Page 5 of Fervency Love

“Bye, Ve. That’s my stop. Have a nice day!”

“Thanks, you too. Bye.”

The moment she leaves, the bus grows gray, as if all the colors and all the light came from her. When I reach the stop where I can swap buses I do so. I quickly check when the bus back will arrive. Alright, I have five minutes. I light up a cigarette. I can’t get her out of my head. She’s so petite and takes up so much space inside my skull. Nobody has ever fascinated me like that.It’s incredible how I feel when we’re close. Even stranger is the emptiness that immediately fills me when she leaves.

The bus arrives. It’s nearly empty, so I take my favorite seat—the one in the back. I’m at the Den by eight in the morning. There’s nobody there, so I lie down. The plan is to catch the bus that’ll let me travel back with her. It’ll look as if I’m returning from school. I just hope she won’t think I’m some kind of stalker.

As I lie and think, Phil drops by.

“’Sup, bro. What’re you doing here this early?”

“Hey, Phil. I didn’t want to stay home,” I lie. I don’t know why but I don’t want Phil to know the truth.

“What’s the situation on Abigail?” he asks.

“What’s it to you?” I retort coldly.

“I was just wondering if you managed to wrap her around your finger yet. Or that other one.”

“I thought the bet was off, but if we’re still doing this, I’m in,” I say, my voice neutral and impassive.

“Oh, it’s on, but they’re pretty hard to catch lately. What if we pool our resources, and I focus on that Lizzy girl more?”

“We can do that,” I say, inwardly happy he chose Lizzy. At least he won’t be in my way. On the other hand, it’s suspicious he’s so eager all of a sudden.

By the time Abigail should be ending classes, I leave the Den.

“Where are you going?” Phil asks.

“I have a thing. Catch you later.”

When the bus stops by Abby’s school, I start getting nervous all over again. It’s not like me at all, but I’m getting used to the feeling whenever I’m with her. More alien still is the thing that fills me when I see her enter. Relief, happiness maybe, or something less defined…

“Hey, Abby.” I wave at her from the back.

“Hey, Ve,” she replies, dragging out the sound. She seems puzzled.

“Sit next to me?” I call and pat the seat next to mine. Her friend, one with a less-than-stellar opinion among her peers, says something to Abigail and fixes me with a stony stare. Abby walks over. I feel the heat radiating from her as if wrapping around me.

“Going back from school? Your classes end the same time mine do?” she asks, pinning me with her eyes.

“Seems so.”

“How was your day?”

“Dragged on forever,” I say. That’s not even a lie. For some reason, I just couldn’t wait to see her again.

We ride the bus home together. She seems a bit on edge as if my presence is paralyzing her. Maybe I’m being too forward. I don’t want her to think I’m some kind of perv, but I feel those vibes from her—she’s definitely keyed up. We reach the spot where our paths diverge. It’s where we met. By the old school. I realize I’d like her to stay with me for a while longer. Sadly, I have no idea what I could do to keep her. Maybe I should walk her home, but I don’t want to overdo it and come across as a creep, so I say: “See you around.”

“Yeah, see you, Ve,” she replies curtly, sending me one more look.

Chapter 4

Connor

I’m fixated on that girl so bad that now I’m getting up at seven only to spend a couple of minutes with her on the bus.

“Hi, Ve! Don’t tell me you’re starting class at the same time I do again. I won’t believe it.” Her face tells me she’s not happy to see me this time.

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