The next morning came too soon. Gavin's mind was foggy, and it took him a minute to remember he passed out at his desk. A loud beeping cut through the silence of his room. He reached over and shut off his alarm that was blaring in his ear. Damn, it's too early for this crap.
He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. He was surprised when a blanket fell down from around his shoulders. He smiled at the thought. He leaned back and felt how tight his back was from sleeping at his desk again. He stood up and went about getting ready for the day.
When he came down, he found breakfast already cooked. Eggs and waffles awaited him as his parents had both left for work already. He reheated them quickly and ate before running to catch the bus to Walker High. The bus was rather quiet as other students focused on last minute cramming before school.
He found his usual seat next to his best friend and fellow senior, Tessa Allesandra. Her wavy brown hair was a disheveled mess thrown up in a quick bun that framed her face with loose tendrils. Her face was plain and make up free except for some bags under her eyes.
"Hey Tessa," Gavin said and slumped into the seat next to her, pulling out his text book.
"Hey Gavin," Tessa responded distractedly, her eyes glued to the text book in her lap. "I feel like I'm going to flunk this crap," she said in a grumble. "I mean who uses biology unless they go into a science field, for crying out loud?" she asked him in frustration.
Gavin chuckled softly. He felt all kinds of burnt out after the last couple of weeks of cramming and studying nonstop. It's almost like forgetting how fun senior year is supposed to be. It's just the last few weeks that's a living hell of studying and testing. Gavin sighed dejectedly.
Gavin heard his phone go off in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had got a text from Erza. 'Hey buddy, good luck today. I know you will crush your finals, then we will go out to celebrate!' After he read that text, his shoulders relaxed and he sat back against the seat. A slight smile appeared on his face as he returned to his book.
At least Erza has faith in me for this final week of hell. You know, she's been the my biggest supporter; every sports event, every milestone, there were always three constants. My mom, naturally, my father, duh, and Erza. His heart warmed and his determination set in. I won't disappoint any of you.
With the words from the text in his mind, he powered through the day and tried to be as confident as he could. Manifest your own reality, right? Mentally, though, he was exhausted. Four weeks of hard-core cramming, studying and testing had taken its toll on his weary mind.
The final bell rang out like a train horn going off in his mind. The pen was put down; the test was turned in and a sigh of relief came out of him. Well, for better or worse, it's finally over. He packed up his bag, emptied out his locker and tossed his schoolbooks in the recycling. For good or bad, he wouldn't have to take another test in this building again. He pulled out his phone and typed up a quick text message.
'I just finished. I think I actually passed today!' He sent back a text to Erza. 'Are you still picking me up from school?' He typed up the quick text and walked his way through the hallways of excited students to finally be on summer break. The atmosphere was like night and day compared to this morning. Everyone was lively, talking, shouting, and being a normal kid. It was a pleasant change of atmosphere.
"Hey Gavin, now that you have passed and graduated, are you finally going to confess to Erza?" A playful voice from beside him startled him out of his thoughts and made him jump to see it was Tessa. She had her hair pulled back and tight now and a warm smile was on her face.
Gavin felt his face heat up and he shoved her shoulder. Tessa stumbled and laughed as she caught herself. "Shut up. I don't know what you're talking about." Have I been that obvious that everyone sees it but Erza? Didn't think I was all that obvious. Apparently I was.
Tessa laughed, the sound warm and light. Then she playfully bumped his shoulder with hers. She reached up to ruffle his black curls. "Oh please. The entire group knows how you've been head-over-heels for the girl ever since she started babysitting you. Half of us have a bet on you asking her out before the end of the week." She paused for a moment before teasing him further. "Some think before even that." There was a glint of mischief in her hazel brown eyes.
She enjoyed teasing him. The way he got so riled up over the simplest things always made her laugh. Though, somewhere deep down she didn't want to admit it, maybe she did it because she was jealous. She shook her head. Nah. That couldn't be.
Gavin didn't respond. Tessa always acted like this. Even though it had been years since Erza was paid to watch him for his parents, they all thought it was weird that they were actual friends.
He grumbled under his breath as he continued to make his way through the crowd and out the front doors. He looked around the sunny afternoon to try to find a black and red, off-road SUV waiting for him. Sadly he couldn't spot the SUV. Suddenly, his phone dinged.
