Page 22 of From Our First

Damn, I needed a fucking cup of coffee.

And I needed to get that girl out of my head. I hadn’t even asked her name. Sure, I might know what she felt like up against me now, but that didn’t matter. I would never see her again. And that was fine with me.

As soon as class ended, I piled my things into my bag, waved off a friend, and practically ran to the coffee place.

Thankfully, I was somehow first in line. We were between breaks, and the organic chemistry class went a little longer than others. I got a venti triple shot macchiato and nearly chugged it, ignoring the burn on my tongue.

I turned the corner and cursed as the coffee slopped over the rim of my cup onto my shirt, and I nearly ran into someone.

Again.

I looked down at the girl and let out a laugh. “Oh, you.”

She looked up at me and tilted her head. “You. You need to watch where you’re going.”

“Maybe. However, fancy meeting you here again.”

“Really? That’s the line you’re going with? Fancy meeting you here?”

“We’ve run into each other twice in one day. It has to mean something.”

“It means that we have a similar class schedule on the north side of campus, and both of us needed caffeine.”

I looked down at her empty hands. “I don’t see any caffeine.”

“I’ve been trying to get some all day and haven’t been able to. But thank you for that.”

“Here, let me buy you a cup. I could probably use a second one.”

She studied my face. “We better hurry or we’re going to end up at the end of a long line.”

“You’re not going to say no?” I asked with a laugh.

“I want coffee. You’re offering to pay. I’m fine with that. As long as you realize that this doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with you.”

I nearly choked. “Oh, uh… I didn’t, uh… You know, never mind.”

“I take it you’re not an English major?” she asked, and I nearly sniped back before I saw the laughter in her eyes.

“Drama, actually. I want to be an actor.” I made sure I said,actorin a snotty, fake British accent, and her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she laughed.

“I’m sorry, I had a really hard economics test today, and I hated it. Why do I need to know economics?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know, other than it’s a general requirement, probably because it helps make the world go ‘round.”

“Maybe. And if I want to own my own business someday, I guess I need to know it.”

I studied her face, wanting to know more. “So, you’re a business major?”

“No. I’m an economics major,” she said, and I nearly tripped again.

“And you hate it?”

“I’m a freshman. Apparently, when you’re seventeen and not allowed to fill out your forms without your mom and dad signing them, you don’t get to pick your major.”

I ignored the sad twinge that she was only seventeen.Down, boy.“Oh, well, I guess you’re super smart for getting in early.”

She shook her head. “I’m eighteen now. I have a summer birthday. That means I get screwed out of some things. But I’m an adult now, and I’m taking the classes that I want. Even if my parents decided to move to this state to be near me for the semester.”

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