Status: Let's See How This Goes
Kismet
1
Brendan Smith watched with a small smile as his girlfriend, Calla Henderson rotated the pencil she was using between her full pink lips, making even little bite marks around the eraser. Her wavy honey colored hair fell messy and limp around her face and rested well past her shoulders. Her doe-like brown eyes were free of makeup and crusted with sleep, yet somehow she still managed to look pretty.
It was nearly midnight and the two were sitting in a coffee shop in Midtown. Calla had left a study session and decided to cram some more and Brendan had met her there after his game – a 4 to 3 overtime win against the Oilers.
It was closer to the end of November and Calla had been spiraling through her busy life, contending of a full academic load that came with the final few months working towards her Master’s Degree in Nursing and her full time job at Detroit Medical Center.
“Are you almost ready to head out?”
Calla hadn’t heard a thing. She was in her own little world and there was no getting her out of it. All of her paperwork had been piling up for so long that it was hard not to be so wrapped up in it. The pile had become a mountain, an endless plateau. She flipped a page in her book, popped off the cap of her highlighter and went crazy on the open page.
“It’s getting late.” Brendan tried again, drumming his fingers against the fabric of his jeans as he glanced at his watch once more – 11:53. Thankfully he had the day off tomorrow or else he’d be kicking himself for being out this late and for drinking two coffees within the past couple hours.
“I need to finish this.” Calla answered, barely looking up.
Brendan’s fingers wrapped around the top of her textbook, pushing it down just enough to get her attention. “I think that you’re being too hard on yourself.” He told her carefully. “You’re going to run yourself into the ground.”
Calla sighed and opened her mouth to protest but it wasn’t a fight she’d win. Countless times the couple had bickered about this same thing – Brendan usually coming out on top. In the end Calla closed her book, marking the page and gathered all of her things into her backpack and allowed Brendan slip it onto his shoulders while she threw away their coffee cups and empty food containers.
The temperatures were oddly milder than they should be for Michigan for late fall. They walked outside glove clad hand in glove clad hand and the wind hit their faces as they pushed through the puddles on the sidewalks. It smelt of recent rain, which was refreshing to get after the snow Detroit had been pummeled with the previous winter.
That morning Calla had woken up with caffeine coursing through her veins after spending the night in front of the television with books piled high and the coffee maker on a constant cycle. With her sugar high still much alive, she headed to the gym and most of her morning was spent there, working up a sweat and burning off the unruly energy, which would now explain was she was suddenly exhausted as she nearly collapsed into the passenger seat of Brendan’s truck.
Brendan tucked her backpack between her feet and made sure she was comfortable before he put her seatbelt on for her. She smiled tiredly up at him as he leaned over her, clicking the metal tab into its holder. He chuckled when her soft fingers lightly tickled his cheek and then were replaced with her lips. She breathed deeply through her nose and was overwhelmed by his smell – a mix of coffee and his cologne. It sent her further into her sleep induced coma.
Standing up outside of the truck, he adjusted his winter hat and closed the passenger door before running around to the driver’s side. He wouldn’t put it past Calla if she would asleep in the ten minute ride over to their apartment on Riverside and he’d have to carry her to bed.
His girlfriend’s days have only been getting longer and busier. When she’d get home at random hours of the night she lock herself up in their den with her textbooks and caffeine, mumbling promises that things would slow down the next week.
Brendan missed when things between them were easy and when they were able to spend every moment of their free time with each other, and now their schedules were completely opposite. And in the off chance they were able to spend time together Calla would be pre occupied with studying or too tired to do anything but think about what she should be doing for school or for work. But Brendan couldn’t blame her for working towards her future and for finally doing something for herself.
Calla was able to drag her own tired body from the car and up to their apartment. She left her backpack and clothes in a trail to their bedroom as she stripped down to her underwear and a t shirt and crawled into bed, cocooning herself under the thick comforter.
Brendan followed her, making a note to clean in the morning for her. He wrapped his arms around her and Calla tucked herself into his chest, letting out a content sigh, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers. She listened to the sounds of silence that surrounded them and the even whistle of Brendan’s breathing put her to sleep within minutes. He pressed his lips to her forehead and reminded himself that every couple went through lulls in their relationship. They had been together for almost four years and their honeymoon period was long over. It just seemed that a little more work would have to be put in – that was all.
