Because of You, Well, Us

Chase

While I hammed out the chords to "Happy Birthday" for Lance and Ellen, I thought I saw the shadow of a curly-haired redhead. Now I knew where she lived, and I could turn into a proper stalker. I thought I saw her look at me too. I hadn't decided to go to Yale because of Kate. Both of my parents had gone here, so it was sort of expected that I go as well. I knew Emma had connections to Yale before she died, but I figured Kate would have decided to stay closer to home because of her dad.

As Lance warbled out the last notes to his song, Ellen broke out in tears and disappeared from her window. Then she burst out of the front doors of the dorm, jumped into Lance's arms and the two immediately started making out, and I figured I'd have the room to myself for a while. Lance seemed like a good guy, and we got along, but he and Ellen seemed like big fans of letting everyone know of their relationship status. He had I had gotten paired together by the administration, despite him being a year above me, so I knew that the two of them had dated together forever, and had always planned on going to school together.

Even though I liked them together, they always made me think of what might have happened if things with Kate and me had turned out differently. Would we have ended up just like Lance and Ellen? Would I head inside of the building to do what couples did with Kate instead of preparing to walk away?

With one last glance at Kate's window, I walked back towards my dorm. About 50 feet away, I had to smile. I remembered that promise from pre-Saraville days. I felt both shocked and flattered that she'd kept that promise. And the last time I looked at her window, I thought I had locked eyes with her, but I blinked and she had disappeared. I couldn't quite tell, but I felt pretty confident I'd seen Kate.

Once I got back to my room, I sat on my bed and started picking out random tunes on my guitar, completely ignoring the giant pile of homework that sat on my desk and waiting for me. It felt interesting to look back and see how it seemed that whenever something happened with Kate, be it good or bad, I always seemed I turned to playing my guitar. At least I got pretty good practice time in.

Suddenly, all of my thoughts were confirmed. I glanced out my window as I put my guitar away to attack my homework and I saw her walk past. I recognized Kate because she wore the scarf I had bought her two years ago for her birthday.

I had thought about running after her and seeing if she wanted to go to the campus coffee shop and catch up. I wanted to see if we could hang out like the old times, the time before I had kissed her, or told her I liked her, or had even touched her in any sort of way. Then I thought the better of it and got started on my homework. We would meet again. Someday.