Campus 3: A Love Like Ours

4

Casper (and his baby because why not) ↑

~*~

David's office whirled around me as I spun in his swivel chair. I had an entire hour break from class while he was preparing for one of his.

"You bored?" He asked me with a little smirk, typing away on his laptop.

"No. Just horny," I mumbled, staring up at the ceiling.

"I've created a monster," he confirmed. "Angel, I don't think spinning around in that chair will help your predicament."

I stopped and sighed. "What're you doing?"

"The library requested that I review some newly acquired materials, so I have to go over them."

"Hm. Does being a teacher suck?"

David laughed, looking at me for a moment. "I think the main reason I became one was for the students. I used to teach high school kids."

"Yeah, I think you told me about that."

"I got into teaching to fill a void of not having children of my own."

I tilted my head. "So now that you finally have one... will you continue your job as a professor?"

"There's a chance that I might not. I'll probably just go back to clinical psychology, but I'd like to spend some time just being with Dawn at home. I don't wanna miss anything where she's concerned."

"That's a great idea." I pouted. "I wish I didn't have school to do, so I could stay at home as well. Unless I take a semester off, which I'm seriously considering at this point."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, just coming to school and staying on campus for hours makes me miss her and you like crazy. Then yesterday, her own biological father showed up and where was I?" I shook my head in disappointment.

"Don't be hard on yourself about that, Casper."

"You worried me," I admitted sadly. "A-and I still am worried."

"Why?" He lowered the screen of his laptop to give me his undivided attention. "I'm okay."

I clasped my hands together and toyed with my fingers. "Are you, David?"

"Of course... why wouldn't I be?"

I inhaled deeply before averting my eyes. "I don't ever want to hold anything from you. But for a couple months now, despite all the doctor's visits, I'm still scared that your tumor returned. Or that it's somewhere else they haven't checked. Like what if you have something that metastasizes to your brain?" My eyebrows pulled together in despair.

"Casper..." David pushed away from his desk. "Come here." He patted his thigh gently, and I crossed over to sit on his lap. I held onto him for balance and he wrapped his own arms around me to keep me steady. "They would've seen it by now. And remember what they told us? It was a low grade tumor, so there's a good chance it won't come back."

"I really hope that's the case." I slipped my fingers through his. "I can't lose you," I whispered, then confessed, "I don't want you to go first, David. It's all I can think about."

He rubbed my back, searching in his mind for a way to approach our delicate heart-to-heart. "After we got married, I knew that we'd have to have this conversation one day. Didn't think it'd be so soon, but... I saw it coming."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, resting my hand against his stomach and lying my head on his shoulder. I was trying not to cry, but this was too sad for me to deal with. I wish we didn't have to worry about any of this. I wish we could be immortal. I wish I knew if there really was life after death because, if so, I wouldn't need to have this conversation. I'd be able to continue loving him after my last breath.