What A Lie Looks Like | ✓

1.17: sephine

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry," I mumble in Ollie's ear as I hug him. He crushes me with his arms, and I take a deep breath to try and keep myself together.

"Now you're going to make me cry," Ollie pulls himself away, pressing his lips to my forehead in a loving manner, and smiles sadly. "We'll still get to have our crazy spring break in three months."

"I'll be counting down the days," I promise, reaching up to ruffle his hair, and he tries to squirm out of my reach.

Ollie takes a sigh and shoulders his travel bag while his hand grabs ahold of his suitcase. "I'm going to miss you, Sephy."

I bite my lip to keep from crying, "Don't you dare say goodbye. You know I hate goodbyes." It's a weak threat, but it's what I need to keep myself together. I'd forgotten how easy everything was with Ollie. It was easy to laugh, easy to be myself, easy to forget. Except now, my best friend is going back to where he belongs, just like I'm staying where I belong.

"Of course. How could I forget?"

I shrug, "Just wanted to make sure."

"Tell your parents thank you for having me."

My arms wrap around myself in a manner that's all too familiar, "Three months?" I ask, waiting for him to promise spring break again. I know that I'm irrational, but it's been almost seven months since I've seen him, so three months should be almost nothing compared to that.

He knows exactly what I'm doing and nods, confirming it for me once again, "Three months."

We might be separated by two thousand, three hundred and twenty-seven miles, but I don't think that it will ever affect our friendship.

A tear escapes past my barrier, and I wipe it away before Ollie can see it. "I'll see you then," My voice cracks ever so slightly, but I will myself to stay where I am as he turns around to hand his boarding pass to the flight attendant.

Before walking into the hallway and out of my sight, he turns around and blows me a kiss. It's so ridiculous that I can't help but laugh, and Ollie smiles waving.

I filled the lack of conversation on the car ride home with music that I usually would be singing along to, but I just feel sad that Ollie left. Having him around the past two weeks has been the best present I could have gotten.

However, knowing Ollie, I shouldn't have been surprised to see Hayes's truck in the driveway when I got back to my house. But I was.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, pulling my coat around me to trap whatever heat had gotten in during the car ride as he gets out of the truck.

"Ollie texted me and wanted me to check in on you." He explains calmly, and I look at him, confused.

"You know that you didn't have to come over here, right?" Since when do he and Ollie text too?

Hayes tilts his head unintentionally making his jawline stand out even more, "I know I didn't have to."

"Then why come?"

He rolls his eyes, "Do you ever stop questioning why people do things? Perhaps I'm just trying to be a good friend."

I walk up the steps to the front door, and Hayes doesn't move from where he stands beside his truck, "Well, are you coming in or not?"

"Coming in," He can climb the steps a lot faster than I can because his legs are longer than mine, so it takes him only a few seconds to catch up to me at the door.

The warmth of the house is welcoming, and I'm surprised to see my dad's briefcase sitting next to the steps. "Dad? Are you home?" I cast a worried glance at Hayes, who is taking his jacket off, not realizing what he's in for.