I remember thinking
I'll go on forever only knowing
I'll see you again
But I know
The touch of you is so hard to remember
But like that touch I know no other
And for sure we have danced
In the risk of each other
Would like to dance
Around the world with me?
“Mmgh,” Zac groaned as he laid back against Ruby on his bed. “I don’t wanna do this.”
“Neither do I,” she said wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin
on the top of his head.
“Don’t be gone,” he told her.
She let out a small laugh and ran her hands up and down his stomach. “Come with
me.”
“I wish.”
“I have to go,” she whispered. “My plane leaves at 8:00 tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah,” he sighed. He took her hand and led her out of his room and down the
stairs. When he got to the bottom he pulled her arm over his shoulder as she hopped onto
his back. “So you’ll call me when you move into your new room?” He asked as he carried
her outside into the cold January night.
“Of course,” she said wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his
torso. “Now don’t get all sad on me and make me cry.”
“I’ll try,” he said setting her down.
“You be good, okay?” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head
on his chest.
“I will. You be careful up there,” he told her circling his arms around her
shoulders.
“Okay,” she said, her voice cracking just above a whisper.
“Don’t cry,” he said with a small laugh squeezing her tighter.
“I’m not,” she laughed. “I’ll be home before you know it.”
Zac let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. They didn’t even realize it was 30
degrees outside. “I love you.”
She shut her eyes tightly and buried her face in his olive green sweater
remembering the way it smelled like detergent and Christmas. “I love you too. A whole
lot.”
He smiled and placed a kiss on the top of her head. She lifted her head and placed
her lips on his. He parted her lips with his bottom lip and she gently sucked on it. He
pulled away leaving her with a few more kisses.
“You make good grades for me, okay? AP History’s hard. So study a lot, and..
and don’t get drunk too much, and write good songs, and.. and be a good boy,” she told
him.
“Okay,” he laughed. “And I’ll think about you all the time.”
“But not too much. Or you’ll go crazy.”
Zac nodded and held onto both of her hands. “I love you.”
“You already said that,” she smiled.
“Just making sure you’re aware.”
“I’m aware. And I love you too,” she told him. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Kay,” he said and pressed his lips together.
She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Bye,” she whispered.
He squeezed her hands before she backed up hanging onto his hand until the last
possible second when it dropped to his side. She crossed the street and walked up her
driveway. When she got to the door and turned around one more time and waved with
just her fingertips. He held his hand up and backed down his driveway shoving his hands
into the pockets of his pants.
********************************************
Ruby went back to school and started another semester at NYU. She moved into
a new dorm room with a new roommate. Her and Zac talked on the phone and e-mailed
each other nearly everyday.
“Ruby,” her roommate Natasha whispered from her desk.
“Hmm?” Ruby plainly responded while she layed on her bed, her face covered by
Zac’s gray hooded sweatshirt he had given her.
Natasha laughed and walked over to her. She picked up the sweatshirt and looked
at Ruby’s sad eyes. “Why don’t you do some homework?” She suggested and sat on the
bed with Ruby.
Ruby sighed. “I don’t have any.”
Natasha tilted her head in an all-knowing way. “You’re telling me you’ve got six
classes, mid-terms are in a couple weeks, and you don’t have any studying to do?”
“Ugh,” Ruby groaned, irritated, and sat up taking Zac’s sweatshirt. “I can’t
concentrate.”
“You know Zac wouldn’t be happy if your grades dropped because of him. And
neither would you,” Natasha told her.
**********************************
“Why did I have to fall in love with you?” Ruby asked later that night on the phone
with Zac.
“Cause you’re crazy,” Zac smiled laying back on his bed.
“I must be,” she said playig with one of the strings on the hood of Zac’s oversized
sweatshirt she was wearing. “I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too,” he said quietly. “But we can’t dwell on the fact that we’re
apart,” he told her, playing the part of the reasonable one.
“I know,” she sighed.
“What are you doing for Spring Break?” He asked.
“I have to work. I can’t go anywhere,” she said. “What about you?”
“Well, Daniel and Will and a few other guys are going skiing out in Colorado and
they invited me,” he told her.
“Oh,” she said dissappointedly. “That’ll be fun.”
“Yeah,” he replied dryly. “I guess.”
“Well I need to go read some 20th century philosophy,” she said.
“Are you mad at me?” He asked.
“No.”
“Yes you are,” he said.
“Zac, I’m not. I just miss you, okay? And school’s really hard, and my job is
stressful,” she explained.
“Okay. Well I’m sorry,” he said sweetly, not knowing what else to tell her.
“It’s not your fault,” she assured him. “I’m not mad at you. You’re like, my
favorite person right now.”
Zac let out a small laugh. “You’ll always be my favorite person. Except for my
mom - I have to say her.”
He made her smile. “Well thank you. And don’t be so cute all the time.”
“Hey, I can’t help it,” he smiled.
“I know. Okay, I really have to go now,” she said.
“Alright, I’ll call you tomorrow,” he promised.
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said.
*****************************
chapter 13.
