“I love this feeling that right now, I wish you were here with me. Cause right now everything is new to me. You know I can't fight the feeling, and every night I feel it.. Right now, I wish you were here with me.”

    It was depressing how… bare your dorm room was. Other than your bed sheets, textbooks, toiletries, and a few family photos, there was no personal flare to the room. It was so unlike your room back home. You felt alienated and homesick all within a few seconds.

    You picked up your phone and dialed his number; you knew it by heart. While the phone ringed, you stared at your jeans so you wouldn’t have to face the bare walls.

     He picked up on the second ring.

    “Hey, Bryngi! Are you settled into your dorm room yet?”

    “Yeah, but… I don’t like it. It’s stupid.”

   “Stupid? How is it stupid?” His tone suggested he was concerned, but also amused. It ticked you off.

    “It’s just stupid, okay? Do you wanna meet up somewhere?”

    “Why? Are you in a hurry to leave, Bryngi?”

    “Stop teasing me, you jerk. I don’t like it here.”

    He sighed. “I know, I’m sorry. You do realize we live at least three hours away, right?”

    “But… please?” Your voice came out sugary sweet, but you were certain he would pick up on the underlying desperation. If you had to stay in that room for one more minute, you’d… die or something. “If you want I can meet you half-way! I think there’s a Starbucks about an hour and a half away, right between us. Are you in the mood for some hot chocolate?”

    There was silence on the other end of the line, and you almost thought he would say no.

    But come on. This is Aidan we’re talking about.

    “Fine. But last one there buys!”

    You squealed before grabbing your keys and running out of the room.

    One restroom break, the entire Midnight Memories album and then some, and two pieces of gum later, you were pulling up to a green queen-lady-person with a gravity-defying scarf. You looked around the parking lot and checked for Aidan’s car. The sun had set long ago, and the entire lot was coated in a midnight paint, making it hard to see any vehicles in detail. A particularly cold gust of wind highlighted the fact that you were wearing just a slim jacket, so you hurried into the warm coffee shop. You walked straight up to the counter, anticipating the warm cup of cocoa you would soon receive.

    “Boo.”

    “God dangit, Aidan! I bet you sped all the way here, too!”

    Aidan’s snickering made you spin and smack him on the shoulder. It didn’t faze him, though.

    “I’ll take one large hot chocolate, and you better get me one of those chocolate chip cookies, too.”

    As he walked away to reserve a table in the surprisingly full Starbucks, you made a face to the back of his head.

   “I’ll take one large hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie, too!” You mimicked in a horribly high-pitched voice. “Chocolate chip cookie my a- “

    “Hi, welcome to Starbucks! What can I get you?”

    You turned your attention to the barista, and noticed her amused smile as she stealthily snuck a glance in Aidan’s direction. Grinning, you placed your order. You stepped off to the side as you waited for your drinks to be made, allowing other customers to receive service.

    One thing about your and Aidan’s relationship was that you had fun. It wasn’t all serious and deep and heavy. Now, you had those moments too, and when you experienced them, they solidified your relationship even more. You were happy that your relationship was on that level. But that wasn’t your whole romance. You could joke around and tease each other and make jabs, all the while knowing that each insult just meant something deeper; something no one else knew. It was like having your own secret language, as cheesy as it sounds.

    “Bryngi?” The barista’s voice cut through your thoughts.

    “Huh?”

    “You’re Bryngi, right?”

    “I thought I said to use Bryn as my name…”

    The barista smiled cheekily before she gestured over to the blonde-haired culprit. “He gave me ten bucks before you came and asked me to change your name. Hope you don’t mind.”

    You turned and glared at a grinning Aidan, but felt a smile tugging at your lips.

    Turning back to the barista, you thanked her and took your food before making your way across the shop and sitting on the other side of the table from Aidan. You set his hot chocolate down in front of him before taking a huge bite from his cookie.

    “Wow, this tastes amazing!” You said with your mouth full.

    He glared at you.

    “That’s my cookie.”

    “And it tastes like heaven.”

    “Give me my cookie, Bryn.”

