Lucas

Living in America is different. 

I don't mean to brag, or complain, but every girl in college is gluing to me incessantly, and that was only before they heard me speak - after I answered one of the teacher's questions last week, they all fight for their place next to me in class every morning. 

About the classes, so far I'm loving them. 

It'll definitely be bit hard to learn everything in only one semester, but with the dedication I have, I'm sure I'll make it work.

It's been four weeks since I moved in and started my student life, and I had already done one test. I stood in the hallway, looking at the printed grade sheet that was displayed on the cork board, secured with a red pin at the top.

My eyes skimmed through the names of the Animation class attendees until I found my own name and noticed the letter marked next to it - an A. I got an A on my very first american college test. Not too bad.

I chuckled to myself as I remembered a conversation I had with Nicole in the past, when she said I'd be a straight A student. I took the phone out of my pocket and snapped a picture to send to Nicole, but never got to hit the Send button. 

Someone interrupted me.

"Oh my God... Lucas?!" 

The voice I heard made my heart stop beating, my jaw and my muscles clenched while my brain was still connecting all the dots. 

It couldn't be. 

I turned in my heels to realize that not only it can be... it is. It's Sarah. 

While my mouth was agape, still wondering what to say, she made herself heard. "What are you doing here?" She was just as much in disbelief as I was. 

How?

"Sarah..." I said her name out loud in a small whisper, leaving a bad taste in my mouth afterwards. "I'm, uh... I'm taking a semester here."

"No way! What classes are you taking?"

She looked older. Not older in a way that she looked old, no. She still looked as young as ever, but the simple, plain mint colored dress she had on and the dark squared glasses that framed her face made her look more like a grown up, more like the adult she now was. 

Years ago, when I met her and she was twenty three, she looked like a sixteen year old teenager, jeans and a hoodie were her go to choices of what to wear all the time. It matched her personality perfectly, and right now, with a brand new looking Sarah standing in front of me, I couldn't help but think if that was still the case, and if it was, how had her personality changed? 

I spent too much time in silence, lost in my own thoughts and when she gave me a look, I answered her previous question. 

"Oh, um... Animation, Graphic Design, Visual Development, and 3D Fundamentals too."

We kept our distance, and I appreciated it.

"Well... it is what you wanted to do." She said with a smile. 

Four years ago I thought that smile was the best one I've ever seen, now I know it doesn't even come close to the smile I want to look at every morning. 

"I'm happy for you."

"Thanks." I answered almost automatically, my body and mind both trapped in the trap that I couldn't help but feel like this was. "Um... If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was asked to teach here."

That's how.

"So... you moved here? To Los Angeles?" I asked, my voice shaking a little, scared to know the answer to that question.

"Oh no, I was only asked to teach here for the previous semester. I'm going back to London next week actually."

"Oh." Was all I said, my lips still in an O shaped form. Deep down, I was sighing in relief though. 

I looked down to the ground, as my eyes found the floor we both stood on suddenly very interesting. While my eyes traveled downwards, they couldn't help but stop at her hand, her fingers curled around some files.

"You're married?"

"Oh, right... Yes!" She replied with some excitement, her green eyes rolling as she giggled, making it look like she had forgot to mention that to me, as if it was something indifferent, banal to her. Almost the same reaction as if she was a barista who had forgotten to hand me the receipt.

That reaction just seemed too much for me, though. Too fake.

She threw her hand up and turned it backwards, showing me the ring I had already seen. "I got married last year."

"Good for you. I'm happy." The words rolled out of my tongue easily. Despite having my heart broken by her and her denial to marry me, I still wished her nothing but the best. 

"John is a really good guy."

"I'm glad." I said. She didn't look very convinced to me, but she didn't say anything and I took her silence as acceptance. "Well, I better get going. Have a nice day."

"Oh, okay. You too!"

There was an awkward silence hanging in the air between us while we looked at each other, none of us making a move. 

Was she going to hug me? Was she going to kiss my cheek? Was she not going to do anything? She looked like she wanted to do something though.

Maybe I read it wrong.

"Bye." She waved at me and turned in her heels, making her way down the hallway while I stood still in my place, my feet glued to the ground.

"Bye." I said back, in a whisper, more to myself than to her, who was way too far now to hear me.

My phone buzzed in my hand, where it has been for the past few minutes, with a text from Nicole. 

N: How's your morning going? X

I smiled at her text, and replied with the message I had previously written, plus the attachment, but never sent. 

N: Congratulations!! This calls for a celebration!

The time display on the corner of my screen caught my attention and I rushed to class as fast as I could, before I could reply her. 

