CLXII- An Unusual Encounter

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Hello my lovelies!!! I know how long it's been but I started a new job and this one doesn't let me write during work. That being said I promise I will finish this book. I still write every day (Just in smaller increments.) The ending has been mapped out and planned out so don't worry! I love you all, I love this story. Thank you all so much for the support and as always, don't forget to comment and vote! Enjoy!!!

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    The night was a rough one. Katie couldn't sleep for more than two hours at a time before needing either water or from the gagging. "I'm never drinking again." She groaned, at least three times.

    By the morning, I'm in the kitchen making pancakes, toast, and coffee. "It's a lot of carbs but the bread is good for you." I say, pushing the plate towards her.

    Katie nods and picks up her fork, "Where are you headed this early?"

    I accidentally knock the bottle of syrup over. It falls over in a thud and starts pouring out of the side, getting the stickiness all over the counter. "Shit." I curse, picking it up and moving it over to the sink. I answer Katie's question as I wash off the sticky bottle. "I have to talk to Professor Sam about a letter of recommendation. I've applied to internships in March, but without the recommendation the upperclassmen have seniority."

    Katie cuts into her pancake and grimaces, "Even with the recommendation that could be tough. You might be better off just waiting until next year."

    I shrug and grab my purse and keys, "I guess we'll find out. Mind locking up on your way out?" Katie nods and wishes me luck as I leave.





    Walking on campus this late in the year takes me a second to adjust. It was cold the last time I was here, and I would have to dress in layers. It was nice at the time, being able to cover up the bruises. I shrug the thought off and continue to Sam's office. On the way there I pass Shawn's old classroom, with the door open and an older woman inside of it. She fixes her clothes and adjusts her posture, then she's out of my eyesight.

    Students are piling out of Sam's by the time I get there. Kids my age are all rushing closer to their summer. I wait until the last person is gone to knock on the open classroom door. Sam looks up immediately, his eyes narrowing in on me. "Livia," He clears his throat. "What can I do for you?"

    I take a step over the threshold. "I know it's been a while, but I was wondering if the offer on the recommendation was still available?" I bite my lip, nervous that I'm stupid for even showing up. That his moment of generosity was just a fluke.

    He stands up and leans immediately back on his desk. His navy blue collared shirt wrinkles under the wood. "I think it can be reopened, if you tell me where you've been this past semester. You and Shawn both just left at the same time. Right after I saw you with that guy." The guy being Dean. I guess he really didn't have a clue.

    "Shawn got a better job offer elsewhere and accepted. That's where he went." I say first. Deliberately waiting for him to ask for me to add.

    "And you?" Sam questions with no hesitation.

               I take a second to get my thoughts together. "That guy you saw with me in the library was my ex. He hurt me and that's why I had to leave. I went back home for the semester." I've never been able to just tell someone. The thought of someone else knowing terrifies me. But Sam was involved. There were a few seconds of hope when I saw him in that library. I hoped that he would see what was going on and get me out of there. Hope to get out unscathed. That being said, I don't blame him for not realizing. We barely know each other.

              Sam stares at me for a while. With his mouth a little open and his eyebrows a little drawn It's now that I realize I talk to adults as adults. As if I weren't almost a decade younger. Have I matured? If there's anything I can take from these past two days can't it at least be that? Sam opens his mouth to speak. I quickly focus back on the conversation. "I'll email you my letter of recommendation to send out." Well that's the best I could've hoped for, I take my win and turn to leave. His voice stops me, "Did you know? About Katherine?" His questions stuns me momentarily. Some things make a little more sense now. Like the fact that he's noticed Shawn and I leaving in the first place. He's been checking up on us, maybe there was more to Katherine and Sam's relationship than casual.

              I turn back to him, noticing the pained face of a man I never understood. "Shawn told you."

Sam nods, "I ruined things between us but I loved her." He shakes his head and changes the subject. "Anyways, will I be seeing you next semester?" So he'll continue to check in?

"Yeah, I'll be back."

"Good." He says. "Until then."

I wave him goodbye and respect his wanting privacy. It's definitely not how I expected it to go, but after the year I've had I'll take it. Even after everything I'm excited to come back in the fall, to give this place a real chance. A year free of drama and antics. It'll be normal, for once.

    My next stop of the day is the diner. I walk in and patiently wait for Katie by the counter. She walks up from the back of the diner, mindlessly tying her apron. When Katie sees me at the counter she stops and smiles, "Hey. How did the meeting with Sam go?"

I shrug a shoulder, "He'll email it to me."

"That's good, I hope you get what you're looking for." An internship, she means. It's all that I want, something to keep me busy next year. Something I can focus on that isn't, "Ty." Not exactly who I was going for but- "He's in our section." Katie adds, pointing to the row of booths by the windows. "You should go greet him, I'll be right behind you."

Katie rushes off to bring drinks to another one of her tables. Meanwhile I'm still at the counter, wondering why Ty would be here. I look around for a server apron, there's a box of old ones behind the counter. There's one with a hole in the pocket, another one stained in bleach, and the third with fraying ends. I chose the last one as my safest option, at least for the shift.

