Page 14 of Where We Met

Even though it’s not a long walk to class, we’re walking past the coffee shop when Shannon speaks up.

“Ahh, I’m frickin’ colder than a penguin’s pecker. Let’s run into the coffee shop real quick. I need something to warm me up in class.”

“Where the hell do you come up with this shit?” Aubrey laughs as we speed walk our way to the coffee shop.

And that’s how I end up walking into class with my favorite latte in hand—my second cup of the day. We take a seat in the front to help with my worsening vision. If I sit in the back, I can’t read the projector screen very easily. Glasses are on my list of things to get as soon as I get a real job with realbenefits.

Luke is standing in the corner, back to the crowd, as he talks with the TA. Rebecca is laughing at something he’s said, and if you ask me, she’s laughing a little too hard.

Almost as if he senses me staring, he turns around and his eyes land directly on mine. My heart flutters and my body feels lighter just by having his attention. He glances down at my coffee cup and it’s impossible not to notice the way one corner of his mouth lifts up.

I can’t help but smile back and lift my cup in the air, making him shake his head with a grin. Coming back to reality, we both realize we could be causing a scene and immediately shift our gazes apart and put our focus on the class ahead of us.

I’m hooked by his charisma throughout the entire lecture as I watch him move across the room, speaking animatedly.

“You see,” he begins, “business outside of America, it’s about thepeople.” He points down at a student in the front row and engages them. “If I were trying to do business with you, and you lived in Germany, I would try to find out more aboutyou. I would want to know how our personalities work together, what about us is similar and shows that we will make a good fit.”

He smiles as he appears to recall something. “I’ve had a couple of times where I’ve been to Europe and I could tell instantly, there wasn’t a connection between the potential client and myself. It’s a drastic difference from how it goes down here in America. It’s more…dare I say…romantic.”

It’s clear he has a passion for the work that he does. The way he speaks of the subject keeps you captivated the entire time.

When the lecture is over, I sit in my seat and slowly pack my things. Even though I’ve been near him for ninety-minutes, it did nothing to scratch the itch to see him. It was too impersonal. I want to talk to him again. Learn more about him.

You want to do a lot more than that with him.

Nope, that’s not true. It can’t be true. If I want to learn more about him, it’s nothing more than just as a friend.Friends. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

Shit, I'm all over the place.

“Hey, you coming?” Tricia asks.

“I—um,” I stutter, pretending to dig through my bag. “You guys go ahead. I’m heading home right now. I just need to find my gloves.”

“Cool. I’ll see you Wednesday,” she replies before catching up with the girls.

I look down and see the gloves were in my hand the entire time. Smirking to myself at what a weak attempt at lying that was, I can only hope she didn’t notice.

I close my laptop and put it back in my bag. The rest of the class has filtered out, leaving only me, Luke, and Rebecca.

She has half her ass propped up on his desk in the front of the room while he packs up. She clearly has no clue I’m even in the room while she flirts with him.

I make a mental note to dig into the university rules to find out if teaching assistants are allowed to date professors. Scratch that; that's really messed up that I want to take it that far.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to travel the world tasting wine,” she says with a sigh. “I would love to try some of your favorites. I’m a huge wine drinker.”

I want to roll my eyes but his eyes meet mine, and I forget about everything when he looks at me.

He looks back at Rebecca. “Uh, sure. I can make a list for you.”

“I’m such a spazz, though, when it comes to understanding the complexities of the wine. Maybe you can teach me.”

Oh, God. I’m not coming across as that desperate, am I?

You just lied to your best friends so you can stay after and do the same thing.

The thought alone makes me grab my bag and walk quickly up the steps of the auditorium until I’m outside. The cold air hits my lungs, and I let my head fall back as I look up at the gray winter sky.

What the hell am I thinking?

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