Текст книги "Avoiding Commitment"
Автор книги: K. A. Linde
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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 29 страниц)
“Whatever! Just explain this to me. Why should I go see him? Nothing good ever comes out of me being around him. I know this and you know this. The whole world should know this. Give me one good reason I should go see him.” Chyna couldn’t be serious! After all, Lexi had been so proud of herself for turning him down for once in her life.
“Closure.”
“I don’t need closure,” Lexi stated stubbornly.
“Come on. Honestly, Alexa. I’m not sure you have ever gotten over this guy. I’ve tried to get you into a relationship, and you’ve dated a few of the people I’ve thrown your way, but it was never anything substantial. You need to move on, but how can you do that when you’re still hung up on a guy you haven’t heard from in two years? Oh wait, you can’t!” she exclaimed cocking her head to the side to really examine Lexi. “Now you’ve been through some rough times, and honestly you’ve been a bit of a depressive. I get it. I’ve been there too, and I understand. Maybe not with a guy, but my parents and I have all those issues. You need to go to Atlanta, meet this girl, tell her exactly how much of a scumbag Jack truly is, and then get the hell out of there!”
Lexi hesitated and then nodded seeing her logic. “Maybe you’re right.”
“No, I know I’m right,” Chyna said hopping off the bed and moseying into her walk-in closet as if that ended the discussion.
Lexi stayed seated considering Chyna’s argument. The girl had a point. After everything she had gone through with Jack, maybe this was exactly what she needed, even if it wasn’t necessarily what she wanted. Still undecided, Lexi joined Chyna in her closet. As Chyna chose something to wear, Lexi remained lost in her thoughts. She knew that Chyna’s statements made sense, but how could she ever face Jack? Once Lexi had realized who was on the line, she had nearly hyperventilated. How would she react when she saw him in person? She really didn’t know, but she didn’t think she could turn down the opportunity to see him either. “Ok, I’ll do it.”
“I knew you had it in you,” Chyna said sliding on a pair of brown strappy sandals and exiting the closet. “Now go make that phone call while I fix my hair and makeup.”
Lexi gulped as Chyna walked into her bathroom, likely not to surface for a while. She had agreed to do it; now she just had to calm herself down enough to make the call. Her palms felt slick with sweat as she sat down at the mahogany writing desk and pulled her phone out of her black handbag. She hesitantly flipped it open and scrolled through the address book. Lexi was thankful, at least, that she had added his number to her phone this morning instead of erasing it.
She worked up the courage to press the button, then immediately hung up. Her hands were shaking so furiously, she nearly dropped the phone. Taking a few breaths to try to calm down, she punched the send button again. Listening as the phone rang twice nearly unnerved her, but then the line clicked over.
“Lex,” Jack said surprised. “I didn’t expect to hear from you.”
“You implied,” she began her voice cracking slightly with the effort of staying calm, “that I could call you.”
“Sure. I said you could call me. I just never thought you actually would.”
“Yeah, I’m full of surprises,” she said trying to play off her apprehension.
“Always were,” he said quietly.
Lexi sighed before venturing forward. “My internship ends in two weeks. I will probably be coming to Atlanta to see my parents after that. So, I guess, what I’m trying to say is…that I’ll do it. I’ll come see you,” she paused before allowing the last part of her sentence to roll off her tongue, “and meet your girlfriend.”
CHAPTER 2
SEPTEMBER SIX YEARS EARLIER
When Lexi first arrived at her freshman dorm, her resident assistant called a hall meeting for all the freshman students. At the meeting her resident assistant distributed a directory listing local restaurants, clubs, bars, and an array of study nooks for the incoming freshman. Nearly every girl tossed the packet into the garbage as soon as they left the meeting, but Lexi held onto it hoping it would come to good use in locating a perfect locale to study. She investigated a handful of these locations, but found them not to her tastes.
When she finally stumbled upon one particular coffee shop near the end of the list, she instantly fell in love. The coffee shop itself was nothing spectacular. To be honest, it was on the small side, especially for a college town. But the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee beans that enveloped her senses when she set foot in the dimly lit shop sold her. It was perfect! Twenty unmatched tables were tightly pressed together with barely enough room to squeeze between. Green filtered lamps of various shapes and sizes rested atop each table casting a pleasant emerald glow upon the customers. Counter space was nearly impossible to acquire.