I've never served before, but customer service happens to be my forte. Other than that I'm relying heavily on Katie to train me. "Hey Ty." I greet, just as Katie comes up behind me.

She gives me a look that says, "See, right behind you."

Ty gives us both a smile, seemingly back to his normal flirtatious self. "Hey you two...I heard you were a duo now and had to come see for myself."

Katie almost snorts, "Lucky for you, I'm training her. Where's Layla?" They've all gotten closer. That's something I already knew from last night's events. I guess I just need to catch up. I need to stop pretending I still fit in the way I did with Shawn. Things are different now.

Ty shrugs, "She's busy at the bar. You know how she is."

"Yeah that's true." Katie chuckles. "What to drink?" Katie's laugh dies down as Ty tells her.

Ty reaches up and touches Katies arm. "Do you mind if Livia stays I-" He glances up at me, "-have to talk to her about something."

She nods and smiles, walking away to get him water. I raise a questioning eyebrow in his direction. "What is it?"

He gestures for me to take a seat. I look around for my boss and can't find her, so I take a seat. "I just wanted to apologize for last night. That was...weird."

I wrap my arms around my torso and lean back, "It was fine."

"No." He reiterates. "I was just really surprised to see you." Oh. I'm not really sure how to take that. When he notices my silence he adds, "Listen this isn't the right place to talk. Can we meet up tonight? Maybe after your shift?" I think about it, about all of the possibilities of what he needs to talk to me about. The curiosity consumes me, so I agree to meet. "My place at eight." I stand up from the booth, "I'll go check on that drink." Walking away gives me a moment to clear my head. I begin to panic about what he might want to say. Will it be that he's best friends with Shawn now? And because of that I can't keep coming to the bar?

"Livia, you good?" Katie asks, tearing away from my thoughts. I shake it off and push it aside, I'll know soon enough.

Smiling, I nod, "Yeah. Of course."

She smiles and hands me the water, "Do you want to take this to him and get his order?"





My shift ends at seven. Katie asks to hang out but I told her Ty wanted to come talk. I get to my apartment with just enough time to shower and change before Ty knocks on my door at eight. I open the door, noticing his slightly uncomfortable smile. "Hey."

"You showed." I say, taking a step back so he can come inside.

I close the door and lean against it. "I keep my appointments."

"So this is an appointment?"

"No." He quickly reiterates. "I just meant that I-" He doesn't finish what he's saying but I understand.

We take a seat on my couch. "What did you want to talk to me about?" The tension in the room is uncomfortable and unwarranted. I wish things could be normal between us. Before I let Halloween night cloud my judgement. Before we almost hooked up in the back room. Before Shawn walked in on us.

Ty clears his throat. "Like I said, I was surprised to see you. I figured that after what happened you'd be gone for good." He's not talking about Halloween night.

  I lower my head, allowing my hair to fall in my face. "Who told you?" That's what I ask but what I really want to know is if it was Shawn.

"Jack did. Don't be mad at him, I practically forced it out of him." I'm not mad. If anything I'm relieved.

I push my hair back and lift my head. "I just needed some time away. Shawn and I broke up so I went home for the semester." There's more. More than I can fit into this conversation. More than I'm even willing to mention.

"I understand. I feel awful about what happened."

"Why?" I can't help but question his methods.

He shrugs, "Because at one point, I thought we were friends."

I thought we were too. "I don't see why we still can't be. Halloween was..."

"Don't say a mistake. I told you from the start I'm not sorry."

I laugh a little at this, "You also said you hated Shawn."

Ty looks up as if he's come to this great realization. "So you know we're friends now."

I nod, "It's okay. I'm glad actually." Shawn fits in here. With his brother, with his family. "It's kind of embarrassing but I thought you wanted to talk to me tonight about that. I figured since you two are friends, it would be weird for me to hang around your bar."

Ty's always been a nice person to talk to. Something about him and his sister makes it easy to communicate and not be judged. He places his hand on my knee, "We're friends too. You two broke up, shit happens. It doesn't mean we can't be adults about it." He's right. I feel crazy for even thinking otherwise. His hand moves off of my knee.

I pretend I didn't notice. "Well, now that that's out of the way-" We both laugh, "-Do you have plans for tonight? We could watch a movie."

His smile widens, "Suddenly my schedule is clear." I stand up and walk to the kitchen to get drinks and popcorn ready. When I come back to pick a movie, Ty is staring at me. After a few moments, he asks, "You're okay though...right?"

I meet his eyes, stormy and gray. "I'm fine." I just wish everyone would stop asking me that.

"Good." Satisfied with my answer, he takes the bowl of popcorn from me and eats some. I never pictured my night going this way, but I'm not complaining either. I've been so worried about my friends all making friends with each other. Especially with Shawn. It seems I was wrong, so wrong that maybe I do belong here. At least until I finish college. I don't want to distance myself from my friends just because they're hanging out with Shawn now.

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