It was nearly midnight and the two were sitting in a coffee shop in Midtown. Calla had left a study session and decided to cram some more and Brendan had met her there after his game – a 4 to 3 overtime win against the Oilers.
It was closer to the end of November and Calla had been spiraling through her busy life, contending of a full academic load that came with the final few months working towards her Master’s Degree in Nursing and her full time job at Detroit Medical Center.
“Are you almost ready to head out?”
Calla hadn’t heard a thing. She was in her own little world and there was no getting her out of it. All of her paperwork had been piling up for so long that it was hard not to be so wrapped up in it. The pile had become a mountain, an endless plateau. She flipped a page in her book, popped off the cap of her highlighter and went crazy on the open page.
“It’s getting late.” Brendan tried again, drumming his fingers against the fabric of his jeans as he glanced at his watch once more – 11:53. Thankfully he had the day off tomorrow or else he’d be kicking himself for being out this late and for drinking two coffees within the past couple hours.
“I need to finish this.” Calla answered, barely looking up.
Brendan’s fingers wrapped around the top of her textbook, pushing it down just enough to get her attention. “I think that you’re being too hard on yourself.” He told her carefully. “You’re going to run yourself into the ground.”
Calla sighed and opened her mouth to protest but it wasn’t a fight she’d win. Countless times the couple had bickered about this same thing – Brendan usually coming out on top. In the end Calla closed her book, marking the page and gathered all of her things into her backpack and allowed Brendan slip it onto his shoulders while she threw away their coffee cups and empty food containers.
The temperatures were oddly milder than they should be for Michigan for late fall. They walked outside glove clad hand in glove clad hand and the wind hit their faces as they pushed through the puddles on the sidewalks. It smelt of recent rain, which was refreshing to get after the snow Detroit had been pummeled with the previous winter.
That morning Calla had woken up with caffeine coursing through her veins after spending the night in front of the television with books piled high and the coffee maker on a constant cycle. With her sugar high still much alive, she headed to the gym and most of her morning was spent there, working up a sweat and burning off the unruly energy, which would now explain was she was suddenly exhausted as she nearly collapsed into the passenger seat of Brendan’s truck.
Brendan tucked her backpack between her feet and made sure she was comfortable before he put her seatbelt on for her. She smiled tiredly up at him as he leaned over her, clicking the metal tab into its holder. He chuckled when her soft fingers lightly tickled his cheek and then were replaced with her lips. She breathed deeply through her nose and was overwhelmed by his smell – a mix of coffee and his cologne. It sent her further into her sleep induced coma.
Standing up outside of the truck, he adjusted his winter hat and closed the passenger door before running around to the driver’s side. He wouldn’t put it past Calla if she would asleep in the ten minute ride over to their apartment on Riverside and he’d have to carry her to bed.
His girlfriend’s days have only been getting longer and busier. When she’d get home at random hours of the night she lock herself up in their den with her textbooks and caffeine, mumbling promises that things would slow down the next week.
Brendan missed when things between them were easy and when they were able to spend every moment of their free time with each other, and now their schedules were completely opposite. And in the off chance they were able to spend time together Calla would be pre occupied with studying or too tired to do anything but think about what she should be doing for school or for work. But Brendan couldn’t blame her for working towards her future and for finally doing something for herself.
Calla was able to drag her own tired body from the car and up to their apartment. She left her backpack and clothes in a trail to their bedroom as she stripped down to her underwear and a t shirt and crawled into bed, cocooning herself under the thick comforter.
Brendan followed her, making a note to clean in the morning for her. He wrapped his arms around her and Calla tucked herself into his chest, letting out a content sigh, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers. She listened to the sounds of silence that surrounded them and the even whistle of Brendan’s breathing put her to sleep within minutes. He pressed his lips to her forehead and reminded himself that every couple went through lulls in their relationship. They had been together for almost four years and their honeymoon period was long over. It just seemed that a little more work would have to be put in – that was all.