Grey

I never expected to see Grey again. I thought it was just one of those things. Meet someone in a coffee shop, drink a bitter-tasting hot beverage, trip over your words like an idiot because you’re so nervous. Maybe it wasn’t just one of those things, but that was the mindset I’d chosen, because I was ordinary.

Another monotonous Monday, another early morning lecture. I didn’t like my professor all that much. I didn’t like early mornings even more. I rolled out of the small single bed in my even smaller dorm room and hit the floor. I quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt, hurrying to make it to class on time. I’d slept in, yet again.

I remember this all so clearly, because for the first time, I was the one that was in a rush, and Grey was the one acting like she had all the time in the world.

In my rush to class, my eyes landed on the girl with the emerald eyes sitting alone on a bench beneath a large oak tree on campus. I hesitated, slowing down immediately. I ended up stopping completely, and just standing there, looking at her. She was reading a battered copy of The Catcher In The Rye and wearing thick-framed glasses that were much too big for her small face, yet somehow suited her perfectly.

As if sensing I was watching her, she looked up, her eyes meeting mine. I glanced away and scratched the back of my neck, before turning on my heel in the direction of my lecture hall. Her voice dragged me back.

“Nate?”

I stopped and turned around to face her again, feeling nervous immediately, a sweat starting to form on the back of my neck.

“Hi,” I said, shuffling from foot to foot and tucking my hands into my jean’s pockets.

“Do you go to school here?” she asked, shutting her book and standing up. I simply nodded and watched as she approached me. When she reached me, we stood a foot or so apart and she looked up at me, her emerald eyes sparkling through her obnoxiously large glasses.

“Me too,” she said, her mouth turning up at the corners into a small smile.

“That’s funny,” I said, though I had no idea why. It wasn’t really funny, but I was finding that when I was around her, I didn’t know what to say. She looked at me and raised one eyebrow, revealing a perfect set of white teeth as her smile stretched wider across her face.

“What?” I said. I found myself smiling, too.

“Nothing,” Grey replied, looking down at her feet.

“What do you study here?” I asked her, surprising myself with the simple question. I’d never gone out of my way to make conversation before, but I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted to talk to her. She was interesting and I liked her.

“English Literature,” she said. Of course. “You?”

“Engineering,” I said with a grimace, scratching the back of my neck again – a nervous habit I’d picked up.

“That sounds boring.”

“I am boring.”

She laughed, the sound high-pitched and joyous, like the ringing of bells. I smiled at her, then. I knew from that moment on that all I ever wanted to do was make her laugh.

I was her reason to laugh for what feels like the shortest amount of time. Every minute I spent with her seemed to pass by much too quickly. I don’t know if she laughs anymore. All I know is that it’s no longer because of me.

I missed my lecture that day. I don't know if I missed out on any valuable knowledge, nor did I care. The fleeting moments I spent with her seem so much more important to me now than any lecture could be. She's gone, and all I can think now is that whatever I had with her is all I'll ever want.

I still want it. Her. More than ever. More than I can even describe.

It's just one of those things, I suppose.