The onset of winter fell on us rather quickly. And who didn't love bonfires and BBQs in such weather?
Soon I found myself entangled in warm blankets, a bonfire, and a feast on marshmallows. The ambience of Senior Aylwin's garden was serene. Just me, him, Senior Chase, Ivy, and Ian.
Ian wanted to spend most of his time with me. Thus, he tagged along.
I wrapped the fluffy material around myself, placing my head on Senior Aylwin's shoulder. He slowly sipped on his warm coffee. Our fingers intertwined together as his thumb ever so tenderly stroked my flesh. The flutters felt fantastically tantalizing.
Ian had gone to fetch someone. The guy had been behaving weird lately. Apparently, he wanted us to meet with "someone" special. His words, not mine. Anyway, Senior Chase and Ivy were busy in their own conversation.
I wonder, what's going on between them? With this thought, I made a mental note to inquire about their "relationship status vehicle."
"Soph!" Came Ian's all-too-excited voice, causing us to turn his way. He walked towards us, standing a few feet away with a goofy grin grazing his lips.
"Special someone here?" I retorted as all four pairs of eyes were glued on him.
"Yup, and most importantly, it might be a shock for ya. Just giving you a head's up." His words didn't make sense until the person of interest made their presence known. And trust me, as soon as that happened, I wasn't just stunned but confused, bewildered, gobsmacked, and everything in between.
"Senior Kyla?" Ivy muttered, perhaps we were both in the same dilemma. Looking at Senior Kyla all those months; she seemed uptight and rather confined to herself. Being the president of the student council, she was strict and focused mainly on the matter on the platter.
However, right at the moment, seeing her slightly flushed and shy was a scene out of a different era.
"Despite you already know her, meet my girlfriend, Kyla." He lazily placed his arm around her shoulder, making her smile nervously at us.
"Wow! When did this happen?" I exclaimed, wiggling my brows at the duo.
Since the time Ian had come back, I was always stuck by his side. He wouldn't just leave me. He reasoned out his weird behavior as compensation for all those years he hurt me.
The affection and care made me feel so good. But sometimes it was as if he would smother me with his overpowering love.
Due to this, I had very little time to spend with Senior Aylwin. Most of the time I spent with Ian other than Uni. And in the rest time that I got, somehow miscellaneous work always found me. It had been a week since we had even had a proper conversation. And in all honesty, it sucked!
Anyway, back to the matter at hand.
Basically, this guy was all the time with me; how in the freaking hell did he end up having a girlfriend? And that, too, Senior Kyla.
"I met her in the downtown. Then exchanged a couple glances at your Uni. I asked her out, and things escalated." He explained, shrugging.
"That was quite smooth." I smiled, then suddenly hissed at my lack of manners. "Ah, please join us. Here, Ivy, pass those blankets."
Soon we all settled in and the conversation drifted from one topic to another until it landed on the one I'd still to talk about to Aylwin.
"Ice track against the Canadians?" Ian started.
"Yeah, how do you know so much about races?" Senior Chase piped in.
"I've been associated with CODE 1 for longer than I can remember."
"You're not a member now?"
"It's complicated."
"Are you going to race?" This time, it was Senior Kyla who spoke up. Her question was directed at Ian.
"Hmm, seems so. It's an important event. I have to be there. You can join me if you want." He winked at her, making her blush as she nodded, "I'd love to."
"What about you, Soph? You going with Aylwin?" That was the question I had no answer to. I didn't know myself. Gazing straight into his eyes, beholding the vast blue glaciers, I awaited his reply. But the mask of poker face didn't help the situation.
I sighed, sticking to a rather monotone reply: "We haven't decided... yet." My words trailed off in silence, along with smoky chills of air.
My reply got weird looks from them. As I said, I really had no time to talk with him. With my exams and catching up with lectures and Ian, Senior Aylwin felt like a fading memory these past few weeks. The tension between us was so obvious. It was unbearable. A slow suffering. Yet nothing of the sort I could do.
"Wait, you ha-" Senior Chase began eyeing us, but a stern glance from Senior Aylwin shut him up. I glanced between them; they seemed to be absorbed in some sort of eye conversation.
Yup, definitely everything is wrong!
Thereafter, the conversation continued. I couldn't help but let my gaze wander back to Ian and his girlfriend. It still felt weird, for some I-didn't-know-why reasons. Nevertheless, they looked happy, and in the end, that's what matters.
"Fresher!" His voice lightly tickled me. I felt myself facing him, humming simultaneously. His thumb had ceased working wonders. The detaching feeling rendering me whiny.
Geez, I sound like a puberty-hit kid.
"Let's go." I gave him suspicious eyes, wondering what in the hell was going through his head. We stood up, excusing ourselves from there. Walking inside the place, he went inside the kitchen. I leaned against the kitchen island, the grayish countertop complementing the dark tones of the house.
I watched him wash the cup and then place it back in the cup holder. His biceps flexing every now and then. He had on a grey turtleneck sweatshirt, pairing it with a black denim jacket and matching joggers. A gray beanie crowned his head. I let my gaze travel over his physique. Letting my eyes slowly devour the site of divine delicacies. He moved across the cabinet, wiping his hands with the towel, before standing next to me.
His eyes clashed with mine as we held contact. Rather intensely. The layers of blues mingling with the haze of my hazel ones. There was a conflict in them. A disturbance. For a good few minutes, no one said anything. We just stared. Silently. In the dim light.
Slow, rhythmic breath. Exhaling and inhaling. Eyes kept their sync. Nurturing. Relishing. After so many weeks, we'd have time to ourselves. The silence was heavy but tranquil. The tension building up with each second was escalating at a faster pace.
It was honestly killing. I could feel my fingers twitching. My palms clammy and tingling. The ambience suddenly felt too hot and congested. The tickles made their way past my tummy, settling there.
And after what felt like an eternity, he opened his mouth. Words stumbling forth had me mystified. "I'm leaving for Alaska."
"Oh?" It came out more like a question. Our winter break was around the corner. Hardly a week away. Now that he had dropped a news bomb on me, I thought back to all the plans I'd made. Was it all for a naught?
My face faltered. All the built-up atmosphere flew out of the damn window. The silence that hung over us was killing and torturous.
Before I realized what I was saying, I blurted out, "For fuck's sake, say something?"
