Page 52 of Operation: Ogre

Chapter Twenty-Three

Christopher

Itook a long drink of my sugary coffee, looking at Dan, who sat across the table from me. This was the first time I’d seen him since the school year started. We weren’t as close now as we’d been in high school, though we were friends, and we’d both been busy. I’d run into him outside of the library, and he’d invited me to get coffee. I could’ve hardly said no just because I wanted to go see Jaxon. I couldn’t be the person who ignored all of their friendships because they’d started dating someone.

Not that we were dating. I couldn’t think about dating him, not without freaking out, because dating meant it could end, we could end, and that wasn’t something I could handle.

“How are you doing?” I asked Dan. He looked well enough. His brown hair was neatly brushed, his freckled skin glowed, and his clothes were as stylish as ever. He was even wearing a bowtie.

He took a drink of his warm coffee. “Not great, to be honest.”

I frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Annabeth and I broke up.”

My gut fell to my shoes.

Dan shrugged, but his eyes were slightly glassy. “We made it through the summer, but I didn’t know what I expected. How long does the average college romance last? Not long. I don’t know why I thought we would. Utterly ridiculous. Naive of me, really.”

I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t. A deep throbbing was resounding in my ears. Numbness spread through my body, leaving me feeling not quite real. Everything was distant, and tingles were sparking all over me.

“It was inevitable,” Dan said with a shrug. “It really was. We wanted different things out of life. I mean, we started as friends last year, so maybe that’s why I had hope. But…” He shrugged again. “We just didn’t work.”

“I’m sorry,” I finally managed to say. The words sounded hollow to even my own ears. However, Dan didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ll be alright. Eventually.” Dan gave me a bright smile, revealing the dimples in his cheeks. “But we don’t need to talk about this. Tell me about what’s been going on with you.”

I wanted to answer. I really did, but all I could hear was that it was inevitable. How long did college romances last? Jaxon. We weren’t dating, but… Fuck… I couldn’t… My brain came to a screeching halt. It was as if the entire future had crashed into me at once. A giant “What if?” hung over me.

The world went wavery. I clutched the front of my shirt. Fuck. Not now. Not again. My lungs tried to inflate, but they didn’t seem to want to work. It felt as if my body was trying to rip itself apart. I couldn’t… Everything was too much.

Something warm and gentle pushed my head between my knees. An even voice said, “What are five things you see?”

What?

“Chris, think of five things you see,” the person ordered. No. Not just a random person. Dan.

I saw Dan’s gods-awful wingtip shoes, the floor, a large coffee stain, my own Chucks, and the legs of the table.

After a second, Dan said, “What are four things you hear?”

The coffee grinders, Dan’s smooth voice, people laughing, and the creak of the library door.

My pulse was starting to slow, and my breathing was beginning to even.

“What are three things you feel?”

The chair beneath me, the grasp of his steady hand, and the press of the table’s edge into my arm.

“What are two things you smell?”

“Coffee. Sugar,” I rasped.

“One thing you taste.”

I paused, then looked up at him. “I don’t know. My own spit?”

Dan chuckled. “I guess that works.”