As the winter months gradually approached, a roaring fire crackled in a corner fireplace. Cushioned green lounge chairs and dilapidated couches were scattered haphazardly against the walls and surrounding the fireplace. On any given day, the tables were occupied by students and professors alike discussing anything from nuclear physics to Aristotelian philosophy to Freudian psychology.
After Lexi spent a few late nights in this cozy nook, she laid claim to one of the tables facing the counter. She had chosen that particular table specifically for the instances when he was working. At first, she hadn’t even really noticed him. But the more time she spent there, the more often she crossed paths with him. And she couldn’t stop coming by hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Her friends, who preferred to study at the university learning center, kept trying to rouse her from the coffee shop. None of them could understand why she would want to work in such a loud, crowded, poorly lit space with a feeble internet connection. When they asked her why she refused to leave, she gave them the excuse of enjoying the atmosphere, but they finally weaseled it out of her.
Him.
The next day after her secret was revealed, Lexi found herself sitting at her usual table with her friend, Olivia, for company. “Well, what do you think?” Lexi asked as she flipped through her introductory philosophy class notes, skimming through the most recent lecture on Empiricists.
“You’re right. He is pretty hot,” Olivia confirmed, running her fingers through her bleached blonde pixie cut, letting the tiny strands of hair fall effortlessly back into place.
“I meant about Locke.”
“He’s dead right?” Olivia asked uninterested.
Lexi rolled her eyes. “No, I mean...what’s his idea about knowledge?” she asked trying hard not to glance up at him while Olivia blatantly ogled the eye candy.
“Honestly, I don’t care. I hate this stuff. I might just drop the class altogether. I don’t get it,” Olivia said shrugging her shoulders at her own indecipherable notes. She glanced back up at the guy working the counter. “Him, I can fully understand. You should give it a shot.”
Lexi brushed her off, feeling the weight of her gaze uncomfortably. “No, what I need to shoot for is an A on this test.”
Olivia rolled her eyes dramatically. “Whatever, you know you’re going to get an A, but don’t you want to at least meet him? Know his name?”
It was Lexi’s turn to shrug. “Yeah, I guess,” she conceded.
“Have you ever even had a boyfriend?” Olivia asked giggling a little at that inexplicable possibility.
“Of course I’ve had a boyfriend,” Lexi retorted defensively. “I’m just not looking for one now.”
“I didn’t say you wanted or even needed a relationship. We’re freshman. We’re just supposed to have fun and make mistakes anyway. So you should at least meet him and hang out with him,” she uttered persuasively. Lexi shrugged noncommittally returning to her notes.
After a pause, Olivia changed topics, “So, anyway, are you coming to Nick and Neal’s show tonight at The Theatre?”
“Yeah, I should be there,” Lexi confirmed.
“Good, I’ve been helping them plan this for a month. I need as many people there as possible.” Lexi just nodded since she had heard this same rant nearly every day since Olivia had decided to become their publicist. “I’m going to get myself a drink from sexy Coffee Guy,” she added a wink just for good measure, “and then I’m going to head back to the dorm to get ready for tonight. You comin’ with, doll?”
“Nah, I’m going to finish here,” she said gesturing to her notebooks sprawled on the table. “But I’ll meet you later,” Lexi said scribbling a quick note into her study guide. She watched Olivia slink over to the counter to get her coffee. Lexi quickly averted her eyes to avoid watching her shamelessly flirt with the guy she was interested in. She figured it didn’t really matter that much anyway. This guy was no one to her. He was just a pretty face in a sea of pretty faces in the crowd or at least that’s what she tried to convince herself.
*****
A few hours later, Lexi, Olivia, and fifteen other people they had managed to drag out of the dorms were casually standing in front of the stage at The Theatre waiting for Nick and Neal to begin their set. The Theatre was a large open space with couches positioned around the perimeter and for smaller shows, like tonight, on the main floor.
As the time passed, the room gradually filled with regulars and other locals. Considering this was Nick and Neal’s first real performance, the crowd was relatively large. A unanimous bounce began as the throng of people fell into rhythm with the flow of the music that Nick was spinning, Neal’s original lyrics filling the room. Lexi sang along with some of the words she remembered from hanging out with them.
“You’re not bad. Maybe you should show them how it’s done,” someone said to her.
Lexi laughed out loud letting her curls bounce lightly. She turned to address whoever had addressed her and was face to face with him. She froze mid-laugh.
