October 3rd

• Charly Ireland, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

“You write in your diary about us?”
“Yes. Don’t judge me!”
“I’m not judging! I mean, it's cute."
"That's what I say when I'm writing about you."
She huffs out a small laugh. I turn my head away from her face and look up at the starry night sky. All Sage and I are doing is just lying down on a blanket on the roof outside my bedroom window. It’s so simple but so perfect. I couldn’t think of a better date. That might sound cliche and cheesy, but it’s true.
“Ella?” she says, with half her mind somewhere else.
“Yeah?”
I turn my head to face her. The fairy lights on my window curtains produce just enough light so I can admire her beautiful face. She looks like she has something to say but struggles to find the words.
She exhales and takes my hand. “Do you remember when we first started going out?”
“Two years ago. October 3rd. Year nine. You were obsessed with me”
She sits up suddenly, and exclaims, “No, I wasn’t!” and buries her face in her hands to hide her blushing.
I sit up and take her hands. “I mean, I was obsessed with you.”
She blushes even harder. “Shut up.”
“Why? Did you forget the day?” I ask.
“What? No, no!” She chuckles. “I just wanted to check, since it’s October 3rd today, haha”
“Do you have something on your mind?” I ask. When she’s nervous, or has something important to say, she asks questions like this. I think it’s really cute.
She gulps and tilts her head down. “I just wanted to let you know that, um, I… I just don’t want you to say ‘I love you too’ just because you feel obligated to say it back, but um…”
She trails off and I feel her hands shaking in mine. I realise what she’s saying.
“Sage.” I say, brushing her hair. “I love you. And I’m not just saying it.”
She jolts her head up at me. Her light green hair dances with the wind.
“I… love you too.”
She takes her hands away from mine and puts them on my shoulders. I take my arms and wrap them around Sage. She pulls me into a kiss. We break apart after a while and then hug.
“Ella,” she says, still hugging me.
“Yeah?”
“I said it first”
We break out of a hug and back into holding hands. I feel myself blushing and say while giggling, “Hey! I said the actual words. You talked about the words!”
We wrapped our arms around each other. “I still believe I said it first.”
I roll my eyes and nod in a way that’s saying ‘Okay, fine.’ Sage and I always had a way of telling what the other was thinking.
“I love you so much though.”
“I love you too.”