Chapter Text
She smiled lightly at the man standing at the counter, tight and forced. Her hands moving to methodically as she took his order, punching her hand across the screen. Her short hair sat in two loose braids, untamed hairs sticking out in all angles as she moved from the register to the back counter. He watched as she moved about from behind the counter, careful of the two other baristas who seemed to bound about, unaware of the distinct distance she put between them. He obsessed over the way her large square glasses dipped at the bridge of her nose and she pushed them up lightly as she worked.
Felix’s fingers flexed in his hood, instinctively curling around his phone as he watched from across the street. How many days has it been? Standing here or sitting parked across the street, watching her as she exited her classes, ensuring she got home safe when she stayed in the library too late.
When did the fixation start?
__________
One month earlier
Christine sighed as her arms layed flat out against the cool counter of Digital Days, the last customer having shuffled out and the distinct quiet of the afternoon settling over the small coffee shop. Her shoulders ached as she stretched, a sharp pain pulsing in her shoulders.
“fuuuuck.” Ida called out, throwing a broom down onto the ground with a distinct clatter as she took a seat in one of the empty seats in the front. “I can’t even hear the words “light ice” for at least another week. I might scream.”
From behind the counter, Eliza laughed lightly “Well, hopefully your shift tomorrow they’ll only ask for regular ice.” She remarked, counting the tills as though it were second nature.
“And that my friend is why you never confide in the logical one of the group.” She shot back, the faded green at the bottom of her blonde hair jostling at the accusing finger she pointed at Eliza. Christine laughed lightly, pulling herself off and walking across to flip the sign from “Open” to “Closed”, locking the door as she did so. “But seriously, how many fucking people need caffeine in the MIDDLE of the day. Coffee is a morning drink!” Ida whined, returning to sweeping and stacking.
“It depends? How often do you need caffeine to function in this society?” Christine laughed as Ida turned around, dramatically placing a hand over her heart.
“I’m hurt, plus I don’t think WE count!” She shouts. “We are overworked, underpaid college students.”
“Which is literally 90 percent of the customers that come here.” Eliza laughs again, heading to the back.
“See? Logical. Never a good mix when I’m just trying to be dramatic.”
Christine rolled her eyes lightly, all three women went about their closing routine. It was almost second nature, all three of them working the same closing shift Monday through Thursday, then opening on Saturdays since Sophomore year of college. The mundane day to day, the same customers, same complaints, same orders. It all molded together and sometimes Christine couldn’t remember what life looked outside of her classes or work or even the small apartment she shared with one roommate. It all was so juvenile in thought, but in actuality she liked that.
They finished closing and exited the back door, Eliza locking up as she left with a soft sigh that Christine noted. She walked closely, Ida rambling about something her professor said under the moonlit sky. “Seriously though, if he can talk on in that same monotone voice THE WHOLE HOUR why does it make a difference if I say ONE THING.”
“Because that one thing was a damn near whole conversation I bet.” Christine unlocked the door to her car, Eliza crawling into the passenger seat as Ida placed her water bottle on the top of her car.
“You wound me Chris, truly.” Christine rolled her eyes, a small smile played across her face.
“Yeah yeah, get home safe- don’t forget your bottle!” She shouts as Ida was already getting ready to close the door to her 2004 Honda Civic.
“What would I do without you.”
The drive back to the apartment was silent as Eliza rested her head against the cool glass. They pulled into the uncovered parking lot to the four story apartment building that looked like it hadn’t had a proper paint job since 1982 when it was first built.
The walk up to the second floor was filled with the echoing footsteps of the two girls and the heavy exhaustion that comes with a week of work, studying, and stress that only a college student would understand. As they approached 202, Christine turned and smiled at Eliza. “Goodnight.” It was a tired goodbye as Eliza smiled back and stepped across the hallway to 205.