'I'm down the street waiting in line, wanna head my way, and get out of here?' Gavin perked up instantly. He had a goofy grin on his face while he typed up a quick response and said his farewell to Tessa. She laughed before getting one last rib off. "Don't forget to shower before you ask her out, you idiot."
He went red in the face before he flipped her off. He didn't respond otherwise and walked down the street towards his awaiting ride. He opened the door to see a dazzling smile that made his day instantly better. She had on a black T-shirt with some local band design on and a blue pair of jeans. Her long wavy red hair was pulled back out of her face, and she had on a pair of black sunglasses with golden trim.
"So, how'd it go?" Erza asked curiously as she pulled out of the traffic lane and drove away from the high school.
"Oh, it sucked and blew," Gavin responded. "But… I think I at least passed them all. Final grades won't be posted until Monday," he informed her.
"Oh, so you don't even know if you passed, and you want to go out and celebrate? I don't remember that being part of our deal," she teased him playfully, her soft voice filled his ears.
"Oh, come on, I'm almost one hundred percent sure I passed. Like 98.9%, doesn't that count?" He argued. There was no way she would back out of this. He had been looking forward to it. She wouldn't really cancel it just because he didn't have the official grades yet, would she?
She paused for a moment and enjoyed the look of panic on Gavin's face before she gave in. She could never honestly tell him no, even when she babysat him. "Oh, fine I suppose. One restaurant and one movie night planned and ready to go." She finally gave in and cracked a broad grin. She knew, even if he had failed all his tests today, she was going to take him out no matter what tonight.
Gavin sat back in his seat with a small smile on his face. His heart was happy that he got to have his little "date night" with Erza. He didn't want to admit it, but Tessa was right. After she made the deal last night, he planned to confess to Erza at dinner. Sometimes things were worth the risk.
"So, what's for dinner then?" He asked.
"Hmm. I thought I'd bring you over and treat you to some home cooking. As for that, it's a surprise dude. You just have to wait to find out" she responded with a musical laugh.
The rest of the ride was a quiet trip. They chatted about random things, how the rest of the school day went, if he ate enough for lunch, how her "super-secret music project" with her friends Aria and Lyla was going. Eventually, they arrived at her parents' house; a massive 4-story building with a large yard and a wrap-around porch.
"Every time I see your house, I always think of how old-fashioned it looks compared to the new ones," Gavin commented. He always loved coming over here. Erza's house almost always a source of laughter and warmth for him over the years.
"Well, you know, my parents are both obsessed with early 20th century design work. I won't lie; it is a wonderfully cozy home." She responded as she parked in the driveway and turned off the SUV.
"Where's the rest of the family." Gavin had noticed the otherwise empty driveway and was curious.
"Oh, my parents are gone on a work trip for the weekend, so I'm watching the dog for them, and my eldest brother is away on a summer internship" she responded as she unlocked the door and Gavin followed dutifully.
"Oh, so we are alone tonight for dinner?" He had a slight blush that darkened his cheeks. All alone tonight, It's the perfect chance to admit my feelings for her.
"Yup, that means less cooking I have to do." She grinned as he shut the door behind him to the house. They walked down the hallway, past all the picture frames that seemed to show every important or random moment in the siblings' lives. Erza's family even had a few photos of Gavin framed and up on the wall. He smiled to himself.
"It still surprises me that your parents put those photos up." Gavin's voice was soft and filled with affection as he looked at them.
She looked over and noticed which ones he was talking about. "Yeah, I took them and we put them up to celebrate your big wins. My parents have long considered you as one of their own and love the idea of celebrating your achievements. You are like a bad fungus that grew on them." Her laughter was gentle and warm as she beamed at him.
"Hey!" He responded indignantly as he crossed his arms and tried to look offended. Erza turned to face him after she turned on the lights in the kitchen and smiled.
"What? I'm innocent," she said before she turned around to pull ingredients out of the fridge.
"Innocent my butt," he grumbled as he moved into the kitchen to try to help. He stepped next to her as she began to pull random ingredients out from the fridge.
"Nuh-uh!" She protested and smacked his hands away with her own slender hand. "You don't cook. This is your celebration," she said with enthusiasm and pushed him to sit down at the table.
Gavin grumbled and surrendered to her orders. He never won any fights or arguments against her when her mind was set. "Yes ma'am," he responded dutifully. He recognized a lost cause when he saw one, and fighting against Erza, was one of those lost causes.
"Good boy," she said in a mock tone and patted the top of his head affectionately. She laughed as he swatted at her hands, then walked back towards the counter and began to stir up some batter.
