Chapter 25: Emojis & Feelings

~“Sometimes we shatter so beautifully, and you realize you’re not alone. I breathe you in, so potent and overwhelming. Like a wildfire consuming the air in my lungs.” —Syml.~

Chapter Theme Song: “Wildfire” by Syml.

HARMONY

I wake up to the morning sun, its bright rays streaming through the window of my dorm room.

I roll over, half-expecting to see Blaze, but instead, I find a note in his place. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I sit up and pick up the note from the pillow, reading the words he’s left behind.

~Good morning, sweet voice~❤️~Your soothing lullaby lulled me to sleep last night, thank you. I had to leave early because I didn’t bring my toothbrush or towel for a shower, otherwise we could have shared one ;-).~

~PS: You talk in your sleep :-P. You said: “Oh, I think I’m falling for Blaze.”~

My eyes nearly pop out of my head as I read the last line.

~No, I couldn’t have said that…could I?~

I’m about to tear my hair out when the next part of the note eases my worries, and I notice he’s also included his number at the bottom.

~Just kidding, lol. Here’s my number, call me if you need me~❤️

Reading the note again from start to finish, a wide smile spreads across my face. ~He’s really something else.~ I try not to overthink the heart emojis he used; I’m sure they don’t mean anything.

Callum and I exchange them all the time, but something about Blaze using them makes my heart race.

I grab my phone from the nightstand and enter his number, saving his name as ‘Blaze❤’

Feeling like the heart emoji might be too much, I consider deleting it, but he won’t see it anyway, so I decide to leave it. I bite my lip and decide to send him a text, hoping it’s not too soon.

Harmony

Good morning, thanks for the number, appreciate it.—Harmony

I smile and put my phone down, then hop out of bed. Wincing at the cold tiles, I scurry to the bathroom for a shower.

***

I’m out in no time because it’s already 7:30 a.m. and I don’t want to be late for literature class. My phone chimes from the bedside table while I’m getting dressed, and I pick it up to see a text from Blaze.

I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t just skip a beat.

Blaze❤

Even your texts are formal, Gosh :) Anyway, I am off to class, early for once, eat lunch with us later all right?

I smile softly, then immediately a picture comes in from him. He’s making a silly face with one eye closed and his tongue sticking out.

He’s clearly trying to look ~ugly~, but he looks anything but. His hair is falling into his eyes and his lips look unusually pink, making my cheeks heat up.

I laugh at his failed attempt to look goofy before typing a quick response.

Harmony

Was that picture supposed to be ugly? Is that the best you got?

I cringe. Does it sound like I’m flirting with him? God, I hope not.

~Ding!~

Blaze❤

Lol. Yes, it was my best attempt actually, how well did I do? ;) Send me a picture of you.

~A picture of me? Oh, I hate taking selfies.~

I decide to tease him. I don’t know where this sudden courage to be playful came from, but maybe it’s because we’re texting and not talking in person.

It gives me a level of confidence I wouldn’t have if we were face-to-face.

Harmony

Are you the ‘what are you wearing now’ type of guy? Because I’ve heard a lot about guys and that statement.

~Heard about? Harmony, you couldn’t be more naive,~ my subconscious chides. I choose to ignore her. She’s always trying to bring me down and I don’t appreciate it.

~Ding!~

Blaze❤

Noooo, I wouldn’t ask you what you’re wearing. Well, I don’t need to. Not when I already know the type of ‘tights’ you normally wear ;-)

Blaze❤

I meant a picture of your face though. I want to save it to your number so that when you call me I can see those green eyes.

I smile a little and hold my phone up high, snapping a quick selfie.

I hate taking pictures, so I’m nervous to look at the result. But if I’m going to send it to Blaze, I need to see if I look okay.

I squint at the image and let out a sigh of relief. It’s not that bad.

I hit send and immediately the little ticks below the image turn blue, signaling that he’s already seen it. Homewood’s Wi-Fi is ridiculously fast.

Blaze❤

😍😍

Blaze❤

Damn. I literally died when I saw that pic. This is actually my ghost texting you XD

Harmony

What?? Lol

Blaze❤

You’re beautiful. I love it ❤

I feel like I’m melting into a puddle when I glance at the top of my phone and realize it’s now 7:45 a.m.

Harmony

I got to go; I am running late

Blaze❤

Okay. Eat with us at lunch, all right? Later, green eyes.

I’m grinning from ear to ear as I finish getting ready for class.

***

“Hey, wait up!”

I turn to see a winded Mal, struggling to catch his breath as he stops in front of me. “Wow. You walk fast.”

I chuckle. “I get that a lot.”

“I like your romper,” he manages to say, pointing to my outfit while his other hand is on his waist, trying to catch his breath. How long had he been running after me?

“Thanks.” I glance down at myself, even though I spent a long time scrutinizing the outfit in the mirror this morning.

I’m wearing a pink shorts romper today. I was hesitant to wear it to class because I’m self-conscious about my legs, but I was running late and didn’t have time to second-guess, so I just went with it.

“So, ready for the long literature lecture this morning?” he asks as we start walking to the lecture hall together.

I grin. “Not really. I adore literature, but the professors here make the classes I used to love in high school so dull. They’re all so uninspiring.”

“Especially Mr. Jones,” Mal chimes in, and I’m taken aback by how spot-on he is.

“Exactly! You have him too?”

“Yeah, for English. On Wednesdays.”

“Ah. I have him on Mondays.”

I consider mentioning that Blaze and I are in the same class, but I decide against it. That would only sour Mal’s mood; I’ve learned my lesson.

“If we’d known each other then, we could have picked the same time slot and suffered through him together.” He grins at me, and I return the smile.

But the idea of me, Blaze, and Mal in the same class sounds like a recipe for disaster.

“Yeah, but seriously, Mr. Jones is the most boring,” I repeat.

“Ouch, Harmony. That hurts my feelings.” A deep voice echoes from behind us.

We both spin around to find none other than Mr. Jones himself.

“Oh, crap,” Mal mutters.

“Oh my God.” I slap a hand over my mouth. “I’m so sorry...I didn’t mean—I didn’t—”

I’m at a loss for words. Especially since I was just caught in the act.

“She didn’t mean it.” Mal jumps to my defense, but I can tell he’s struggling to hold back laughter at the sight of the affronted man clutching his briefcase.

“I really didn’t mean it,” I add.

Mr. Jones nods curtly, his face stern and devoid of any smile.

~He really needs to lighten up.~

“I understand, but badmouthing your professor is quite inappropriate. You could be expelled from the course.”

Mal and I exchange glances. That seems a bit extreme.

“Expelled?” I shift uncomfortably. “But I did say I didn’t mean it.”

“Alright.” He shrugs. “But I think we need to have a chat. Can you come to my office now?”

His office? The thought of going there doesn’t sit well with me.

“Or would you rather meet with the chairman?” he counters, raising an eyebrow in a clear challenge.

“Just go,” Mal whispers. “It’s better than being ~expelled~ from English.” His voice carries a hint of mockery, as if he too finds the idea of being expelled for something so minor ridiculous.

This has to be some kind of joke, right?

I sigh, not wanting to make things worse. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take notes for you.”

“Thanks, Mal...”

He grins and walks away, leaving me to follow Mr. Jones as he leads the way to his office.