Chapter Nine
I could feel my hands shaking as the words fell from my lips. My cheeks grew warm and the room felt like it was spinning a million miles an hour. I wondered if this was how David felt when he told me the very same thing the other night. Once all my senses calmed down, I slowly looked up and was met with David's eyes. Without a word, he leaned in and kissed me softly. My heart fluttered once more, and a content smile made its way onto my lips. Now that he and I were on the same level once again, I would be able to focus on other things. Upon realizing this, I remembered that I still needed to register for my classes at the Fashion Institute. When I thought about it, my heart sank.
"Do you really mean it?" David asked.
"With all my heart" I said, forcing a smile. My mind was so occupied now with what I still needed to do that I just wanted to put it off even more and cry until all the water in my body dried up. I thought that I didn't want to leave David before, but now, I literally felt like I couldn't.
"Is anything wrong?" David asked, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I didn't want to speak because I was afraid I'd start sobbing hysterically, so I looked away from him and shook my head.
"I couldn't be happier right now" I lied. I could hear my conscience screaming inside my head, "don't lie to him, you idiot! Tell him how you're feeling!" but I brushed it off. I would tell him eventually, I just wanted to wait. I tried to distract my mind from the events to come, and for the most part I was successful. There was still a small part of my heart that dwelled on the fact that I would be leaving, and no matter how I tried, I couldn't shake it. Unfortunately, David was no help either.
"I just remembered something. When were you supposed to register for your classes again?"
"By January 10th" I muttered, feeling somewhat disheartened that he had brought it up.
"That's coming up in a few weeks" David stated. "You should do that before it's too late." Upon hearing this, I couldn't hold my emotion in any longer. I buried my face in my hands and began to sob, becoming inconsolable. David immediately wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his lap. He held me close and stroked my hair, never saying a single word. I cried until I was gasping for breath, finally pulling my face away from his shoulder. He looked at me, his eyes filled with worry.
"What was that about?"
"I can't leave you" I said, my voice cracking with emotion. I sniffled, then buried my face back into David's shoulder. He shifted his position, then pulled me up so I had no choice but to look at him.
"Listen to me, Kallie. You can do this. You would have done it if you had never met me, right?" I nodded, sniffling once more.
"Yeah" I said quietly.
"Okay" David continued. "I believe that you can still do it, no matter how scared you are right now. Remember when I told you that nothing could keep us apart?"
"Yes" I said with a nod. I had finally calmed down, but my breath was still ragged.
"I meant it, Kallie. Not even our distance will keep me away from you." he said quietly, kissing my forehead.
"I know. You're right. This is something I have to do."
"That's the Kallie I know and love" David said, smiling. I kissed him softly, then moved from his lap. He stood up and walked across the room to grab the box of tissues. He brought them over to me, and I took one. I wiped the tears from my face, secretly dreading what I may have looked like right now. I though when I cried, I looked like a blowfish. Some people can cry and still look pretty normal, but I was not one of those fortunate few. However, I took comfort in the fact that I had a boyfriend who would love me no matter what undersea creature I resembled. I chuckled to myself, glad that my odd sense of humor had returned.
"Well," I began, taking a calming breath. "I guess we should go back to my house so I can register for classes before I freak out and decide not to go" I said, giggling.
"We can do that" David agreed. "By the way, I just realized Christmas is in a week. Do you have any ideas for things you want?" I thought for a moment, then replied.
"You know, this might sound cheesy, but all I want for Christmas is you." David blushed, then a playful glint appeared in his eye.
"I think I can work something out" he said, making me laugh.
"I'm sure you can" I chuckled. "What do you want?"
"You don't have to get me anything" David said. "I have everything I need right here" he continued, pulling me close. I closed my eyes and leaned my head on his shoulder, letting out a content sigh. The last thing I wanted was for this moment to end, but I knew I had to leave soon to go home and sign up for my classes, or I would never do it.
"Well," I sighed, breaking away from the hug slightly and looking up at David, "We should get going so I can go home and sign up for my classes. You don't have to leave though. You can stay with me" I said, making his eyes twinkle.
"You know, I planned on staying while you did that whether you wanted me to or not" David smirked. I shook my head, then walked over to the chair in the corner of the living room to grab my purse. David retrieved my jacket from the hall closet, then walked over to drape it over my shoulders. He put his own jacket as well and put it on, then grabbed his keys off the hook by the door. He opened the door for me, and I stepped out into the hall. David followed behind me, shutting and locking the door behind him. He grabbed my hand as we walked down the hall to the staircase, stroking my thumb gently with his own. I tingled at his touch, smiling softly to myself.
We were silent as we walked out to the car, and most of the way back to my family's house. Luckily, it wasn't a bad silence. It was more comforting. It made me happy to know that David was someone I could be with, and we didn't always have to be talking. We could simply just be. on the ride home, I thought about a lot of things. Mostly, I daydreamed about where David and I might be five years from now;
We were living in a small condo in the city. I had graduated from college, and was running a freelance clothing business from home. There was a small calico kitten curled up on the table next to me, watching as I worked on my next project. A little girl, maybe three years old or so, runs into the room energetically, her soft brown hair put up in pigtails.
"Mommy, when is daddy going to be home?" the girl whined.
"In a couple of hours" I said calmly, never taking my eyes off my work. "Go to your room and play, and he'll be home before you know it."
"Okay!" the girl chirped, running down the hall to her bedroom and shutting the door. I smiled to myself as I continued sketching. After a while, I heard a noise coming from downstairs. I walked down the hall and poked my head around the corner, being greeted by David's smiling face.
"Chloe, daddy's home!" I called as I ran down the stairs to greet him. He wrapped me in his arms, kissing the top of my head.
"How was your day?" he asked, gazing down into my eyes.
"It was amazing" I murmured.
Suddenly, I was jarred from my fantasy by David's voice.
"Kallie? Did you hear me?"
"What?"
"I said we're here" David said, smiling with the same boyish grin he always did.
"Oh, sorry" I said, laughing softly. "I must have spaced out."
"That's okay" David said. He climbed out of the car, then walked over to the passenger side to let me out. We walked up to the door, and I reached out to turn the handle to see if it would open. It did, so the two of us walked inside.
"Mom, Sarah, I'm home!" I called. Sarah instantly appeared, as if from thin air, grinning from ear to ear.
"Mom and I were just wondering when you were coming home! Did you guys have fun?"
"Yeah, we did" I said with a nod.
"I'm glad! Want to come sit down?" Sarah replied, grabbing our hands to lead us to the living room.
"We will in a little bit. I need the computer first" I said, smiling at my sister. I loved how happy she was all the time. It made the world a better place to be, and I felt like we needed more people like her in it. David and I walked to the study, where we kept the computer. I offered David the comfortable leather desk chair, and I insistently kneeled on the floor.
"You're going to kill your knees doing that" David said, concerned.
"I don't care" I shrugged. "Sit down" I ordered. David obliged, then moved the chair closer to me. He then leaned down and grabbed me by the sides, and proceeded to pull me off the floor and into his lap. I giggled, blushing slightly.
"Isn't that better?" David asked. I nodded, then proceeded to log into the website I needed to register for my classes. It was mandatory for all first year students to take the basic courses, which I wasn't happy about, but I gritted my teeth and picked my classes with a smile. I settled on College Algebra, American History, and Creative Writing. I would put off the science course until next year. As long as I got everything done, I figured it wouldn't matter when I did it. For my final class, I decided to pick something more fun, so I chose a course on sewing for beginners. I figured I would have to learn it eventually. Once I was done, I breathed a sigh of relief. That part was over, so all I had to do now was prepare myself to leave.
