Olivia

Jon and I got to my campus in less than four hours due to heavy traffic but I didn't mind because he and I had a lot of fun talking and playing around whenever traffic caught up with us.

I gotta admit, I love the place, it's a lot bigger than I expected but it also felt so different and unfamiliar that I wanted to run back to our town where I knew every little road, alley and hideouts.

But Jonathan took my hand and I'm fine again. "Let's go take your things up to your room." He said and dragged me to the back of his truck to get my stuff.

Fast forward to two hours later and we've unpacked all my stuff and we met my roommate.

"Yeah, so I packed my stuff and moved here, end of story." Reese said, finishing her tale of how she got to HHU.

I smiled at her, between my story and hers - abusive dad and a dead mother - I realized how thankful I should actually be. I mean, sure my parents are irresponsible idiots that doesn't care but at least I had Jon. Reese seemed to be totally alone, no boyfriends and no friends were mentioned in her story. Of course I could be jumping into conclusion but in that moment, I decided to be her friend.

"How about you, what made you choose this school?" She asked, looking at me questioningly.

"Actually, this school isn't my first choice but between the schools I got accepted to, this one seemed the best bet."

She nodded slowly and then looked over at Jon. "Not your first choice either?" She asked.

Jon grinned. Thankfully, Reese seemed a lot cooler than most girls in my high school. Jeez, if half the girls back then were as nice as her, I'd have made girl friends long ago. "Not one of my choices, actually. We agreed not to apply to the same school."

Reese frowned. "Ahh, okay. So you don't go here.. Wait, so you didn't apply to the same colleges, how did you guys agree on that? What about the ivy league schools, I mean.. did neither one of you apply to those?"

"Actually," Jon answered, "I didn't apply to any Ivy League school, she did.. and got accepted to two of them with that brain of hers. And she thought HHU was the best bet."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for making me look humble." Reese laughed. "I didn't choose it because I didn't want to take college too seriously. I want to at least have fun. And HHU doesn't seem bad. And look who's talking, you got scholarships to half the Ivy League schools. I don't see you explaining."

He shrugged. "I don't want to play sports in college."

"Okay, so far all I've gathered from you two is that you're the perfect couple. Lemme guess, homecoming king and queen, right?"

Jon and I laughed right after she said it, she couldn't be more wrong. "Nope." Jon told her and she didn't look like she believed it. "It would've been epic if we were."

"I don't believe you. You guys seem the type."

"I'd get it if you thought he was homecoming king because he actually is.. but me? What in this world would make you think that?"

"So.., you're not the homecoming queen type? Am I in an alternate universe?"

I laughed because she wouldn't be the first person to think I was cut out for all those cliches. "You're not.. It's just that people in my high school hated me."

"It's because she wouldn't take their shit." Jon added.

"So who got the title then..? Isn't it weird that you guys didn't both win?"

"No, not weird. I actually knew he'd win since he's all cool in high school along with his ex-girlfriend who actually won the title."

Reese looked at us weirdly. "Hold on.. how long have you two been together?"

"Um, we're not together." I said, hating the feeling of having to admit it. Most of the time when people asked how long we've been together, we'd say 'since birth' since that was actually true, we have been this inseperable since birth but I couldn't pretend about it now that I've mentioned her stupid ex-girlfriend.

"Seriously?" Reese asked in total confusion. "Are you guys fucking with me right now? Is Ashton Kutcher gonna come in any second to tell me I've been prank'd? You and him are not dating? You're not shitting me?"

Jon snorted. "Unfortunately not." Jon confirmed and I didn't know how to feel about his answer. Is he indirectly saying that it's unfortunate that we're not dating?

Quit it Olivia, stop getting your hopes up.

"But you guys act like a couple!" Reese said, obviously not going to get over this soon.

I laughed. "Said everybody, all the time. It's a best friend thing... we've literally grown up together, our birthdays are right after the other... and we're literally 3 hours apart which should explain why our asses seem glued together."

Reese laughed idiotically. "You're seriously shitting me right now. And you guys don't think that's like a sign? You guys don't think you're soulmates or something?"

Jon and I exchanged looks and started laughing. "We can't even agree about the same bands and you people think we're soulmates?"

She gave me a look as if I was stupid. "Being soulmates doesn't mean you have to agree on everything, stupid. It just means that something in this damned planet aligned and the wrongs become right because you found each other."