“You think so?” she asked trying to recover from her shock at seeing him here, standing next to her, talking to her.
“Honestly, no,” he said with a sly smile.
“Well, thanks. I’m very offended right now.” Lexi placed her hand over her wounded heart. “So...do I know you or do you always just insult people when you first meet them?”
He bent down so he she was better able to hear him. He smelled like a heavenly combination of soap and sexy cologne. “I think you study at the coffee shop where I work.”
She turned her head up to face him. His brown hair fell neatly across his eyes as he looked down at her. She had never noticed just how clear blue his eyes really were until they were set intently and solely on her. “I think you might be right,” she confirmed giving him a coy smile. She was having a hard time breathing with him looking at her so intently. She could practically feel the energy crackling between their bodies at his nearness. Trying to ease the sexual tension she was feeling, she asked him, “Are you much into college boy rap?”
His laugh was easy and sincere and she loved the musicality of it. “No, not really, but this guy’s not bad. Is he a friend of yours?”
“Yeah, he lives in my dorm.” She cringed realizing she had just given away her youth. She had no idea how old he was or whether he would consider a freshman to be worth his time.
“Nice. Those guys over there.” He gestured with his thumb to three guys clustered behind him. “They lived on my hall last year in the dorms. Which one are you in?”
Lexi let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she had been holding. “Um...Russell.”
“That’s where we were,” he said smiling bigger. “Fifth floor east. You?”
“Five north,” she told him. If she had only been a year older, she could have lived on the same hall as him for a year. Her head swam with the thought.
“Small world.”
“Yeah, it is. How exactly did you hear about the band? I mean, if you don’t really listen to the music,” she couldn’t help but ask.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of purple paper. He opened it revealing the PR flyer Olivia had been relentlessly handing out for the past two weeks. “I believe a friend of yours gave this to me,” he said pointing to Olivia over the crowd of people.
Lexi giggled. That little devil. Olivia hadn’t been flirting with him when she had gone to get her coffee earlier that afternoon. In fact, she had been helping her by convincing Coffee Guy to come here. “Well, yeah, that’s Olivia for you,” she said shrugging, making an attempt at nonchalance. “Oh, I’m Lexi, by the way.” She extended her hand out to him.
“Lexi...hmm...I like that,” he said taking her outstretched hand firmly in his. “Jack. It’s nice to meet you,”
Silence fell between them as the show progressed. The hip-hop beats blaring in the background made it difficult to carry on a conversation. The crowd filed outside for intermission when the set was complete, allowing the main act time to set-up on stage. Several people lit cigarettes as soon as they exited The Theatre, but Lexi steered clear of them. She watched as some of her friends made their way to the back entrance of the black building to meet up with Nick and Neal. Lexi waited awkwardly with Jack at the front of the building waiting for Olivia to surface.
A few second later, Olivia exited through the doors covered with a collage of torn flyers advertising upcoming shows. She bounded up to them humming one of the songs she preferred. “Hey, sweetie,” she said kissing Lexi on the cheek. Her eyes were glazed over a little and her low cut blouse smelled strongly of beer and secondhand smoke. Before Lexi had a chance to respond, she stumbled along after the rest of the group.
“I guess she’s a bit drunk,” Lexi commented shrugging her shoulders as she let her gaze land back on Jack.
“A bit?” he questioned with a smirk. “Hold on one second.” He directed his attention on his friends hovering behind him. “Hey guys, I’ll meet you at Chamber. I think Chasity said she was working.” Nodding, the three guys disappeared down the street leaving Jack and Lexi alone.
Lexi assumed Chasity was a bartender, but refrained from asking. She had no desire whatsoever to know how they knew each other...or how well. “I’m not sure what my friends are doing,” she said glancing around the corner. The group she had arrived with were stumbling around outside with Nick and Neal at the center. “But by the look of things, I’m going to have to carry half of them home.” At only a couple inches over five feet, that really would be a feat. “I should go catch up with them before they get into any trouble,” she said concerned.
“My friends are probably lost without me too,” he said jokingly.
“Are you working tomorrow?” she asked not anxious to leave his presence.
“Are you studying tomorrow?” he countered flirtatiously.
“Yeah,” she confirmed, thinking about the daunting stack of homework on her desk.
“Then I should be there.”
