Endless

Whenever You're Ready

ANGEL'S POV

It was a Monday afternoon, a week later, and I was in my dorm studying.

That Sunday before, Sage and I went down to the dean's office and reported Mr. Hensley. They looked at the security footage from Mr. Hensley's lecture hall and saw what he'd done, firing him immediately. He was no longer allowed to set foot on campus grounds, or he'd be arrested on the spot. I'd also learned that there were two other accusations against him from other students, but there was never any proof or evidence, so the school claimed "there wasn't anything they could do about it." I'd never been so angry; I'd never seen Sage so angry. I was simply thanking the universe that there were cameras in that lecture hall.

As I finished up studying, a knock sounded on my door. I opened it to find Sage standing there, a smile on his face. My face practically split in two, my heart fluttering. "Hi, Angel."

"Hey," I greeted. Moving to let him in, I looked down at my bare torso and flushed. As he slipped his shoes off, he turned to face me, his eyes wandering down for just a second before they darted up to my eyes. I shifted on my feet sheepishly, shuffling to my bedside to clear my books off.

"Sorry, I... I was studying," I explained, self conscious. "I just woke up and I didn't bother to put a shirt on and I..." I paused. "And now I'm rambling. I'm sorry." I shook my head at myself and hurriedly pulled a shirt on.

"It's okay," he said softly. When I faced him, he was looking around the room curiously and I scanned his face, his green eyes.

"So, what's up?"

"Huh?"

"What made you come here?" I elaborated, smiling.

"Oh! Right. Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to go out to lunch? We can do it some other time, though, if you're still studying." I shook my head.

"No, I'm done. Just give me like, fifteen minutes, yeah?" He smiled warmly and it made my chest contract.

"Sounds good." I pulled an outfit out of my drawers — a black sweater and blue jeans with white Adidas shoes — and made my way to the bathroom. After dressing, I rebrushed my teeth and combed my hair out. My brown curls fell next to my face as I spritzed on a little bit of cologne. I left my room and went back out to Sage, who was still standing, hands clasped in front of him while he looked around.

"Ready?" He nodded as I pulled my coat on.

"Ready." We left the dorm building and walked through the campus. He offered to drive, but I told him I'd rather walk, so we headed into town. After a twenty minute walk, we entered a small cafe called Rosie's. We slid into a booth and waited for a server.

"Have you ever been here before?" Sage asked, initiating a conversation.

"Yeah, a while ago. I used to come here with Terry and Carlos a lot, before they started dating. After that... Sorry, I'm rambling again," I flushed, laughing shyly.

"No, please, keep going." Sage cupped his hand, cradling his chin. I took a deep breath.

"Well, when they started dating, we still went out. We still go out now, it just gets a bit awkward, third wheeling with your two best friends, so we just..." I shrugged, a little nostalgic.

"Do you miss it?" I nodded.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I love them together." He nodded. "I just miss hanging out with them as often as we used to, I guess."

"I get it." Sage was fiddling with his fingers, and I glanced at his healed knuckles, smiling softly.

"Your hand is better." He blinked, then looked down at his knuckles and smiled.

"Thanks to you." I flushed, biting back a smile. When the waitress came, we ordered our food quickly.

"Sage?" I spoke after the food was served.

"Hm?" He hummed as he chewed his pasta.

"When you asked me here, you seemed like you had something you wanted to talk about. Did you?" He opened his mouth, then shut it again, breaking my gaze.

"I did..." He trailed off, moving his food around with his fork.

"I'm listening." He sighed.

"It's kind of a weird question," he admitted, looking up at me. "Personal, I should say." I nodded encouragingly, smiling gently. "Well, I-I was just wondering... how you knew you were..." He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I quirked an eyebrow.

"How I knew I was... gay?" I guessed. He nodded.

"I completely understand if you don't want to talk about it." He shook his head softly, as if he was reprimanding himself.

"It's okay, really. I guess I just always knew in the back of my head. I mean, I knew for sure when I got to high school after not paying attention to the girls. Like, at all. I think women are beautiful and I love being friends with them, but I've never had any sort of attraction to them. And then I saw a cute boy and it was like this big 'Oh' moment." Sage nodded softly, eyes rotating between my eyes and my lips.

He gazed at me with such innocence in his eyes, stare soft and gentle as he listened. I tilted my head to the side.

"Why do you ask?" His eyes changed, shifting from calm to alert in a moment.

"I don't know. I was just... curious, I guess." Breaking eye contact, he went back to his food.

The rest of lunch, Sage was very obviously not alright, barely touching his food. He paid for the entire bill, though I offered to split it, and he just got a to-go box. While we headed back, I began to grow antsy.

"Sage, are you okay?" My voice seemed to pull him out of deep thought.

"Huh? Oh, yeah sorry, I just have a lot on my mind," he admitted.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yes," he admitted, nodding softly. I smiled. "Just not now... I think I need more time to sort everything out."

"Okay. Well, whenever you're ready, yeah?" He smiled gratefully, nodding.

"Yeah." As we headed to Sage's apartment, I walked him up and he offered to let me in, but I knew better than to say yes. I knew he wanted to be alone. So I bid him goodbye and went home, my mind stuck wondering what was on his.