otherworlderotic
You wake slowly, sunlight streaming in through the window. Reaching for your phone, you see a string of texts from Laura detailing her adventures in Paris yesterday. A smile tugs at your lips as you scroll through her messages:
[12:02 AM] Laura: Woke up early and went for a run! I could live here, it's incredible…
[12:31 AM] Laura: Stopped for the most amazing crepe after, this city really knows breakfast…
[2:44 AM] Laura: Finally feeling less jetlagged…
[5:15 AM] Laura: Classmates and I spent all afternoon wandering around Montmartre, it's so quaint! 💗 Of course we had to trek up a million stairs to see Sacre Coeur Basilica but the view!
You soak in the images, thrilled to experience her excitement vicariously.
Glancing at the timestamp, you do some quick math. It's late morning for you, but early evening for her across the country and the Atlantic. Right on cue, a new message pops up:
[8:01 AM] Laura: Goooood morning! I’m on the metro headed to dinner with classmates. Too crowded to talk but wish you were here! Having the best time but miss you tons. Did I guess your alarm right?
You quickly type back:
[8:03 AM] You: Good morning beautiful! Nailed it. Looks like you're enjoying Paris to the fullest! You must have so many stories already, can we get on a call soon?
You pause before sending, still blinking sleep out of your eyes. That sounds needy, be cool.
[8:05 AM] You: Have an amazing dinner, wish I could be your date 😩 Miss you too.
You hit send, then lean back with a bittersweet sigh. Her absence still feels palpable, an empty space beside you. But seeing her excited makes the distance easier to bear in some ways, harder in others.
Ready to start the day, you get up to make some coffee. As you start the coffee maker, your grogginess fades, replaced by a growing unease.
The time difference had seemed abstract before, but was now proving challenging. When you're starting your day, Laura's is ending. Finding synced moments to connect could be difficult.
You think back to yesterday - her dinner had still been underway when you went to sleep. And this morning, she was already hours into her day while you woke up.
Would timing always be mismatched like this? Would you constantly be catching each other coming and going?
Stupid thought. Time is just time, it’ll be hard like this the whole quarter.
You try to shake off the frustration as you pour your coffee. It's only day two, you just have to get used to this new rhythm. And you'll figure it out - your relationship is worth the effort.
Sipping your coffee, you resolve to stay positive. It's just a quarter, and you'll make the best of it. With that thought, you start getting ready to head out and face the day.
≋ ≋ ≋
A few hours later, as promised, you meet up with Jo for coffee where you and Laura like to go. As you walk in, you immediately spot her waving energetically from a corner table.
"There he is!" Jo exclaims as you approach. She jumps up and pulls you into an enthusiastic hug.
"Oh, how will I ever manage without my darling Laura!" she proclaims dramatically, pretending to sob into your shoulder, body wracked with dramatic over the top motion as she buries her face into your neck.
You laugh and pat her back reassuringly. "There there, we'll get through this together," you reply, playing along with her exaggerated mourning. You’re a little embarrassed at the heads turning your direction that Jo doesn’t seem to notice.
Jo pulls back with a grin, wiping imaginary tears from her cheeks. "But really, it is weird without her here," she says, her tone turning more serious. "I miss my roomie."
You nod understandingly as you both sit down. "I know what you mean. But hey, we still have each other to hang out with!"
Jo's face brightens. "Too true! We'll have to keep ourselves busy. And I’ve got ideas. I need you to wing man for me! I need my own boy toy now that I don’t have you two to watch." She winks at you.
You give a sympathetic smile. "I wish I could Jo, but honestly my course load is brutal this quarter. I think I'll be spending most of my time studying or in class. Engineering, you know."
Jo pouts dramatically. "What! You can't abandon me too. I'll die of loneliness without both members of my favorite duo to entertain me."
"You poor thing, you’ll have to stay strong without us for a bit. But hey, why don't you join some clubs or campus activities? Could be a great way to meet new people. Or just party more…" You think back to her series of rejections at the last party, plus the near fight. “Actually, the clubs. Do the clubs.”
Jo taps her chin contemplatively. "Not a bad idea...I do love being dramatic. Maybe I'll audition for a play or something!"
Her eyes light up as she gets an idea. "Ooh, I met this girl who has all sorts of fun ideas, she writes stuff. Sexy fantasy stuff. I’ll talk to her about it, she seemed to like me. Also she’s super cute."
You toast to that with your coffee. "See, there you go! Cute girl! Good. Wait, sexy fantasy stuff?"
Jo grins. "I’ll show you some day, if she lets me. Anyways, you're right, I can do this. I'll channel my inner social butterfly." She flutters her hands dramatically as if they were wings, prompting you to roll your eyes.
“Oh who’s the dramatic one now, mister? Speaking of drama, let’s send Laura a selfie! She’ll like to see us, plus it will make her jealous,” she winks at you, and you give her a disapproving look.
