Ethereal - a kiani au

fifty seven

• Will's POV •

I walked downstairs and into the kitchen to make some breakfast for Jordan and I when I saw a few envelopes sitting on the counter. They were addressed to me. I glanced over them and they were all colleges. Two of them were pretty good schools here that I had applied to and another one was in... Seattle? I didn't apply for any colleges in America because I knew I was moving back here with my father. My heart was racing a little bit and I felt kind of dumb for not thinking about it sooner. I could go back to school in Seattle and I could be able to see Jordan all the time. My dad was at work and I could hear the water running from Jordan's shower. I took out my phone and called my mum.

"Hello?" She answered sleepily.

"Oh sorry Mum, I forgot about the time difference," I answered, chewing on one of my nails.

"It's okay, honey, it's nice to talk to you. I miss you," she said. I could hear her smile through the phone.

"I miss you, too," I responded. There were a few seconds of silence and then I just spit it out. "Did you apply to a college in Seattle for me?" I said. She didn't respond right away but I could hear her sigh.

"Yes," she said simply. I didn't know how to respond.

"I just got a letter from them. I thought I had to stay here with Dad," I questioned.

"You're 18, Will. You had to go and live with him before because he still had that right to see you. But you're 18 now. You can do whatever you want," she answered.

"I could come back to America..." I trailed off, talking to myself more than my mum.

"I didn't want you to feel pressured to come back but I would love to have you back. And I'm sure Jordan would too," she said. I stared at the three envelopes on the counter and now my heart was almost beating out of my chest. I heard the water of Jordan's shower shut off and I started to panic a little bit.

"I'll think about it. But I have to go, I'm making breakfast for Jordan and I. I love you," I rambled out quickly.

"I love you, too. Call me again soon, okay?" She asked.

"Okay, bye," I said and hung up. I grabbed the envelopes and looked for a place to hide them. I opened one of the cabinets and slid them under a stack of plates. I got out a pan and set it out on the stove just as the bathroom door opened and a toweled Jordan walked out of it. Water droplets still clung to his bare chest. He smiled at me.

"I'm going to get dressed and then we can have breakfast," he said. I nodded and gave him the best smile I could manage. I still felt flustered. As soon as Jordan got up the stairs, I grabbed the eggs from out of the fridge and quickly made some scrambled eggs. My hands were shaking and a few eggs were falling out of the pan because I was going so quickly. I scooped our breakfasts onto two plates and took a deep breath. Calm down. I'm not even sure why I'm not telling Jordan. He started to come down the stairs just as I was setting our plates on the table.