She stood with him another second taking in his near flawless appearance. He wore dark snug-fit jeans, a black button-up rolled to three-quarter length, and worn navy Chuck Taylor’s. He was taller than her by more than half a dozen inches with a well-toned muscular physique. She figured she wouldn’t be able to reach his lips if she stood on her tip-toes, but he was strong enough to pick her up to them. Quickly pushing the idea out of her mind, she snapped herself back to reality. “Guess I’ll see you there.”
“Sounds good,” he said as she turned and began to walk down the alleyway toward her friends. After a moment’s hesitation, he called out to her and jogged down the street after her. She turned on her green high heels to find him standing before her again. “I know you have to study tomorrow, but what are you doing Friday?” he asked hesitantly.
She paused giving enough time to make it seem like she was considering her schedule. “I don’t have any plans,” she finally responded, fighting the uncontrollable silly grin contorting her features.
“Do you want to hang out?”
She nodded. “I thought you’d never ask.”
*****
Friday night Lexi found herself pacing her tiny dorm room twining her dark curls around her fingers. The room was nothing special, but she and Jennifer made it look the best they could with the space provided.
Two beds were lofted on opposite sides of the room. A black futon rested under Lexi’s; two mini fridges and a tiny tube television sat under her roommate’s. A red and black print rug covered the tile floor and red curtains blocked out the view of the other high-rise dorms surrounding them. Lexi’s side of the wrap-around metal desk held her black laptop and a selection of her favorite books and textbooks. The wall adjacent her desk held a collage of photographs neatly arranged. Jennifer’s desk was a mess of multi-colored paper clips, geometrically shaped Post-It notes, and furry-topped pens. The walls were lined with sorority initiation paraphernalia that made Lexi roll her eyes every time she glanced over there.
“Jen, do you think I look okay?”
Jennifer gave her a once-over. Lexi wore black, slightly-worn, skinny jeans, a pale green camisole with lace-trim and black thong sandals that strapped around her ankle. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with the dark bouncing curls streaming out of the rubber band. A light coat of black mascara brushed her eyelashes and a hint of shimmer lip gloss adorned her lips. “Mmm,” Jennifer murmured tilting her head to the side before turning back to her Latin homework spread out across the futon.
Lexi placed her hands on her hip exasperated. “What does mmm mean?”
Jennifer shrugged. “You should probably pull your hair down, run a straightener through it, and put on a cute dress,” she said as a matter-of-fact. She hadn’t even glanced up from her five-subject notebook. “I have this perfect purple ensemble that will do wonders to detract from your plain brown eyes.”
Lexi was starting to get used to this behavior. Jennifer was remarkably honest, to a fault. But she was also incredibly judgmental which made her blatant honesty not as flattering. “I think we’re going to be outside though,” Lexi told her, turning to face the full-length mirror hanging on the back of their door.
“It’s like seventy degrees outside,” Jennifer said. Her gum smacked against the roof of her mouth as she spoke. “You can still wear a dress.”
Jennifer thought everyone should wear a dress, all the time, for every occasion, even when it was freezing. Lexi was pretty certain that the only time Jennifer went without a dress was when she showered. She was even lounging in a dress while studying Latin!
Both her parents came from old southern money dating back pre-Civil War. The Country Club, where they resided, played host to a number of stars. She had once complained about missing Halloween away from home, because that year a certain male rapper had actually answered the door to pass out candy.
“Well, it could be colder tonight,” Lexi grumbled snatching her cell phone off her desk and cramming it into her plum purse. “I’m going to see Olivia. Have fun studying.”
Lexi darted down the hall as her phone trilled inside her purse. Opening the cold metal clasp, she retrieved the cell and answered. “Hey, do you want me to come upstairs?” Jack asked from the other line.
“Nah. No point in making you try to get past security. I’ll be right down.” Lexi scrambled down the four flights of stairs as fast as she could, making it to the landing before the elevator dinged. Racing down the steep hill that led to the street below, Lexi recognized his little silver sports car waiting with the hazard lights blinking. She slipped her hand under the handle to pop the door open and slid smoothly onto the black leather seat. He let off the clutch and slung the car into gear as soon as he heard the latch click. “So, where are we going?” she asked relaxing back into the soft material.
“It’s a surprise,” he said, shifting gears as they picked up speed.
“Hmm...I like surprises.”
“I thought you might.” He glanced at her briefly before turning left.
