t saying that. I want to talk with you