She frowns at you playfully. “Hey, she chose to abandon us, right?”
You nod. “You really bring out the worst in me. Ok, come here.”
Jo cozies up to you, holding out her phone and making an expression of over the top joy. She snaps the pic and fires it off to Laura with a short message.
Soon, you’re playfully bickering again, about Laura, about classes, about weird opinions Jo has about what things are acceptable on toast and what things aren’t. Her animated spirit and humor are contagious, and you find yourself getting caught up in her enthusiasm.
Jo regales you with over-the-top accounts of classroom mishaps and colorful campus characters she's encountered recently. It’s hard to believe she has enough hours in the day to generate so many stories.
Before you know it, you've been at the cafe for over an hour, your coffee long empty. You've been so absorbed in the conversation, you barely noticed time passing.
As you reluctantly check the time and mention needing to get going, you and Jo share a warm smile. Her company, offbeat as it is, has lifted your spirits and taken your mind off missing Laura, even if just briefly. Wait, your mind has been off Laura…
As you’re fumbling to get your phone out of your pocket, you realize it’s very late in Paris. You pull out your phone. 15 unread messages. Uh oh. You rush outside, sitting down on a bench to pore over them.
[11:47 AM] Laura: Back from dinner!
[11:55 AM] Laura: There's this really nice upperclassman named Michael who's been so welcoming. He's probably going into the master's program here and has great advice about professors and stuff! Super helpful.
[12:04 PM] Laura: Everyone is seriously so cool. Claire and Simone already invited me to visit their families in Lyon and Nice next month! Already. People are so nice. This is a dream.
[12:11 PM] Laura: Ok wait, just saw that selfie with you and Jo. Her top is...low cut as always. Keep those eyes up, mister! 😜
[12:35 PM] Laura: Hellloooo? Why aren't you answering me? Don't tell me Jo is being too entertaining...
[1:02 PM] Laura: Okay, sorry, that was petty. I'm just feeling frustrated and lonely tonight.
[1:14 PM] Laura: Boyyyyyyfriennnndddddd where are you? 😭
[1:37 PM] Laura: Ughhh ok I'm wiped. Going to bed soon since I'm still adjusting.
[1:41 PM] Laura: But you owe me a bunch of pics tomorrow so I have cute things to wake up to! Send me your handsome face. And some shirtless wouldn't hurt either 😉
[1:58 PM] Laura: Off to bed now. Wish we could have actually talked. I love you ❤️
You groan. Not a good look.
[2:11 PM] You: Crap, I'm so sorry I missed your messages! I got caught up hanging with Jo and lost track of time. I feel awful, I should have been more thoughtful about the time difference.
[2:13 PM] You: I promise I'll make it up to you with lots of pics and messages tomorrow. Please try not to worry, I'm here for you even from far away! Get some good rest, beautiful. I love you! ❤️
With an uneasy feeling, you pocket your phone, hoping she wakes up feeling reassured. Her disappointed messages replay in your mind. You resolve to be more attentive from here on out.
≋ ≋ ≋
Eager to make up for missing Laura's texts last night, you spend the next day sending her updates and photos as promised. However, with classes not yet in session, your day proves relatively uneventful.
You spend much of it gaming, enjoying the last moments of freedom before the quarter gets underway. You snap some quick selfies in between matches that you text to Laura - lounging on the couch, grinning trying for a sexy angle.
You pull of your pants, going for a posed, shirtless-in-boxers-shot, feeling a bit silly. But you know she'll appreciate it when she wakes up across the ocean. You fortify the spicy pictures with sweet messages, trying anything to make up for some of the missed connection from earlier today.
Knowing you need to be up early, you decide to turn in at a reasonable hour. Settling into bed, you hope for interesting classes tomorrow, and a good start to the quarter, for both you and Laura.
≋ ≋ ≋
Morning sunlight streams in, stirring you awake. Still groggy, it takes a moment before you jolt upright in realization - the sun shouldn’t be that high, and you didn’t wake up to an alarm… it's the first day of classes and you're late!
Grabbing your phone, you see with horror that you've overslept through your 8am alarm. Laura's messages from the night before flood the screen but there's no time to read them.
You leap out of bed, scrambling to get ready in a blur. No time for a shower, you sloppily brush your teeth and throw on yesterday's clothes.
Attempting to smooth your disheveled hair, you rush out the door, hurriedly tapping out a text to Laura:
[8:05 AM] You: So sorry, overslept and now running late for my first class! We'll talk later, love you!
You practically sprint across campus, getting mystified glances from more punctual students. Skidding to a stop outside the lecture hall, you take a second to catch your breath, heart pounding wildly.
Taking a deep steadying breath, you straighten up and head inside, bracing yourself for the inevitable glare from your professor.
You open the door and slink in, trying to become microscopic. The professor halts reviewing the syllabus, your tardy entrance earns you an immediate scolding.