Lexi hadn’t been sure whether or not to treat this as if it were a date. He had asked her out, but when they talked on the phone, he had acted as if it was no big deal. She didn’t care to agonize over it though. She didn’t know him yet, so as far as she was concerned the status of their relationship, if you could even call it that, was hardly relevant. One step at a time.
John Mayer’s acoustic cover of Free Fallin’ filled the silence as Jack drove them away from the center of town. Jack tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in time with the guitar chords. “Do you play,” she asked watching how well his fingers moved.
“A little,” he said with a sexy smirk.
“Oh yeah? What instruments?”
“Just guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and some drums, but I’m really rusty.”
“Jesus! All I can do is sing.”
“Oh, and I sing,” he smirked as he hit the break at a red light.
“Well don’t you seem to be good at everything,” Lexi said staring up at him through thick dark lashes.
She could tell that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. “You just wait and see.”
“I look forward to it.” She giggled turning back to the road. Something about Jack seemed to just fit. The flirting, the desirous looks, the uncomplicated conversation was all so easy between them.
Lexi’s eyes widened as they turned onto a stretch of university property that until now had been empty fields. Instead, a bright twirling Ferris wheel had been erected in the center of the field with an array of carnival rides and booths displayed around the centerpiece. “I didn’t know a carnival was coming through town!”
“One night only,” he said wiggling his eyebrows up and down. “The university sets up celebrations like this throughout the year. Since you’re new, I thought I’d take you to the first one of the year.”
A plump older man in an orange vest holding a light stick directed them into a makeshift parking spot on the lawn.
The couple trekked across the muddy terrain towards the vinyl ticket booth. Handing over their student identification cards, the student association representative slid the cards through a reader. The machine dinged each time authorizing their authenticity. “Have a good time and don’t forget to grab a complimentary t-shirt on your way out,” the woman said handing them back their cards with one hand and gesturing to a display of boxes containing hundreds of bright green tees.
“Thanks,” Jack said grabbing Lexi’s arm and racing through the entrance.
They made it only a dozen feet before unexpectedly running into Jack’s roommates, Seth, Luke, and Michael, who were with two of their other friends, Clark and Hunter. Each looked more excited than the next. Between them they were counting out what looked like several hundred orange paper tickets like little kids in Chuck E. Cheese.
Seth snatched up a handful out of Clark’s palm and deposited them in his pocket. “Hey, what the fuck are you doing?” Clark cried launching himself onto Seth.
Seth chuckled as he sidestepped Clark’s advances. “You don’t need all of those,” he said tauntingly.
“You took all of my goddamn tickets, jackass,” Clark yelled grabbing at Seth’s pocket as the rest of the guys burst out laughing.
Seth threw his hands up. “Geez, Clark, you’re very forward. I feel like we’ve just met. At least take me to dinner first.”
“Ha. Ha,” Clark said sarcastically, placing his tickets firmly back into his own pocket.
“Hey guys,” Jack said laughing along with the rest at their behavior. “Not sure if you’ve met already, but this is Lexi.”
The guys gave their names and nodded hellos. That was all the introduction they afforded her before they were ready to attack the rides. “Let’s hit the Bumper Cars before the line wraps around the park,” Seth said edging towards the far side of the field.
“Bumper Cars? No way. I’m never riding Bumper Cars with you assholes again. Ya’ll gang up on me every time,” Luke complained. “Can we just do something like the Scrambler?”
Seth rolled his eyes. “Don’t be such a fag, Luke. We would never pick on you. How old do you think we are?” This coming from the guy who just snagged someone else’s tickets.
After finally convincing Luke to join them, the group moved over to get into line for the Bumper Cars. Jack sidled up to Lexi. “We actually do gang up on Luke,” he whispered in her ear, laughing. “Better make sure you join in on the fun. His reaction will be well worth it.”
Of course, he was right. Luke instantly began pummeling anything he could get his hands on, even knocking over a tiny blonde in his angst. His friends’ laughter only egged him on further.
Jack slung his arm across Lexi’s shoulders as they doubled over in a fit of giggles. “I cannot believe him,” she said wiping away tears of laughter.
“He is a riot,” Jack confirmed watching Luke try to take a swing at Seth who ducked under his half-hearted blow easily. “Why don’t we get you something to rot your teeth,” Jack suggested pulling her away from his friends who had begun to brawl outside of the Bumper Cars and directing them towards the cotton candy machine. “So tell me, Lex, what do you normally do on Friday nights?”
