In Between The Stars

People

Sorry for the late update. Won't happen again. I'm so tired :'( But I love you guys more (Yes, You!). OK I'll shut up now.

I wake up the next morning and find his jacket wrapped over the back of a chair by my bed and this makes me smile. No, not smile, it's more like a grin so wide that it threatens to split my face in two. I sit up and extend my arm to touch the fabric. Soft but sturdy. I wonder why he's always in the same clothes.

I jump out of bed and about a half hour later, I walk out of the gate with my bag over my shoulder. I start getting worried when I'm halfway to Trisha's house and Dylan hasn't shown up yet.

I meant it when I said I'm not leaving you. I recall his brazen words and smile.

"Thinking about me?" He shows up at my side out of the blue and I yelp in surprise .

"You really have to stop doing that." I tell him and smack his arm.

"Sorry." He says and I gape at the black shirt hugging his broad shoulders and firm torso. I turn around before he notices. "You know, I can't seem to get past your gate. I tried and I couldn't, something kept shoving me back. It's never happened before."

"What?!" I ask in horror. "Why did you want to? Did you have to...take...?"

"No, no!" He cries. "Of course not. I just wanted to see you."

"Oh..." I breathe out, relieved. "Why?"

"Because I can't not see you these days." He tells and my cheeks flame in response. He looks over at me and grins. "I want you to meet some... uh... people. Will you come with me after college?"

"Okay." I consent without giving it a second thought. "Your coat is still with me."

"Keep it." He says. "I'll see you later. Miss me."

"I will." I mutter once he's safely out of earshot.

Trisha drops me off in front of the college and drives away to park her bike. I enter my classroom to find a small silver bracelet with a crystal butterfly charm laid out on my desk. I roll my eyes: I can clearly guess who it's from and I don't even want to touch it this time. So I dump my bag on the chair and storm out of the room to fetch Trisha and Nitin.

Due to my unbelievable luck, I find Kriya and her gang hanging out in the hallway. Kriya's lips form a curve that others might mistake as a smile, but I know better. So I ignore her and walk away.

"Akira?" I hear her call over the low hum of the constant corridor chatter. I stride faster to avoid her.

***

As the last bell of the day partially deafens me, I hastily gather all my things and dash out of the room. I find Dylan waiting for me outside the college but I walk past him without a word for the fear that people might think that I'm talking to myself.

He seems to understand, so he quietly follows me.

"Why are you always wearing the same clothes?" I ask him once we reach an isolated road. When I actually hear the question, I feel stupid about even letting the words fall out of my mouth.

"Because it's made from a plant fabric that is from another galaxy." He explicates, seemingly unaffected by my inane question. "And that plant only flowers once in about two hundred years." So that explains the exotic scent that can turn heads.

"And when you're here with me, no one's.... dying out there?" This is an important question. So I eagerly wait for his reply.

"No. I can... um... replicate myself." He says and runs a hand through his unruly hair. "When I'm with you... the others are taking care of it. And we're here."