"Nice of you to join us," she remarks wryly as all eyes turn to you.
You apologize profusely and take the only available seat up front, cheeks burning.
The professor resumes the syllabus overview, and you catch your breath. Your phone feels like it's burning a hole in your pocket, but there’s no shot you’re going to check it now, after already earning the ire of your new professor.
What is this class again? You’re so frazzled you have to take a moment to remember. Right. Art history. The class you were going to take with Laura. Instead, you're stranded up front, chastised on day one, while Laura lives her dream unencumbered across the ocean. The irony is not lost on you.
As the professor expounds on the in-depth analysis required for the papers, your heart sinks. You'd chosen this class as a fun surprise for Laura, imagining leisurely lectures appreciating great art together. This was supposed to be an easy elective, and a sweet thing to do with Laura. It seems like it’s going to be neither.
Speaking of Laura - a few buzzes in your pocket intensify your unease. Still unable to check, you agonizingly wonder about the messages. As the professor continues an impassioned speech about the rigorous reading and writing required for an upper division art history course.
≋ ≋ ≋
When class finally ends, you exhale, letting out a breath that feels like you’ve been holding it for the entire duration of the class. As you retrieve your loudly buzzing phone, you realize that juggling school and Laura will be harder than anticipated.
With only 15 minutes before your next class, you hurriedly read through Laura's unanswered texts:
[1:45 AM] Laura: 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 looking good mister! 😍
[1:48 AM] Laura: it’s only fair…
[2:03 AM] Laura: Ok, I’m starting to miss eggs and bacon. Why is it only a croissant ever for breakfast? I’m like starving by lunch. I need some protein!
[2:30 AM] Laura: Also, I had no idea butter could just be an ingredient of a sandwich. I mean like full on slabs. Google jambon beurre. It’s good 🙈
[7:45 AM] Laura: Hey you, good morning! Classes finally got going today, and it was good, just overwhelming. I feel like after the first quarter I finally had a hang on college, but now it’s like a totally new thing. Like a new culture, new way of interacting with professors, classmates… finding classes…
[7:48 AM] Laura: I'm feeling kinda homesick tonight. Going to stay in and just put something together for dinner. Everything is so unfamiliar and everyone speaks French SO fast. It's overwhelming. I know it wasn’t realistic to think I could pick it up quickly, but it’s like, impossible.
[7:50 AM] Laura: Like, everyone else in the program seems comfortable already with the campus and city. I feel like the odd one out who can't keep up.
[7:53 AM] Laura: Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. I'm not as prepared as I thought. ☹️
[7:56 AM] Laura: Ugh, sorry for the depressing rambling. Whats up for you today? I miss you. I need a distraction.
You grimace, cursing yourself for not being able to be there she needed support. This is a really bad start to things. Again. You glance at the time… and you can’t make it right just yet, you have to get moving to your next class.
[8:05 AM] You: So sorry, overslept and now running late for my first class! We'll talk later, love you!
You rush off across campus to the engineering building, feeling a pressure on your chest.
≋ ≋ ≋
Another class, another complete failure to sneak surreptitious glances at your phone. This professor was a real stickler about technology. Who makes a “no laptops” rule in an engineering class? Tenure was a mistake.
Exhausted from worry, you plop down on the floor in the hallway outside the engineering building, not caring what others will think. You review the many messages in your phone:
[8:10 AM] Laura: ok… have fun. Sorry you’re late.
[8:25 AM] Laura: ugh, sad girl dinner tonight. I don’t really have cooking stuff so I’ve got just like a baguette and some fruit.
[8:37 AM] Laura: I hope your class is going well…
[8:40 AM] Laura: ugh I am in such a bad mood I’m sorry. I should have bought some wine…
Poor Laura - it’s 9:30 AM here, now, so that means its… 6:30 PM in Paris. Not too late.
[9:32 AM] You: Hey, I'm so so sorry about today. It’s been a mess for me, first day of classes and all.
[9:33 AM] You: I feel awful leaving you hanging when you're feeling down. Sorry. Just a stupid first day of classes mistake.
You pause, thinking. She needs a pep talk.
[9:36 AM] You: This is just an adjustment period, I know you'll get the hang of things soon. Be patient with yourself, you've got this! ❤️You’re bold, don’t forget.
You wait a couple minutes for a response, but none comes. You pull yourself up from the floor and head home.
≋ ≋ ≋
When you get home, you throw your backpack on the couch and plop down next to it. You have a sudden flash of memory, watching The Notebook with Laura. You pull out your phone.
[9:50 AM] Laura: Ok, don't worry about it. I'm going to bed early, good night.
Dejected, you text back:
[9:43 AM] You: Okay, sleep well. I'm here when you want to talk more. Love you!
The emotional distance hurts, even from thousands of miles away. Why is this so hard? Time is stupid.
This is going to be a tough quarter.
