Status: Completed! Thank you so much for reading (:
Catfish
Penelope
Pushing her hair behind her ears, Penelope skipped down the steps of her apartment building, as she headed towards campus. Her lecture didn’t start for another hour, but she wanted to get to the library to do a little bit of studying.
The cold England wind blew against her face, causing her to pull her jacket closer to her body. As she shivered, she felt the vibrating of her phone inside her coat pocket, and immediately pulled it from the zipper.
She didn’t even have to look at the screen to know who it was, and she smiled as she pressed it to her ear.
“Morning, Li,” she said, her smile wrapping itself up in the tone of her voice.
“Morning, right.” He chuckled. “How are you?”
His voice was soft, the way she remembered it being just before he went to bed. She laughed, imagining him exhausted from his long night of studying. He’d been pulling an all-nighter for one of his psych exams, if she remembered correctly.
“I’m well,” she said, smiling to herself. “You sound tired.”
“Just been studying.” He yawned. “I just got out of my exam, so I’ll be taking a nap pretty soon.”
“Yes, a nap. Take a nap.”
“I just – ”
“Li,” she said, cutting him off. “Nap now. You can text me when you wake up.”
He paused for a moment and she took it as her cue to hang up. Just as her finger was about to press against the phone, she heard his soft voice again.
“Wait.”
Pressing her phone back to her ear, she whispered. “Yes?”
“Will you be free to talk later? After class?”
She nodded her head, though he couldn’t see. “Yes, of course.”
“Good. I uh – ” He paused, as a rustling came from his end. “I just need to talk to you.”
“We can do that,” she said, nodding her head.
He chuckled. “Okay, good. I’m going to head off to bed now.”
“Alright,” she whispered. “Sweet dreams.”
“Thanks, love. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Clicking off her phone, Penelope let out a small sigh. When Liam said things like ‘need to talk’, she always got worried. It was rarely something bad, but she couldn’t stop her stomach from typing up in knots.
Her phone vibrated again, only once this time, to signal that she’d received a text. Liam’s name covered the screen, accompanied by a black space where his picture should be.
Penelope often imagined what he looked like, and her guesses usually fell to images of Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. She imagined him with perfect lips and deep eyes. She wondered when she would be able to put a name to a face, and that thought made her nervous as well.
As much as she wanted to see Liam, she didn’t want it to change their friendship. She liked things the way they were and she didn’t want to risk ruining that. They got on so well, but could that change when they were actually next to each other instead of on the phone?
Chuckling to herself, Penelope imagined the first time they would meet. She wondered if Liam would smile when he saw her or if he would wrap her in his arms. Would he kiss her? They’d never said anything about it, but she knew that she wanted him to.
More than anything, she wanted to be able to kiss the boy she’d been gushing over for the past year.
The cold England wind blew against her face, causing her to pull her jacket closer to her body. As she shivered, she felt the vibrating of her phone inside her coat pocket, and immediately pulled it from the zipper.
She didn’t even have to look at the screen to know who it was, and she smiled as she pressed it to her ear.
“Morning, Li,” she said, her smile wrapping itself up in the tone of her voice.
“Morning, right.” He chuckled. “How are you?”
His voice was soft, the way she remembered it being just before he went to bed. She laughed, imagining him exhausted from his long night of studying. He’d been pulling an all-nighter for one of his psych exams, if she remembered correctly.
“I’m well,” she said, smiling to herself. “You sound tired.”
“Just been studying.” He yawned. “I just got out of my exam, so I’ll be taking a nap pretty soon.”
“Yes, a nap. Take a nap.”
“I just – ”
“Li,” she said, cutting him off. “Nap now. You can text me when you wake up.”
He paused for a moment and she took it as her cue to hang up. Just as her finger was about to press against the phone, she heard his soft voice again.
“Wait.”
Pressing her phone back to her ear, she whispered. “Yes?”
“Will you be free to talk later? After class?”
She nodded her head, though he couldn’t see. “Yes, of course.”
“Good. I uh – ” He paused, as a rustling came from his end. “I just need to talk to you.”
“We can do that,” she said, nodding her head.
He chuckled. “Okay, good. I’m going to head off to bed now.”
“Alright,” she whispered. “Sweet dreams.”
“Thanks, love. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Clicking off her phone, Penelope let out a small sigh. When Liam said things like ‘need to talk’, she always got worried. It was rarely something bad, but she couldn’t stop her stomach from typing up in knots.
Her phone vibrated again, only once this time, to signal that she’d received a text. Liam’s name covered the screen, accompanied by a black space where his picture should be.
Penelope often imagined what he looked like, and her guesses usually fell to images of Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. She imagined him with perfect lips and deep eyes. She wondered when she would be able to put a name to a face, and that thought made her nervous as well.
As much as she wanted to see Liam, she didn’t want it to change their friendship. She liked things the way they were and she didn’t want to risk ruining that. They got on so well, but could that change when they were actually next to each other instead of on the phone?
Chuckling to herself, Penelope imagined the first time they would meet. She wondered if Liam would smile when he saw her or if he would wrap her in his arms. Would he kiss her? They’d never said anything about it, but she knew that she wanted him to.
More than anything, she wanted to be able to kiss the boy she’d been gushing over for the past year.
♠ ♠ ♠
I wonder what Liam wants to talk about(;