Bleed Until You Heal

21- Working Hard

"So you're inviting me to the expo, right? Because I really want to go," Haven tells me on Tuesday as we're in class. It's the third week of class now and we've grown kind of close in our Principles of Photography class, which is really nice because I like having a friend in my photography classes.

"Sure, you can come. You don't need my permission or anything though, it's open to the public," I say to her. "But you should probably look nice."

"I look forward to it," She says. "And I also want to meet your new boyfriend. Will he be there?"

I nod. "He will. It's next Friday night."

"I'll be there," Haven chirps. Our professor gave us a partner worksheet to complete so we're working on that while conversing about the student expo coming up.

"Thanks," I smile. "I'm really glad that you'll be there. I'm actually freaking out, now that it's coming up."

"You'll be awesome," She assures me. "I mean, I haven't seen the collection that you're showing but from what you've shown me, you're super talented and everybody will be awe struck at your magnificence."

I laugh at her dramatics as I write down one of the answers on the work sheet. "Well, that would be pretty awesome but I'm sure it won't be that great. Everybody that's being displayed at the expo is really talented, completely upper level stuff, so hopefully, I can hang with the big kids."

"Yes, and then make friends with a lot of the cute upper class boys and have them give me a call," She jokes. "Not a photography student though, I want a culinary guy. I'll even settle for a film major."

"I'll see what I can do," I tell her jokingly, laughing again. "No film or culinary is going to be at the expo though, I'm pretty sure it's just photography? Just the 2-D arts, I think."

"Film is 2-D," She reminds me.

I roll my eyes at her. "You know what I mean."

"Well, no pressure or anything, but my love life is now in your hands," Haven informs me.

"I'll do my best," I assure her as the professor tells us that class is over so we hand in the work sheets and then file out of the classroom.

"Good. Are you up for lunch? Deli across the street?" She offers.

I nod, feeling starving. "Sure, that sounds good."

"Okay. So tell me more about this boyfriend- did he take you on a date or anything?" She wonders curiously as we leave the building to go over to the deli.

"Well, his name is Scott, and yeah. He took me to Gibb's Gardens on Saturday night and then we went to some cheesy diner after that. It was really nice," I explain to her, recounting the events of Saturday.

"And then...?"

"And then he dropped me off at my apartment and went back to his dorm," I tell her slowly.

She sighs in disappointment. "That's incredibly unexciting."

"It was romantic," I defend with a small laugh.

"Right, it sounds incredible, the Gardens are gorgeous. I'm just saying that if he's as beautiful as you say he is, it's just sad that you didn't make the most of that opportunity to jump his bones."

"It was only our first date," I remind her, deciding not to tell her about Friday night in the tree house. I don't mind telling Haven most things but that night in the tree house feels too personal to tell her about. Not yet at least.

"Okay, I respect that. Keeping it classy," She nods as we get to the end of the line of the deli.

I blush, feeling a bit bad for making her think that I was 'classy'. No, Haven, I didn't have sex with him on our first date- I did it before that. I'll pass on letting the cat out of the bag for now. "Something like that."