POV: Daniel 

Class let out fifteen minutes early, much to the relief to the swarm of students inside. I walked with Oliver to one of the side exits and were immediately hit by the late summer/ early autumn heat. My thumbs stung from the cuticle I pulled this morning and my ass hurts from the wooden seats, now I was forced to take off my sweater. Oliver was walking beside me. I had never noticed how small he was.

We reached the open grass area that surrounded the lecture hall and cut through the lawn to one of the many cement walkways that crisscrossed campus. I checked my phone. I had half an hour until my next class. We passed by one of the small cafes that dotted campus and there was no one in line surprisingly. Oliver seemed to not be going anywhere fast. He’s seemed cool.

I took in a breath.

Don’t fuck up.

Don’t be weird.

Don’t be awkward.

“Do you want to grab a drink?” I said in the most nonchalant tone I could muster. It most likely came out strained like how Amber said it does.

Oliver looked at me for a moment then to the coffee shop. “Sure,” he said with ease. He took the lead and walked through the automatic doors first. It was amazing how much confidence a person could infuse into their very gait. The way he just went, without hesitation, it was nice.

Why the hell was I watching him like this?

I bit down hard on my tongue as I slipped in line behind him. He peeked over the tall guy in front of us to peer at the menu.

In actuality he wasn’t all that short though, he just seemed like it. Probably because I’m so freakishly tall and Amber was pretty tall as well. Anyone below 5’8” looked small to me I guess. He really wasn’t that much shorter than most other guys, just skinnier.

He ordered an iced macchiato or something like that. I didn’t know. I didn’t really order those fancy drinks that only hipsters and baristas knew how to make. I opted for an iced black tea.

My drink came first and so I stood by his side, waiting for the barista to finish the ten step beverage.

“Tea?” he said with a quirked eyebrow.

I took a sip. I felt eyes on me for some reason, but there was no one in there really. I glanced around before looking Oliver in the eyes again. They were a pretty muddled green, like moss in the sunshine.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

I glanced over to the nearby TV screen that was flipping through school announcements on repeat. “Yeah, I don’t particularly like coffee.”

“You an Englishman now?” Oliver said. I look away from the screen to find Oliver grabbing his drink and had a small smirk on his face.

I felt a pull in my gut as if someone put a weight in there and then brought out a magnet. I bit down on my tongue again, tasting a little bit of blood. “Oh yeah,” I said in the shittiest accent, “I just came back from over the pond but a nice brew reminds me of home.”

A beat of silence passed.

Shit, that joke bombed.

Oliver gave me a confused look, sending a pit deeper into my gut. I was surprised that I hadn’t just collapsed from the feeling already.

Oliver chuckled a little. Was he just being polite or did he find it actually amusing? I searched for minute signs on his face. Anything to reveal the truth behind his small laugh. We stood there by the window, enjoying the sun while chatting about nothing really. Nothing memorable, it was just enjoyable.

I glanced away to the clock on the back wall, then pulled out my phone to check the time.

Shit.

I was going to be late for work.

I took a final sip of my drink before sliding my phone back into my pocket.

A small breath went in, replacing some of the swarming nerves going on in my body.

“Hey, Oliver, I need to go,” I said while adjusting my backpack straps, “I’ve got work at the tutoring center today.”

“Oh, no problem. I’ll see you Thursday then.”

“Yeah, see you,” I said with a wave over my shoulder. I walked through the more crowded center section of campus, keeping a steady pace as to not be late.

He was actually really chill.

POV: Oliver 

I watched Daniel leave the small shop through the automated doors. He was actually really nice. Quiet but nice.

I didn’t have class for the rest of the day, so I just headed home. I sipped on the cold coffee again. Nice and sweet, kind of like that girl that morning. I walked to the perimeter of campus and enjoyed the quieter side of campus, the one neighboring the hills. Some new construction stood in the early autumn air, but more or less it was quiet. I put in my earbuds and listened to Kurt Cobain’s haunting lyrics.

The parking garage loomed over me when my ringtone interrupted the instruments. I pulled out my phone only to see the counseling center’s number flashing across the screen.

Oh no, not again. I answered and spoke through the earphone’s microphone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Oliver Sanchez?”

“Yeah, speaking.”

“Hi, this is Professor Acharya’s assistant from the Social Studies Department,” he said with a thin veil of professionalism covering his lax tone of voice, “I am calling you in regards to your mandatory semester counseling. Are you free to make an appointment right now?”

I pulled out my phone and looked at the calendar with the phone call still running in the background. “Yeah, when is the first available slot?”

“Tomorrow at 11?”

“I’ll take it,” I said, struggling to not have my voice echo in the old parking structure. My steps instead did the echoing, making the old concrete feel less like a five-story building and more like an endless labyrinth.

I climbed into my Honda and opened the window right away. I pulled out of the spot and drove into the spiral that made up the center of the parking garage.

I had to talk to the Professor tomorrow about my major. Shit, I couldn’t just coast any longer, could I? Whatever happened to Undeclared majors? Couldn’t we just figure shit out before settling on a life course? Apparently according to Acharya, no. He seemed like the type to be on top of shit.

What should I even do? GE hadn’t taught me shit about what career field to go into. I guess ed that I would find out that next day and make the decision of my life. Yeah right. this felt all too soon.

I reached home soon enough to find Mom and Dad watching some crime drama in the living room. I gave them a lazy hello before heading into the kitchen and throwing away my disposable cup.

Mom lifted herself a little from the couch so she can turn to me. “How was your day?” she asked while still half watching the dramatic water rescue on screen.

“It was good,” I said. I opened the fridge and absently scanned it for something easy to eat. “I had to schedule a counseling appointment.”

“Counseling appointment?”

“Yeah, because I’m undeclared and all. They want to see if I’m ready to declare or something.”

Mom sat up more and fully met my eyes as I turned back around with a Zip Loc bag full of cut up watermelon. “Do you know what you want to do? Your dad and I are completely fine with anything. Just know that, okay?”

“Of course,” I said with a small smile as a knot tightens in my gut. If only I had a clue. Even the smallest hint would have been appreciated.