The Rebound Agreement ✔

four

The snow previously blanketing the ground has disappeared by late morning the next day. In its place a thick slush has formed due to the sudden rising temperatures above freezing. The slush has a slight brownish-yellow tint to it from mixing with dirt and the oddly colored salt used to melt the snow on the roads. By the time I've reached my dorm after my morning finance class, it has soaked through my shoes and socks, leaving my toes chilly and wet in the process.

I insert the key into the lock and shove the door open, expecting to be greeted with an empty dorm. To my surprise, this is far from the case.

"Katie!" someone squeals. I turn to find my roommate, Hannah, rushing up to me with Monica not far behind her. Monica, as touchy-feely as usual, grabs me and pulls me into a tight bear hug.

Truthfully, I had always found hugging to be a bit awkward. Where do you place your arms? Below the other persons arms, around the neck, or one at each location? And what on earth are you supposed to do with your hands? Sometimes the people you hug pat your back and other times they rub circles. Both felt strange to me.

Unaware of my internal struggle, Monica continued to hug me for quite a time before finally letting me go.

"Finally," Hannah groaned dramatically. "I'd thought we'd never catch you."

I internally smiled at Hannah's choice of words and their double meaning as she finishes speaking, the lengthiness of the hug I had just received coming to mind.

Hannah and Monica exchange a glance with each other, one that I'm sure says many things, but I catch none of them.
The two of them had been best friends for seemingly forever and it wasn't surprising that I always felt like the odd one out when I was around them. They had always made an effort to include me, but it was hard to feel like I belonged when we had hardly anything in common.

"You were waiting for me?" I asked them, surprised that they'd go to that much effort to talk to me.

"Of course we were waiting for you," Hannah dramatically confirmed. "You've been impossible to catch."

They dragged me to the couch and shoved me down where I landed on a cushion with an oomph. Then the interrogation began.

"Who is he?" Monica demanded, clearly dying for an answer.

"Um, who?" I asked, even as a picture of Liam flashes through my mind. I had a feeling that I knew exactly who they are referring to.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "The cute boy you went on a date with, of course." She settles in on the remaining cushion of the couch, while Monica perches on the arm.

"Who said it was a date?" I warily asked them. They already seemed to know too much. A little too late, I catch my mistake of not denying that he was cute.

Monica threw her hands up in the air out of exasperation. "We're not stupid. Since you were sleeping by the time you guys came back, he carried you to the door bridal style and kissed you on the forehead before he left. How could that not be a date?"

Hannah sighed dramatically, "Forehead kisses are just so cute!"

Startled, I looked towards them. "Liam carried me?" I could feel the back of my neck heat up at the thought of being in his arms. I wasn't necessarily the kind of girl that steered clear of hamburgers or pizza, and my lack of flat stomach showed it. I knew I wasn't light.