I like this girl. Keep talking Reese, maybe Jon's listening then he'd finally ask me out.

We ended up arguing about it for another hour and I learned more about soulmates than I thought possible... Reese seem passionate about the concept of it.

Jon looked at the both of us in exhaustion. "Okay, hold up.. I'm getting hungry with all these soulmate talks. You girls think we can talk about this over a very wonderful dinner?"

Reese laughed. "You guys go ahead, I still have a lot to do." She looked at all her unpacked clothes she haven't gotten to because we got into talking.

"Seriously, come with us.. I'll help you out after." I offered sincerely.

"No, seriously, you guys go ahead."

Instead of arguing, Jon and I decided to just leave. And as we walked to the in-campus chain of Mcdonalds, he kept smiling at me.

"What?" I asked, getting self-conscious.

He shook his head. "I'm just proud of you, that's all."

I frowned. What the hell is he going on about? Should I be worried about him driving to his campus when he's obviously sleepy and not making sense?

He took my hand and intertwined it with his. "You made a friend. That makes me proud." I stared at him and saw that he really is proud.

I smiled. "I guess I did."

The line at McDonalds was long but it didn't matter because I had Jon with me.. and nothing else mattered when he is. Of course, that's not something I'm willing to share.

After a little while, I did start noticing things. Things like how our hands were still intertwined, how I didn't want it to ever untangle and other stuff like how many girls can't stop staring at him and how they looked away when I caught them staring.

I wanted to feel bad. We weren't together. And maybe, just maybe, one of these girls is right for him and he wouldn't know because here we were, pretending that what we have is beyond friendship, he'd never meet her, get to know her or even maybe someday fall madly inlove with her. Instead, I felt good. I felt amazing, in fact, that none of them will ever have this bond with Jon, that we will always always be together even when apart and that he's mine.. even when he isn't.

I moved closer to him and wrapped my other arm around his stomach as we waited. He kissed the top of my head and we moved forward as another customer left the line.

We don't have much time.. soon he'll leave  and It'll be long before I get to feel his hug again.

Stop sulking Liv. You have him for now and you might as well enjoy it.

Finally, through the company of my endless thoughts, we got through the pain in the ass line and finally bought ourselves some burgers. We decided to eat at the back of his truck since he'd be leaving afterwards and we ended up staying there longer as he read me some of his favorite poems.

"There is but one task for all -- / One life for each to give. / What stands if Freedom fall? / Who dies if England live?"

It was one of his favorites. A poem called "For All We Have and Are" by Rudyard Kipling, one of his favorite authors.

I loved it when he read to me, his voice sounded so calm and at peace and I had nothing else to think about other than the meaning of the words behind those poems.

Tonight, however, I found my mind wandering back to boring nights back at our hometown when he reads to me, sometimes by our hill where we often went to, sometimes in my room when it's 2am and neither one of us can sleep and sometimes at the library when we had free period together and I'd ask him to read to me.

I loved those moments because those moments separates him from the idea that everybody has of him. They knew the Jon that rocked at playing football, the Jon that partied hard, the Jon that was cool and popular, the Jon that's amazing at everything he does but they didn't know this. They didn't know my Jon that was cheesy and corny and a little bit weird, my Jon that loves school, my Jon that loves to read, my Jon that sucked ass at playing any instrument and they sure as hell didn't know my Jon that still calls his sister every night that he can just to make sure she's okay.

I turned to him and smiled as I continued listening to what he was reading. He caught my eyes for a moment and stopped reading and for a while we just stared into each other's eyes until he finally moved and kissed me.

I closed my eyes and just let it happen, kissing him back with intensity and then all I could feel was his soft lips pressed against mine, all I could smell was his musky perfume that his sister buys him, all I could hear was my heart beating against my chest and I could feel myself getting scared by each passing moment. Scared of what this kiss would mean and what it could change.

I pulled back to stop and stayed at everything besides him and bit my lips. Sure I wanted to kiss him and sure more than that, I wanted to be with him officially but I didn't want this. I didn't want it to keep being just a kiss and then later on forgotten.

"Sorry.. I just needed to do that.., before anything changes." He looked at his book and closed it.

And I didn't want him to be sorry about it.

"Um, right.. Uh.. it's late, you should probably go." I told him, still not looking at him directly.

I got off his truck and finally looked at him, seeing his confused expression, I tried not to get affected by it. "Have a safe trip."