Tell Me You'll Miss Me | ✓

1. the oak tree

The hazy dark blue of the room was all I could make out when my eyes first flickered open. I murmured a note of discontent and flipped over onto my left, snuggling deeper into the bedding. I nuzzled my face against the pillow, still tired, and desperately hoped I could get back off to sleep.

The dream I'd been in had been everything. I could remember laughing under the big white oak off campus with someone; a girl I didn't know with a laugh like honey and hazel eyes and the softest hands. I wished I knew her while I was awake. Right now, she was just a frequent visitor to my dreams.

I wanted to be back there, with my back against the bark and the sun on my skin, filtering in through the oak's big green leaves.

The rest of my sleep came fitfully, and I never felt completely awake or quite asleep until my room had been fully lit by the sun. Dad yelled my name up the stairs twice along with a cheery, "I'm making pancakes, so hurry up! Before I set the house on fire, if possible," and the offer was enticing enough to get me to stir, but only just – he was no professional chef. All I really wanted was to be back in dreamland, but seeing as that wasn't happening, pancakes would have to do, instead.

When I finally padded into the steamy, smoky kitchen, I smirked at the plate full of scrunched up, burnt pancakes that lay discarded to the left of my dad.

"So... breakfast going well?" I teased, scraping the hair tie off my wrist to twist my hair up into a big, scruffy brown knot.

"Hey, I'm having a more productive morning than you are, if nothin' else," he joked back. "Sleep well?"

I smiled down at the countertop of the breakfast bar as I slid onto one of the stool chairs. For a second, I could almost feel the tree behind me. I took just a second too long to reply, and glanced up in time to see my dad grin widely over at me, looking away from the pancakes for a moment.

"What is that about?" he laughed, every note in his voice annoying.

"Nothing!" I protested. "Eyes on the pancakes, Dad."

He snickered as he flipped the one he was working on, and I contemplated just pouring out some cereal instead.

"Alright, alright. You're never this smiley in the morning though, Jess. I know something's up."

I rolled my eyes, but he was right. "Something's up?" I repeated, trying to imagine what was running through his head. "What, like I could sneak out all night with some charming troublemaker and still look this good in the morning?" I batted my eyelids dramatically, trying to look like a cute cartoon character. "Please," I scoffed, dismissing the idea.

"I don't know," Dad tutted, feigning scepticism. "You could've. And you probably went on a shopping spree while you were at it, judging by the bags under your eyes..."

My mouth popped into a scandalised O right at the same time Dad turned to look at me to do the same thing, making fun of me. I fought back a bubble of laughter and instead made a high noise that said I objected to his mimicry – but not really. There was too much of a smirk on my mouth for that to be totally accurate.

I looked around for something to throw at him, then settled for just playfully pouting when the only candidate was a half-drank glass of orange juice that Dad had clearly been working on.

"You're so rude," I sassed, grinning my dad's grin when he dished out a decent-looking pancake and added it to the stack of two on his right. He presented the plate to me and then fished out the maple syrup from the cupboard and a banana from the fruit bowl – my favorite toppings.

"I get it from you, sweetie," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of my scruffy hair as I peeled the banana and started cutting it into neat slices. He turned off the stove and took the pan off the cooktop before heading to the sink and washing his hands. "I won't be back until late, but the new neighbors are moving in today. If you see them after class, can you do me a favor and drop off the cupcakes?" He wiped his hands dry and brushed down his front before unravelling the pushed-up sleeves of his shirt.

I nodded, a big mouthful of syrupy pancakes preventing any words getting out.

"Great. What would I do without you, huh?" He winked and passed by me, on his way out to work as usual.

I swallowed. "Probably poison the new neighbors. Your cupcakes would've turned out terrible if I hadn't stepped in."

I shovelled in another mouthful of pancake, getting more banana this time, and smiled when I heard Dad laugh from the hallway amidst the rustling of jackets and coats.

"Have a good day, you terror," he called through.

"You too, old man,"I yelled back, as the door slammed shut.

As I finished up the pancakes, I went back to thinking about sitting under the oak tree, someone's hand brushing against mine, and the face I couldn't recognise.

***