“Hey!” Eileen says as she walks up to me.

“Hey.” I smile at her, “How was the walk?” I ask, not sure exactly what I wanted to talk to her about or why I asked her here. I just needed to get out of the Grotto.

“Oh, you know, fire and brimstone. Zombies were rising from the ground. I almost didn’t make it.” She smiles.

“Well good thing you did.” I say.

“Yea?” She asks with a flirty smile.

Usually I turn girls away, but I don’t with Eileen. It feels good and I realize why I text her. I need to move on. Autumn seems happy with Dr. Douche. While I don’t like him and I’ll still try to dig around to make sure Autumn isn’t in danger, I can’t stay hung up on her. I can still protect her and be happy, right?

“Yea,” I reply, smiling at her, “I was looking forward to meeting you here.”

“Well, now I’m here.” She says softly, stepping closer.

She smells fresh and a little sweet, different than Autumn. In fact, she’s entirely different than Autumn. She confident and outgoing, flirty and open with her feelings. I know how she feels being here with me. She’s not hiding it.

“Do you want to take a walk?” I ask her.

“Sure, I’m down for anything.” She says, falling into step beside me.

We walk down the street, back towards campus, talking. My words come easily with Eileen and having no past together is almost a relief. Being with her is a breath of fresh air. I know exactly where I stand. We stop outside my dorm she turns to me.

“Can I tell you something?” Eileen asks, looking at me.

“Of course.” I say, smiling.

“When we met the other day, I knew that it was going to happen. I saw you and Cal at the party the other week and asked Cal about you. He said he’d introduce us.” She explains. “I didn’t know he was just going to leave us awkwardly like that though.”

I laugh. “Yea, Cal likes to mess with people.” I say, looking at her. “So you stalked me then, huh?” I tease.

“What, no!” She laughs. “You just looked like a fun person to be around.”

“Well, thanks. I’m glad you noticed me.” I tell her.

“Yea? Why’s that?” She asks, stepping close to me.

I’m quiet for a moment, thinking of Autumn. “I want to move on.” I say quietly.

“Well, I’d like to help with that.” She whispers.

Eileen moves forward closer to me and gently places her hands on my sides. She’s so close our breaths combine. A soft breeze swirls around us, teasing our hair. She smiles and stands on her tip toes, our lips nearly touching.

I cup her head with my hands and lean forward, closing the small distance between us. We kiss, softly. Her lips are warm against mine. After a moment she steps back and smiles at me.

“I better get going. I’ll see you soon?” She asks.

I smile, gently squeezing her hand. “Yea, I’ll text you tomorrow.”

I watch her walk away, feeling good. Maybe, in time, I’ll feel great. Autumn will be just a friend, a sister, and I can move on with Eileen. If Autumn didn’t share my feelings, what was the point of hanging onto that wish? I smile to myself and make my way towards my dorm room, weariness weighing down my steps. It’s been a long day.