Chapter Text
The sun is beating down relentlessly as you walk through your new campus. You try to wipe the sweat from your brow while keeping your outfit neat – ugh, you shouldn’t have worn makeup today, this was a mistake.
Thankfully the Sciences department building is not far, and as you draw close you are sheltered by a canopy of greenery before the doors open and welcome you into air-conditioned bliss. You allow yourself a breath of relief before checking the map again, looking for the room for your Biology class. Not far – “Pipsqueak?”
Your thoughts are interrupted by a voice unsure, but somewhat familiar. You look up and it’s as if time around you freezes.
“…Caleb?”
Sure enough, there he is. The boy you grew up with… Well, he’s not a boy anymore. Definitely not a boy with his ridiculous height that towers over you as he approaches. But the same soft purple eyes, that devilish grin… You haven’t seen them in six years, but they’re just as you remember.
Which is weird. What right does he have to grin at you like that after ghosting you for three of those six years you have been apart? He steps forward and ruffles your hair as if not time has passed, no hard feelings sit between you. His voice is cheerful, full of a pleasured surprise “What are you doing here?!”
“I transferred here starting today, I’m studying Biology…” There is part of you that wants to cry, to drag him into a tight embrace. To make up for lost time. But that part of you is tempered by hurt and anger. You move smoothly into a polite register, as you would speaking to a work colleague. “It’s nice seeing you, I need to go or I will be late for class.”
You try to turn before you can give anything away, to go off in the direction of your class, but then there is a hand around your wrist. Somehow even in this heat, he has the same soothing coolness of the aircon.
You meet his eyes and catch… Something. A passing glimpse of pain in his face that mirrors your own. It’s gone before you can register it properly, replaced by that old excitable smile as he says your name, letting go of your wrist with some reluctance. “It’s good to see you too. I’ll message you later. If you’re going here… We should talk.”
You narrow your eyes at him. “Sure.”
With that you hurry off to class.
“What was that about?”
“Just someone I know, don’t worry about it.”
You hear Caleb brush off the friend he is with and feel your face heat. You focus on the sound of your footfalls echoing in the corridors amongst others walking around in an effort to ignore the fast beating of your heart and the complicated swirl of emotions within you.
3 years ago
ugh could have used you here today my sense of direction is still teeeeerrible.
was almost late to a thing because I went around the same block twice before I realised the place was the next block over :P
Haha! Should I come visit and tour you around your own neighbourhood?
A day later
???
Are you OK?
A week later
Still nothing from you… I saw you updating your socials so at least you’re not dead. Did I do something wrong?
I won’t keep messaging you but… I’m worried. So is Auntie.
2 and a half years ago
Thought you would want to know that Auntie is in hospital. Doctors say she is recovering fine but I wanted you to know.
Not sure why you blocked me on socials… I’m sorry for whatever it was I did?
2 years ago
Caleb… Please respond to me.
Please.
I know the hospital called you because you were still on Autie’s records. You can’t leave me alone like this right now. I need you.
2 days later
Auntie’s funeral is this Wednesday, 2pm at the local cemetery.
2 days later
I should have known you wouldn’t come.
Fuck you Caleb.
Today
what time are you done with classes today?
You wish you hadn’t checked your phone when it buzzed midway through class. Now it feels like it is burning a hole in your pocket. His message stood out in complete ignorance to what came before. No sorry, no explanations, nothing.
Maybe, he wanted to say things in person? But why did he feel he had the right? You hadn’t even known he went to this university, just as he had no idea you were transferring here. You had become strangers. He had no business having the time of day from you.
Class lets out and you find yourself staring at the message. It feels like you barely took in any of the class material at all. You hate this, but you know if you leave things unresolved now that he’s opened this can of worms like it was nothing, it’s going to keep you up for weeks on end. You need an explanation – he owes you that much at the very least.
“3pm” you finally message back. Three dots indicating a response being typed appear immediately… then disappear. They are back briefly two more times as you watch your phone over the next five minutes before you give up with an angry sigh and shove your phone back into your pocket.
You manage to distract yourself with your next class, but the messages on your phone when you finally come out… Well…
don’t know who u r but u shuld forget this number nd u shuld forget caleb.
hes living a better life now leave him alone
This number can no longer receive messages
…Did… Did he seriously get a girlfriend or something who was controlling his social life? This is what he ghosted you over?
You feel a fury inside you, one that sits in your throat as if you could vomit it up, one that tears at your heart in ways you don’t want to admit even to yourself.
When you later walk into the student cafeteria and see the student newspaper, that feeling only intensifies. His face is on the front page, arm-in-arm with a woman around your age who looks… Stunning, is the only word you can think of. Her makeup and fashion are immaculate, not to mention expensive. Everything on her looks designer.
“Student Union President and Vice-President Secure Funding for Scholarship Programme”
The headline reads.
As you read the article (and look up some things on the internet) you find out at least some of the history you have been missing from the last few years. The woman – Simone – is the heiress of a Fortune 500 company. She and Caleb have been a power couple here at the university, especially after Caleb went on a year-long voluntary mission with the Airforce, who he was studying on scholarship from.
When had that scholarship happened? What the hell was with the mission – one that took a university student who had barely been part of the Airforce for any time at all out for a year?!
How had he never even thought to mention any of this at least by way of apology before cutting you off and missing the funeral of the woman who raised you?
Your phone buzzes again. “ignore that please,” Caleb’s message reads. “I will meet you outside of science dept building at 3.”
You look at it for a few moments, and push down the tears that are threatening to spill over.
“Why should I, Caleb?”
There’s a pause before he types again.
“for reasons I will explain. don’t try avoiding me though you know I can find you :P”
The emote is maddening and it takes everything within you to stop yourself from growling out loud at your phone from your table. This was meant to be the first day of a clean break at a new university, and yet you hadn’t been able to escape anything. If anything you had somehow managed to drag yourself back even deeper into the pain that had been the last six years.
You shove your phone back in your pocket without responding. You’ll spend the next however long agonising over your decision to go see him or not.
6 years ago
I was an idiot. I’m sorry about how I acted yesterday.
I need to sort some things out. I have been planning to leave for a while and never could find a way to bring it up to you.
please forget all of yesterday. I owed you a better goodbye.
What if I don’t want to?
please. for me pipsqueak?
I will always make up for everything. just… wait for me.
>:(
You know I always will
But that means you have to come back
I will. Promise.