"So, what'd you decide to make then?" he asked her, as he watched her whip up the batter mix and pull out a few plates.
"My home-made waffles, eggs and bacon," she said with a cheeky grin. "Your favorite."
Gavin smiled. He didn't have the heart to tell her his parents had done that for him in the morning. Plus, he would never admit it within earshot of his mom, but Erza's were ten times better than his mom's, he thought.
He pleasantly awaited dinner while he played absentmindedly on his phone. He looked up to watch Erza every few seconds while she chatted away. He noticed the way she often cocked her hip and stood with most of her weight on one leg. He swallowed hard as he noticed the way her jeans cupped her rear a little too tightly while she moved about the kitchen. From time to time her shirt would ride up and reveal tantalizing bits of her smooth skin to his gaze.
"So, I've been thinking." He drew her attention as she plated the first couple of waffles and flipped the first batch of fried eggs. She looked up and raised an eyebrow as she waited for him to continue, "I think I want to go to school in Allario to learn magic."
Erza stopped what she was doing. Shocked to say the least, the smell of burning eggs pungent in her nose reminded her that she had to remove the eggs off the pan. She paused the cooking and turned around. "Allario, huh? That's an intense program; it's about two weeks away by car?" Her voice was soft and hesitant as she kept her gaze focused on the table in front of her.
Why is there this pain in my chest? Gone would be their daily hangouts. She wouldn't be able to spend every day in his company anymore. She didn't like that idea. Not one bit. I want him to chase his dreams, but I never imagined he'd do it so far away.
Gavin looked up from his phone to see her reaction before he continued, "Yeah, I want to learn magic, and it's the most meritorious school to learn from, and I got a letter of entrance to the practical test for admittance last night after you left." His voice was soft and gentle as he recalled reading that email before he passed out last night.
Erza walked over to stand beside him and placed his plate down in front of him before she walked back and grabbed her own and sat next to him. The bacon still sizzling on the plate as she took her seat.
"So, you're going to just ditch your old babysitter and look for fresh, younger girls there, aren't you?" she said in a half-teasing voice. As she sat there next to him, she let her hair fall forward hiding her face as she said the words. She tried as hard as she could, but she couldn't keep the hurt from leaking into her voice.
Gavin dropped his fork and grabbed her hand before he thought better of it. He pushed her hair back to reveal her face as he forced her to look at him. "No, never, I never want to part with you. You are my best friend and I…" he stopped before he blurted out the truth. He wanted her to come with him, but didn't dare utter the words. His heartbeat frantically in his chest. Did he dare admit to her, here and now? Did he risk telling her he was in love with her? That he had been for years? Or did he just keep his mouth shut and let the moment pass? His blood raced, he felt hot, and his ears burned from embarrassment.
Erza's soft eyes perked up at the way he stopped, her heart fluttered slightly as a faint blush crept over her cheeks. She'd always known he had a crush on her growing up as she watched him. His dad even teased her one day after Gavin was asleep when she went to leave. She didn't think he'd ever say anything about it. "And you what?" She pushed him. Her hand trembled slightly, the fork clattering against the plate.
Gavin swallowed hard before he took a deep breath and blurted it out quickly, "I want you to come with me, together." Holy shit, I actually said something. He could feel his cheeks burn red as he looked at her and awaited a response.
She sat there quietly, equally red in the face. "What do you mean by together?" Her voice barely above a whisper as she played around with her food.
Gavin let out a disbelieving scoff. "Here everyone's told me I've been obvious all these years. Erza… I like you; I've had a massive crush on you ever since that first day you walked into my house to watch me while my parents worked late that night," he blurted out, as he looked her dead in the eyes before he took a deep breath. His chest was tight and he was on edge, but he had to see this through. He felt her hand on his as she squeezed it softly, "When you walked in, I thought the same as I do now," he said as he paused to take a bite of waffles and allowed the food to distract him for a brief moment.
"Go on." Her whisper was quiet, but urgent; almost like a plea. "What did you think?" She held her breath, anxious for his response as she fidgeted in her chair.
"I thought you were the most beautiful girl alive. The second you walked in, and the light hit your hair… your eyes, they just… glowed. And that was it for me. I knew I was done. I'd do anything for you, Erza. Anything, if it meant I could keep that smile on your face." His words were barely above a whisper. He felt so much heat in his face that it felt like a sunburn.