The Red Evening

Chapter Four

It was the last day of class before Fall break, or more well known as Thanksgiving break. I dreaded the idea of going to Nicholas' house and finding my mother getting even remotely physical with my boyfriend's dad.

"I'll be here, at this spot, by six," Elijah informed.

"I was thinking that I could just walk home and stay at my place. I'm going to be surrounded by people the next few days so I'd like a night to myself," I said, as I opened the door and leaned out of it.

"I could drive you home. I want to make sure you get home safely."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead, sighed deeply. "I'll be okay. I'll text you when I get home, okay?"Before he could protest, I closed the door and walked to the first class of the day.

As much as I loved Elijah and how much he cared, it all became a bit overwhelming. I never had the time to breath or to think without being interrupted. Everyone kept trying to distract from the pain, the darkness that comes from losing a loved one but I wanted to feel that. I wanted to feel like something was not okay, because that was the reality of my life. I was not okay. I've never been okay.

Tuesday and Thursday used to be my burdensome days due to the hours I spent back to back listening to professor, but now, they were my preferred days. It was hours and hours of normalcy. It did getting boring at times, but it took me back to the days of being a typical college student.

I threw my backpack over my shoulder and headed out the classroom. There were sometimes that mumbled amongst eachother and then I heard someone say 'hey'. Thinking that it must've been the crowd of friends talking to eachother, I ignored it.

"Hey, girl! The one with the green backpack," I heard someone call from behind me.

I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned around, realizing the voice sounded familiar. "Parker?"

"Hey! I just saw you coming out of Dr. Patrick's English class."

"Yeah, what are you doing here?"

"English major. I'm always in this building."

"Cool," I said, pursing my lips and swaying side to side.

"Headed anywhere?"

"Home," I sighed. "Its been a long day."

"I'm going to a cafe just a few minutes away from here. Want to join me?" He nervously pushed up his glasses and offered a friendly smile.

"Uh... I mean -"

He lifted his hands up and pressed his lips together. "No, sorry. I understand. I was just wondering -"

I laughed and shrugged. I couldn't let him struggle. "Parker, I'll go."

He placed his hand over his chest and exhaled in relief. "Great! What's your name by the way?"

"Girl, apparently," I teased.

Parker slid hid hands into his pockets and rolled his eyes. "Oh come on..."

I obnoxiously smiled and headed down the stair well. Once we left campus, Parker took the lead. The path he took was familiar and as we walked further along, I knew the cafe we were headed towards. It was the rustic French cafe everybody in the city loved.

"Been here before?" He asked.

"Yes, one of my favorite. Good pick," I said as I opened the door for us. He held the door and motioned me to wall ahead. Having him stand a few inches away from me made me realize he towered over me.

"Window seat," he suggested as I walked towards the tables. I obliged and found a spot by the window. I placed my backpack under the table and watched him fiddle around in his crossbody bag. He pulled out a medium sized leather notebook and opened it.