I took my seat and tried my best to stay focused on what the teacher was saying, on what we were learning, but my mind kept going back to the previous chance encounter. 

How on Earth did this happen? I spent years without seeing Sarah in London, and now I see her, out of all places, here, in the United States of America! 

Life really is all about pranking you. 

I had no classes on Monday, so while the teacher was revising some of the things he had taught in the previous class, I quickly texted back and forth with Nicole as we planned on a little long weekend just for us, in San Francisco. I'd be leaving tonight and I'd only be back on Tuesday. I really need that, these weeks apart from her have been a living hell for me and I couldn't wait until I got to hold her in my arms again and kiss her lips.

I made it through another day in college, having to sit through three hours of Animation in the morning and two hours of Visual Development in the afternoon. By the time I walked through the door of my dorm, I was feeling beyond exhausted.

"Whoa, what happened here? It's like Hugo Boss threw up in our room." Mike chuckled at my joke.

I threw the notebook I carried in my hands onto the desk in the corner of the room.

"You think it's too much?" He inquired, concern written all over his face.

"A little. Why?"

"I'm going out with Alyssa tonight."

"Ah, she finally agreed to go out on a date with you." A hint of a smirk took over my lips.

Alyssa is this girl from Mike's English class. Mike and I really hit off quite well despite the large age gap, and one night after I hung up on my daily phone call with Nicole, he started asking me about her, and about us. One thing led to another and he was full on asking me for relationship advice. 

"Not exactly. It's a group outing, but still... It's better than nothing."

"Of course it's better than nothing. It's a start, my friend."

I found it adorable that he was so in love with this girl who was clearly into him too, but he was struggling so much to make himself seen around her, and none of them wanted to make a move. Young love is the best, isn't it?

"I'm gonna spend the weekend with Nicole."

"When are you leaving?" Mike asked while he looked at himself in the mirror for the fifth time since I arrived at the dorm.

"Tonight. I'll be back on Tuesday. Hey," I held up my finger, warning him.

Mike's head shot up in attention towards me. "What?"

"No funny business in here while I'm gone."

"Unfortunately, you've got nothing to worry about in that department."

"Don't say that, she might start to see you less like a friend after tonight."

"We're going out with five other friends of ours... I don't see that happening, at least not tonight."

"It'll happen when you least expect it, trust me. I speak from experience."

The loud sound of teenagers making their way down the hall was a good indicator I was going to have them burst through the door to pick up Mike. 

I was right. 

Three other guys and two young girls - one of them being the famous Alyssa - walked through the door and with a quick and polite greeting and goodbye, Mike was gone and I was alone.

"Have fun!" I waved them goodbye before the room fell into a silence.

Sharing a dorm with another student was definitely an experience I never thought I'd get to live, since things in the UK aren't exactly like America. It's not like I don't like it, I do, but I just... have always been used to have my space, my time, my silence, my thoughts. It was just different.

But I definitely appreciated that Mike went out tonight and that I had my chance to have my time for me too before Nicole picks me up.

I quickly packed a small bag for my long weekend with Nicole in San Francisco, just with a couple of t-shirts and some jeans, and put the bag away while I got ready.

Communal showers were far from ideal and since I'd be going to spend the weekend at Nicole's, I decided I'd just change into some better clothes and shower at her place, and if I'm lucky, I'd even have some company too. 

I took off my shirt and went through the drawers to find something to wear when my phone buzzed in the nightstand. A single buzz - means it's a text message. 

I rushed to my phone, incredibly confident it'd be a text from Nicole, only to find out it wasn't.

It was from Sarah.

S: Hi Lucas! I'm sorry if I'm bothering you and if I am, please delete this message immediately and forget I ever texted you. My flight back to London is next week, on Friday. I was wondering if you'd be up for a cup of coffee or lunch with me before I go. I feel like we still have some unfinished business between us and I'd love to be on the same page as you before I leave  California. Sarah x

I exhaled, and a long breath came out of my mouth as I sat down on the edge of the bed and finished reading the message for the third time, the words still not making a lot of sense in my mind.

I feel like I could read this text a million times and I would still be clueless about the meaning behind it.  

She got married and never felt the need to talk to me, so why would she need to right now?

I threw my phone onto my bed carelessly before I fell back on the mattress, my fingers laced together behind my head. 

What was I supposed to do?

 * * * 

Author's  Note:

Hey lovebugs! What did y'all think of THIS? Were you expecting Sarah to make a come back in Lucas' life? What do you think he's gonna do now?

Don't hold back and let me know what you're thinking, I wanna know!

As always, I encourage you to vote and comment and share this story with whoever you think might like it 💕

Xoxo, Mars