    “Come and get it, Aidan.”

    Without warning, Aidan shot up from his chair and grabbed the cookie right out of your hand.

    “Ha ha! Take that, you heathen!”

    In one bite, Aidan devoured the cookie, leaving you shocked and smiling.

    You sat there in silence for a few minutes, just drinking your cocoas. Every once in a while, you’d catch Aidan looking at you while you weren’t paying attention. The glances made you blush, but you’d never admit it.

    “So, do you wanna tell me why you wanted to meet up so badly?” He finally said, breaking the silence.

    After a moment, you asked, “How’s your college? Is your dorm room pretty cool?”

    Aidan’s raised eyebrow showed that he knew you were changing the subject, but he went along with it.

    “Yeah, I guess. My roommate’s kinda strange. I walked in and found him stapling a sock to the wall.”

    You froze mid-sip. “Are you serious?”

    “Yes! I was so shocked! He said it reminded him of home, or something like that.”

    The whole reason why you asked Aiden to drive an hour and a half to meet you at a random Starbucks came pouring down on you like a bucket of ice water. Freezing, shocking, and completely drenching, leaving no part of you untouched. It was hard to control your expression, to keep the air around the table light-hearted and fun, but Aidan knew you better than anyone, and you could never fool him. He stood up and walked around the table. You scooted over on the bench, allowing him to sit next to you as he reached out and took your hand.

    “What’s wrong Bryn?”

    You couldn’t seem to look at him, so you focused on your entwined hands. It was a sight so familiar to you, yet it felt new. It was different somehow.

    “I don’t think I’m ready for this.”

    “For college?”

    “No, for change,” You clarified. “I don’t want to be so far away from my family, my friends, you, everyone. I finished unpacking and setting up my dorm room earlier, and it was just so… so different. Other than a few thing here and there, it was practically bare. It wasn’t me.”

    Aidan brushed the pad of this thumb over the smooth skin of your wrist.

    “Your family and friends, everyone, we’re just a few hours away. You can come visit us on the weekends,” Aidan pointed out.

    “Yeah, but it won’t be the same. It’s just too big, too much, and all at once. I don’t think I can handle it.”

    “Hey, look at me.”

    Aidan used his free hand, warm from his hot chocolate, and tilted your chin up to look at him. His blue eyes were intense, focused on you.

    “You can do this. Why do you think you’re one of the few people who got a scholarship outside of our hometown? You deserve this more than anyone I know, Bryn. And we’ll miss you more than you realize. The minute your car drove away, I swear it was like Niagra Falls. Everyone was tearing up, and I just felt… I just felt really, really heartbroken. I mean, we’re still together, and it wasn’t like I would never see you again, but all the sudden I realized that I could never just call you up and meet you at McDonalds whenever I wanted.”

    “Why are you saying all this, Aidan? You’re just making me more depressed, ya nart.” You tried to sound teasing, but it was difficult with the heavy atmosphere surrounding the table.

    “I’m telling you this because you need to know that you have to make it worth it. If I’m not going to be able to just come to your house and hold you and just talk at any hour of the day, then you better make it worth it. It’s going to be tough, and nobody’s going to like it, but you deserve this opportunity. And it’ll get easier after a while.” His voice was strong and unwavering, and you felt stronger just sitting next to him, holding his hand.

And then he went and opened his mouth.

"Hopefully, anyway."

    Laughing, you leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Way to make me feel better, Aidan.” You rested your head on his shoulder, the familiar action giving you a little piece of home.

    “I’ll have you know that that speech was not rehearsed. Completely spur of the moment. Right off the top of my head.”

    “Well good for you.”

    “Darn right.”

    You smiled and closed your eyes, feeling relaxed and okay with everything for the first time since you pulled out of your driveway earlier that day.

    “Thanks, Aidan.”

    “My pleasure, Bryngi.”

Want to read more Imagines? Go read "The Boys on the Stairs" by Live2Sing6Rs! There you can find all kinds of Imagines, and it will be updated frequently with both my stories, and the owner of the account's stories. Thanks:D