She shrugged. “I hang out with my roommate or Olivia, go downtown, see movies, game nights, dinners, fraternity parties,” she added at last.
“Cool. I like to do all of those things,” he said with an easy-going smile.
“Fraternity parties?” she questioned raising an eyebrow.
“Mike’s in a fraternity. So, yes, even fraternity parties. Probably not as often as my freshman year though.”
Lexi snatched a piece of the sweet pink cloud and stuck it in her mouth as they walked towards the Ferris wheel. The sticky goodness dissolved almost instantly leaving a trail of sugar across her lips. Jack’s eyes had zeroed in on the traces of the candy still on her lips. She licked them experimentally tasting a mixture of her lip gloss and sugar. “You’re such a mess,” he said indicating where she had missed a spot. His eyes gave away other thoughts.
The Ferris wheel line had already begun to wrap around the edge of the giant machine. The two placed themselves at the back of the line and continued their conversation. “What’s your major?” he asked plopping a piece of the cotton candy into his own mouth.
“As of today, I’m undecided,” she proclaimed cheerfully.
“An indecisive one, I like it.”
“I’m not indecisive. Just open minded.”
“Same thing.”
“Well, what’s your major, Mr. Decisive.”
He shook his head. “I’m not decisive, just practical. I’m Pre-Business, likely going to the accounting route. Not so sure though.”
Lexi wrinkled her nose. “Eww. I’ll forestall practical. Thank you!”
His laugh boomed out of him. “Yeah, it’s what I’m good at.”
“At least there are a lot of jobs out there for you. Not much a person can do while being undecided and what I really want to do has only a few more jobs than that,” she said shrugging her shoulders helplessly.
“And what is that? What do you really want to do?” he asked giving her a very serious meaningful look.
Lexi considered not telling him for an instant then gave in. “Gymnastics.” Her eyes glazed over at the thought of being able to fly through the air, jumping effortlessly from a spring board, weather-worn calluses coating her hands from the uneven bars.
“That’s awesome. Have you talked to the Gymnastics Team here? If you like it so much, you should try out,” he said enthusiastically.
She shook herself out of her cloudy visions. “No,” she responded solemnly.
“Why not?”
“You don’t just try out for the Gymnastics Team here. They’re amazing. If they don’t recruit you, then you have no chance. No walk-ons. Nothing.”
“How do you know that? Were you recruited?”
“No, I wasn’t,” she said a bit sharper than she had intended, the bitterness sneaking into her voice.
“Oh, well, I know one of the gymnasts. I bet she could talk to the coach. Even if you can’t be on the team, you could probably practice with them.” The glance she gave to him was as if she were approaching a Martian. “Ok, maybe not,” he said raising his eyebrows and taking another bite of the cotton candy to prevent himself from speaking again.
“Even if I could get to talk with the coach, there would be no way she would let me practice with them,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Never know until you try,” he said swallowing the remaining bit. “Here we are.” Jack handed the man four orange tickets, and ushered Lexi into a big swinging yellow bucket with the number twenty-five plastered against the back.
Lexi felt weightless as the machine cranked them around in an endless circle. They rotated three or four times, Jack shaking their bucket back and forth until he rattled the whole ride. A large girl with too tight jeans and a way too tight shirt rode in front of them threatening him the whole time. “Calm down,” she said putting her hand on his knee. “We don’t want to get kicked off.”
“I know the guy who’s running it. No way we’ll get kicked off,” he said throwing his arm across the back of the bucket seat, but stopping nonetheless.
As they made their final rotation, the ride crawled to a stop leaving Jack and Lexi on the very top of the ride looking out across the open fields. Jack’s arm fell from the seat back and landed gingerly across her shoulders. She allowed him to pull her into him, her head falling into place between his shoulder and neck. She sighed contentedly, gazing out across the night sky filled with twinkling white stars burning in the distance.
They spent the next several hours perusing the carnival life. He even won her a huge teddy bear from a darts game. She held it tightly as they made their way towards the exit with the rest of the crowd. A plump associate stuffed two green t-shirts in their hands as they stepped across the threshold. The distance back to the dorm felt like only seconds compared to earlier in the evening. Jack skidded to a halt in front of the hill that led up to the dorm entrance.
“Do you want me to park and walk you up?” he asked turning his warning blinkers on again.
“No, not necessary. Thanks,” she said grabbing her purse from the floor and raising it to her shoulder. With shirt and bear in hand, she popped the door open.
