Hazy Days
twelve;
"Hey! Victoria, right?" I slowly turn to the voice. The tall guy coming toward me has a huge grin on his face.
"Um, yeah."
"I'm Oliver, I moved in with my cousin right next door to you. It's all right if you don't remember, I mean, we only did see each other for like a second-"
"I know. Hi," I say. He smiles again.
"So what are you doing here?" He looks at the box in my hands, then at the aisle of tampons behind me. I think he goes redder than I do. "Ah, right..." The look on his face is so funny I snort a laugh.
"Just shopping, you know," I shrug and start walking to the counter. He follows behind me. "I'll see you around, I guess."
"Yeah, see y- holy shit!" I turn my head to see the reason of his outburst. If it's possible, he's smiling even wider. "Tori, is that you? Tori Makovski, as in junior year homeroom with Mr. Young?"
"Yes, it's me," I try not to smile. Truth be told, I recognized Oliver when he stood in our doorway last week. How could I not remember him? I had a crush on him all throughout middle school. I was just surprised he noticed I was in his homeroom back then; there were almost forty other students.
Oliver takes this as an invitation to hug me. I flinch in his unfamiliar arms and he lets go right away. The grin never left his face, though. "Holy shit," he reiterates. "This is so damn crazy. Who would have thought we'd be neighbors, of all things?"
"Who would have thought," I repeat, but my throat is sore and my voice is raspy. I cough into my elbow. "I really should get going."
"Oh, sure, yeah. But I'll see you later, all right? We should catch up, you know?" he grins. I nod once and we go our separate ways.
The last thing I remember is the lights dimming for the previews. I could hear the crunch of the popcorn as Joel ate it and my eyes kept fluttering closed, no matter how hard I tried to force myself to keep them open. I wake up back in our bed and Joel's next to me with his eyes closed.
"Sorry," I whisper and yawn at the same time.
"For what, babe?" he opens one eye to look at me.
"Falling asleep. I didn't mean to, really."
"Hey, it's all right. I'm actually jealous; it was complete shit. If I've fallen asleep too, I would have had nightmares about its shityness." Joel shudders like it's the most terrible thing in the world and I laugh. He grins and pulls me closer, nuzzling my neck. "I missed this, Vic."
"Missed what?"
"This. Us. Sleeping next to you. I wish I could stay like this forever," Joel murmurs, his breath warm next to my ear. He's my sweet boyfriend again, the one that that I fell in love with, the one who could never hurt anyone and will always be there for me. I don't want this Joel to disappear again so I don't tell him it's his own fault, that he needs to stay sober and we can be like this forever. "Me too," I say instead.
"Um, yeah."
"I'm Oliver, I moved in with my cousin right next door to you. It's all right if you don't remember, I mean, we only did see each other for like a second-"
"I know. Hi," I say. He smiles again.
"So what are you doing here?" He looks at the box in my hands, then at the aisle of tampons behind me. I think he goes redder than I do. "Ah, right..." The look on his face is so funny I snort a laugh.
"Just shopping, you know," I shrug and start walking to the counter. He follows behind me. "I'll see you around, I guess."
"Yeah, see y- holy shit!" I turn my head to see the reason of his outburst. If it's possible, he's smiling even wider. "Tori, is that you? Tori Makovski, as in junior year homeroom with Mr. Young?"
"Yes, it's me," I try not to smile. Truth be told, I recognized Oliver when he stood in our doorway last week. How could I not remember him? I had a crush on him all throughout middle school. I was just surprised he noticed I was in his homeroom back then; there were almost forty other students.
Oliver takes this as an invitation to hug me. I flinch in his unfamiliar arms and he lets go right away. The grin never left his face, though. "Holy shit," he reiterates. "This is so damn crazy. Who would have thought we'd be neighbors, of all things?"
"Who would have thought," I repeat, but my throat is sore and my voice is raspy. I cough into my elbow. "I really should get going."
"Oh, sure, yeah. But I'll see you later, all right? We should catch up, you know?" he grins. I nod once and we go our separate ways.
☀ ☀ ☀
The last thing I remember is the lights dimming for the previews. I could hear the crunch of the popcorn as Joel ate it and my eyes kept fluttering closed, no matter how hard I tried to force myself to keep them open. I wake up back in our bed and Joel's next to me with his eyes closed.
"Sorry," I whisper and yawn at the same time.
"For what, babe?" he opens one eye to look at me.
"Falling asleep. I didn't mean to, really."
"Hey, it's all right. I'm actually jealous; it was complete shit. If I've fallen asleep too, I would have had nightmares about its shityness." Joel shudders like it's the most terrible thing in the world and I laugh. He grins and pulls me closer, nuzzling my neck. "I missed this, Vic."
"Missed what?"
"This. Us. Sleeping next to you. I wish I could stay like this forever," Joel murmurs, his breath warm next to my ear. He's my sweet boyfriend again, the one that that I fell in love with, the one who could never hurt anyone and will always be there for me. I don't want this Joel to disappear again so I don't tell him it's his own fault, that he needs to stay sober and we can be like this forever. "Me too," I say instead.