First day at university.
I’m dying of nerves for two reasons.
The first one is obvious.
The second is because I’m going to be alone with Nick again since what happened.
It’s five in the morning, I have to get up and take a shower. I slept late last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I had to act when I saw Nick, it was bothering me.
I don’t know how, but I got out of bed and went to the bathroom. I started to undress and got in the shower. It took me just over 30 minutes to shower, change, and put on makeup.
When I went down to the kitchen for something to eat, he was already there.
His hair was messy, he was shirtless, and only had on tight pants; I couldn’t help but bite the corner of my lip. Why was he so handsome? When I took my eyes off his body to look at his face, he was already looking at me with a seriousness that was scary.
“I’ll get dressed, and we’ll go,” he said, heading straight to his room, leaving me alone in the middle of the kitchen.
I waited at least twenty minutes and then returned. His hair was still tousled, but at least he had a shirt on, it was tight which didn’t completely help my eyes leave his chest and abs.
“Let’s go,” he ordered, not looking at me at any moment.
He headed to the garage and we got in a blue car. Once the two of us were locked inside the car, I felt the air leave my lungs. Nick started the car and began to drive, I spent the entire trip looking out the window.
When we arrived at the university, Nick parked in one of the parking spaces and turned off the car, just as I was about to open the door to get out, I managed to grab his arm.
“Can we talk?” I pleaded. I needed it more than he did.
His face contracted, as if he were the most outraged. “What do we have to talk about? You and I have nothing to talk about.”
“Yes, we do, but just listen to me, please,” I said without letting go of his arm. He stared at me for a few seconds, until finally, he gave in and sat back in the car.
“What do you want?” His gaze went straight ahead. I noticed his jaw tensing.
I had so many things to say, so many things to ask, and yet I chose the worst of them. A part of me felt so frustrated about wanting to look after him with regard to his partying and his drinking, I felt so dramatic and exaggerated for wanting to take care of him. Or maybe it was just an excuse to talk to him. Or maybe, a bit of both. “Olivia told me you’ve been partying all night and…” He interrupted me.
“Do you think that by talking to me you were going to change me? I told you, Sam, don’t think you’re that important in my life.” I know he’s trying to hurt me and it’s working incredibly well.
“Just tell me why,” I demanded without looking at him. He huffed.
“Why what, Samantha?”
“Why do you go out and get drunk until you lose your mind?”
“Because I have fun and I always have, I’m not going to stop doing it now. And you should give a shit about what I do, don’t you think?” He shrugged with an aggressiveness I had never seen in him.
I felt like it was my first day in London all over again.
“When I arrived you stopped doing it quite a bit, I never saw you leave the house when we got along well,” I dared to tell him through gritted teeth. His denial was making me angry.
“You don’t know anything. I live alone. I’m in that house because I had problems with my apartment. I go out when I want and where I want. Why do you care? It’s my problem, not yours.”
“Because you’re my family in a way,” I responded. It’s only because of that, or at least it should be only because of that.
“Just because I’m your family?” I couldn’t answer, if I said yes, I would be lying, but if I said no, it would be wrong.
“I don’t…” I didn’t know what to say.
“You don’t what?” He was getting frustrated.
“I don’t know.”
“When you know, you tell me. Now get out of the car.” I looked at him surprised, he was angry, so I grabbed my backpack, opened the car door, and got out of the car.
Nick drove out of the parking lot, where was he going?
Ignoring everything that had to do with Nick, I turned around and headed to the building. The campus was filled with students. They were talking to each other quite angrily. I noticed older people with briefcases walking away. They seemed like professors.
There was a black-haired girl with the same look as me. I approached her.
I touched her arm. “Excuse me, do you know what’s going on?”
She gave me a big smile and a shrug.
“Yes. About ten minutes ago the professors said they aren’t going to work until their salaries are raised as promised. Someone will call us when things are sorted out, until then there will be no classes.”
“Is it like a strike?” I asked, still looking at the disgruntled professors walking away.
“Yes, it is a strike,” the girl confirmed.
I looked at her one more time and smiled: “Thank you very much.” I need to get moving.
I left Kings and walked a couple of blocks until I saw a taxi pass. I waved it down and gave the driver Olivia’s address.
When I got home, the first thing I did was pick up the key that was under the pot next to the door.
I entered the house and went straight to the garage to see if the blue car we had ridden with Nick that morning was there.
The car was not there, so Nick wasn’t either.
Olivia had told me she was going on a business trip, so when her son showed up we would be alone, him and me, only if he deigns to show up.
I called my mom to tell her what had happened today. She only replied with a couple of sighs and complaints.
I spent all day sitting on the couch watching movies and waiting for Nick to show up.
When it was already ten o’clock at night and Nick still hadn’t shown up, I got worried, I couldn’t stop thinking about what he would be doing and with whom.
It was two in the morning and I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fight in the car with Nick.
I was alone in the house. Olivia had left today on a business trip and would be back in two days. Nick left this afternoon and I had no idea where, so I decided to get up and watch TV or anything that could distract me, I put on my robe and started walking towards the door, just as I was about to open it, I heard laughter from the other side.