Not The Same Thing

I don't know if it was me, but there was a sudden change in the air after he blurted those words out.

"What?" I finally got myself to say.

"You shouldn't get yourself wet." He repeats. "You could catch a cold.

"I-i just thought I could make it to the bus s-station on time." Now I'm stuttering?!!!!

He falls in step beside me. "Then walk with me." He says and starts moving.

I didn't need to think twice to know I'd also start walking.

At first, no one said anything. My mind was clouded by what he had said earlier.

"Especially if it's a particular girl that won't stop taking over my thoughts."

What did he mean by that?

Was I the girl he was talking about?

It's not like I've seen him with any other girl, or he speaks to anyone else.

"Where were you off to in such a hurry?" He asks, finally breaking the silence.

"W-work."

"In this rain?" He asks again.

"Well I wanted to go to work before, but I think it's better I just rest at home."

"The headache's back again?" He asks and I shake my head.

"No it's just that-" Then I stop in my steps which makes him to halt. "How did you know I had a headache?"

He stares at me for a moment, saying nothing at the same time, saying everything.

He glances at both my eyes as if trying to find something in there.

"You." He states. "You did."

What?

"When did I-"

"Rain stopped." He interrupts me as he sets his umbrella down and folds it. "Guess it was just a shower after all." He mutters as he stares at the sky.

"You can head to the bus station from here right?" He asks but then starts to walk away before I could respond.

It takes a moment before it dawns on me that he was already leaving, so I hurry up and catch up to me.

"How did you know I was going dash into the rain?" I ask him as soon as I reach his side.

"I didn't." He responds. "The rain started, I had an umbrella because my aunt told me there was going to be a sudden shower, and I didn't recall seeing you with an umbrella."

"Yeah but how did you end up in front of me and not by my side?" I ask again.

If he knew I didn't have an umbrella and he wanted to give me his, then he'd have come from behind, not ahead. Unless,

"I had left school earlier today. The rain started when I was like fifteen minutes away from the school."

I stopped. "What?" I felt perplexed. He can't tell me he turned back just because of me.

He stops a few feet ahead. "Why do you sound surprised?"

"You didn't turn back because of me did you?" I ask him and he nods.

"I did." He didn't takes his eyes off me, unfazed while I was looking everywhere but him.

My eyes would land on him, then immediately elsewhere.

"Why would you?" I ask him. "One moment, you'd shout and glare at me, then the next, you'd act like we've been friends for years."

"I didn't want you to get sick Dalton. There's nothing to it." He says causally.

"Well you must care enough for me to not want be to get sick." I throw those words at him.

He opens his mouth as if to say something, but then immediately closes it.

"We're here " He nods towards the station and turns away.

Avoiding the question are we?

He suddenly stops and turns to me. "It's not like I'm avoiding the question,"

I didn't know I said that out loud!!!

"I'm just not answering it."

"Same thing Harper." I say back.

"It's not-"

"Yeah yeah. My bus is here." I interrupt him and walk past him towards the bus that was starting to get filled.

"It's not the same thing!" He shouts after me.

I turn to him and start to walk backwards. "I'll see you tomorrow Harper!!!" I wave to him and give him a big smile. I turn around and run to the bus, leaving a baffled Matt Harper behind.