Lollipop and promises

i

are my bu

I'm already dreading. I don't know why professors love forcing strangers into groups, but I do know that wh

to work, my brai

k greets when I walk int

anything. He's the kind of guy who always has a joke ready, even when nobody's asking for

le, throwing my b

s me. "T

pron, tying it around my

're just figuri

s hitting ha

you while you take a n

mpt

front. The store is moderately busy-not too chaotic, but enou

l routine. Sc

5, the chime abo

is before I

ha

nsists on calling him

accepted that this is just part of my day. Like the beeping of the

of the r

something i

eaches my register and sets h

not c

. "Stra

across the counter.

between my fingers like it's a fore

ted to try s

"You didn't just g

a quiet l

ncing between h

just an excuse for him to be here. But now, faced wi

nd now I don't know what to do wi

d him his change. "So, what

p into his pocket. "

making it clear that our conversation is holding up the transaction. I p

ld let

I do

mind running in circles over som

st a lo

gh

ds, my brain is still h

e only one who actually cares about our grade-do most of it. It's an unspoken rule in every group project: there's always one pers

my thoughts keep d

pop. A tiny, insignificant deta

hake the feeling tha

because what coul

k at the library cramming for an exam. So I grab a sandwich from the campus café and head

has oth

from my apartme

ha

ling through his phone. He doesn't see me at first, and for a second, I conside

n he gl

e that, I ha

g a few feet away. "

ut one ear

s. "Did strawberry live up to

asn't expecting me to bring it up. But then he

"Not th

ckles.

erything is 'fine.' Th

ike being

rence between being myste

eing di

es

g this. "Okay, fine

my eyes.

bad. But

us smile. "So you admit

he's reluctant t

. "I k

ly sounds coming from the distant hum of passing cars and the

should say goodn

hift my weight,

u get strawb

Just studies me for a moment

"Felt like cha

"But you

ou been keeping tra

. "You make i

expression now. Something that makes my stoma

I want to ask

igger than

are you planning on keeping up this routine? Or maybe