Party invitation?

A couple of months had passed, and somehow Halloween was already around the corner.

By then, the routine I’d settled into felt completely normal.

Classes. Studying. The gym. Calling Sarah. Finding something to do when I had free time.

The biggest change was probably the gym.

I’d actually stuck with it.

When I first started going regularly, I wasn’t expecting anything dramatic. I just wanted to get into better shape. But after a couple of months, the difference was obvious.

My shirts fit differently. My shoulders and arms had filled out, and I could see the progress whenever I caught myself in the mirror.

I’d even gotten a few comments from friends and classmates.

It felt good.

Not just because I looked better, but because I’d actually committed to something and followed through.

That afternoon, I finished my workout and grabbed my water bottle. As I was putting my headphones away, I noticed a girl standing nearby.

She smiled.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I’ve seen you here a few times.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I’m usually here around this time.”

She nodded.

“You going to the Halloween party this weekend?”

I hesitated.

“I didn’t know there was one.”

She smiled.

“It’s off campus. A bunch of people from here are going. You should come.”

She gave me the details and then headed back toward the locker room.

I stood there for a second.

My first instinct was to say no.

That was what I usually did.

Go home. Call Sarah. Get some sleep. Repeat.

But I looked around the gym.

A few months ago, I probably wouldn’t have even had this conversation. I wouldn’t have put myself in a position to meet someone new, much less have someone invite me somewhere.

Now I was actually considering it.

I wasn’t sure what that meant.

I knew I was still with Sarah. That hadn’t changed.

But I’d also been telling myself for months that I wanted to experience more of college before it was over.

A Halloween party seemed like exactly the kind of thing the old version of me would’ve skipped without thinking.

I grabbed my bag and headed toward the exit.

Maybe I should actually go.

The thought made me smile.

For the first time, I wasn’t automatically looking for a reason not to.