The Expectation to Never Expect
nine
Lilly hadn’t spoken me the entire day. She neglected to answer my calls, or reply to anything I sent her way. I knew through mutual friends she was spending her summer afternoons with Sam and it did little to quell the burning ball of jealousy within my chest.
I sipped through the plastic straw, my tastebuds absorbing the fresh flavour of iced tea as I stared down at the screen of my phone, my mind beginning for her name to appear over its screen any second.
“Hunter?” His voice was soft, raspy as if he were on the brink of losing it. The sound making him seem less confident, less smug than normal.
“Rory.” Nervously I stammered, my phone slipping from my palms to the table top a little to quickly. “How are you?”
“Yeah good.” He scratched at the back of his neck, eyes cast down to the vans upon his feet. “You here on your own?”
“I’m not really sure.”
“You’re not sure?” He laughed lightly as he characteristically did so often, an eyebrow raised in my direction.
“Well, I’m meant to meet Lilly here for lunch. It’s Monday but she isn’t answering my calls or texts and well, I have a feeling I’ve just been stood up.” I laughed as if brushing the situation off, not wanting to seem upset by my flimsy friend.
“Are you sure she was meant to meet you today?” He looked at me confused, eyes not revealing what he was so obviously thinking.
“Well it is Monday.” I stared up at him curiously. “We’ve been having lunch here every Monday since school was out. Why? Do you know something?”
“N-no. Well I don’t know.” He breathed out softly, pity filling his eyes as he fell in the seat before me, his elbows resting on the hot metal of the table. “Her and Sam mentioned something about going to the beach today, they asked me to go too.”
“What time?” The hurt was setting in, Lilly had completely missed mentioning anything about going to the beach, or flaking on our usual tradition. It wasn’t Lilly, it wasn’t like her at all.
“In about five minutes.” Rory played with a loose thread on his sleeve shyly, the situation before him evidently making him uncomfortable. “Are you sure she didn’t mention anything about it to you?”
“Yeah.” I sighed and picked my phone and purse up from the table top, my legs stretching as I stood. “It’s alright, I’ve got so much stuff to do today. It’s kind of a relief to have a few extra hours I suppose. I’ll um, I’ll see you at work tomorrow I guess.” I’m not entirely sure who I was trying to convince, the boy who worked with me at a coffee shop or myself.
“Hey, Hunter.” Rory’s voice called after me as I’d managed three steps away, the humiliation almost unbearable. I spun around slightly to look over at him, his lips pulled in a small grin. “You want to come to the beach?”
I smiled over at him softly, my wayfarers sitting over my slightly teary eyes as Lilly continuously played in my mind. “It’s alright Rory, you don’t have to-”
“I don’t mean go with them. But we could still go.”
Rory Hewitt was my saviour.
I sipped through the plastic straw, my tastebuds absorbing the fresh flavour of iced tea as I stared down at the screen of my phone, my mind beginning for her name to appear over its screen any second.
“Hunter?” His voice was soft, raspy as if he were on the brink of losing it. The sound making him seem less confident, less smug than normal.
“Rory.” Nervously I stammered, my phone slipping from my palms to the table top a little to quickly. “How are you?”
“Yeah good.” He scratched at the back of his neck, eyes cast down to the vans upon his feet. “You here on your own?”
“I’m not really sure.”
“You’re not sure?” He laughed lightly as he characteristically did so often, an eyebrow raised in my direction.
“Well, I’m meant to meet Lilly here for lunch. It’s Monday but she isn’t answering my calls or texts and well, I have a feeling I’ve just been stood up.” I laughed as if brushing the situation off, not wanting to seem upset by my flimsy friend.
“Are you sure she was meant to meet you today?” He looked at me confused, eyes not revealing what he was so obviously thinking.
“Well it is Monday.” I stared up at him curiously. “We’ve been having lunch here every Monday since school was out. Why? Do you know something?”
“N-no. Well I don’t know.” He breathed out softly, pity filling his eyes as he fell in the seat before me, his elbows resting on the hot metal of the table. “Her and Sam mentioned something about going to the beach today, they asked me to go too.”
“What time?” The hurt was setting in, Lilly had completely missed mentioning anything about going to the beach, or flaking on our usual tradition. It wasn’t Lilly, it wasn’t like her at all.
“In about five minutes.” Rory played with a loose thread on his sleeve shyly, the situation before him evidently making him uncomfortable. “Are you sure she didn’t mention anything about it to you?”
“Yeah.” I sighed and picked my phone and purse up from the table top, my legs stretching as I stood. “It’s alright, I’ve got so much stuff to do today. It’s kind of a relief to have a few extra hours I suppose. I’ll um, I’ll see you at work tomorrow I guess.” I’m not entirely sure who I was trying to convince, the boy who worked with me at a coffee shop or myself.
“Hey, Hunter.” Rory’s voice called after me as I’d managed three steps away, the humiliation almost unbearable. I spun around slightly to look over at him, his lips pulled in a small grin. “You want to come to the beach?”
I smiled over at him softly, my wayfarers sitting over my slightly teary eyes as Lilly continuously played in my mind. “It’s alright Rory, you don’t have to-”
“I don’t mean go with them. But we could still go.”
Rory Hewitt was my saviour.
♠ ♠ ♠
it's bee far far far too long.i got rid of the last chapter and did a complete re-write.
SO!
a few people grow curious with what situations in each chapter are true. Allow me to outline this one for you.
yes, my best friend did leave me sitting alone at a cafe to go to a beach with a boy she was interested in. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't a Rory to come and save me, just a whole lot of humiliation.
tell me what you think if you're still reading :)