“‘Night Chrissy, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Inside the apartment, Christine locked the door, breathing in heavily to the scent of an unlit candle and just let the familiar surroundings encapsulate her. Kicking her shoes off at the door, she settled almost instantly as she made her way back towards her room. She heard the faint sounds of the TV coming from Stephanie’s room, watching the shadows dance from under the door as she passed.
Entering her room, she flicked on the lights, closing the door gently behind her as she went about her evening routine. The moon casts a bright light over the trees boarding the apartment building, her window faced out to a small parking lot lined with them and she was content watching as they moved gently in the August breeze. Her Senior year of college crept up on her fast, the summer came and went in a way that seemed almost hazy.
Christine watched the trees as she undressed, absent mindely staring at the stars, the way they seemed to wink at her. It was early, not even 8pm, but it still seemed so dark out. The shadows hiding under the canopy of trees. Turning, she made her way towards the restroom. The shared bathroom was a perfect state of zen, one side hers and the others Stephanie’s. Stephanie’s was the picture of functional organization. A small stack holding her face creams, makeup remover, moisturizer, and a plethora of other things. Christine’s on the other hand was less organized, but also only consisted of a face wash, her toothbrush holder, toothpaste, and a roll of floss. Less glamorous sure, but most of her hygiene items were kept on her desk in her room.
Christine nearly moaned as the water hit her skin, her hair was wrapped up in a tight bun and she soaped up her rag to wash away the days grief. Quick and methodical, she didn’t need to wash her hair tonight and went about her evening routine with practiced ease.
Finally, seated in her room, she tucked her legs up, her left knee bent to support her arm and she pushed her laptop open, watching the screen spring to life. Wednesday had been like every other day the past two weeks. The normal flow of classes as everyone decompressed from summer and attempted to refocus themselves. Students already spiraling at the amount of work assigned each week. It was almost comical.
When you think about college most people think of prestigious buildings, open walkways leading to them, students bustling about gossiping about the latest party or drama that occurred on campus. Which it was, to the untrained eye, but nobody talked about the unforgiving hours of lectures, the eye bags that form even if you got the correct 8hrs of sleep, or the constant exhaustion and anxiety you feel even if all your work is finished for the week. The never ending buzz of people, somehow everywhere and nowhere all at once. Christine loved and hated that. She hated how many people there were, but that was just the state of the world. She loved the quiet and routine of it the most though. Routine was easy for her, a simple problem and a simple solution. That’s all there was to keeping herself in check.
She typed away for two hours, scribbling notes, taking down equations. He pen absentmindedly drifting to her lips to tap as she thought deeply about questions- then her phone buzzed.
Ida R🐸 lit up brightly in the dark room. It almost would’ve been offensive if she hadn’t been staring at her computer screen this whole time.
Ida🐸: Y’all, I think Marcus is trying to kill me !!!!!
Ry🎶: it’s 2147 we are sleeping
Ida🐸: first of all who tf uses military time
Ry🎶: Go to bed, I’m muting Liz’s phone too.
Ida🐸: 😭🤕
Ida🐸: YOU DIDNT EVEN LISTEN TO WHAT I HAD TO SAY!!
Ida🐸: PARTY FRIDAY NIGHT?????!!! Marcus invited us
Steph🎀: By “us” you mean he invited you?
Ida🐸: ….
Ida🐸: okay but like by extension that means us
Ry🎶: GO TO BED
Ida🐸: 🫡 yes first sergeant yes
Christine laughed qiuetly to herself watching the groupchat go off, turning her phone over she opted not to reply. She knew well enough they would all discuss it tomorrow at work. They always did, anything that happened in each other’s lives was everyone’s business. It was almost automatic to inform everyone. Everyone knew everything about each one of them.
Eliza first confided in Christine and Ida about her crush on Ryan Sophmore year when they first started working at digital day. Little did she know Ryan also confided in Stephanie that they had feelings for Eliza. Then, when Stephanie and Klare broke up it was almost instant in the group-chat. All five of them went out that same day and got ice cream and the following day took Steph down to the petting zoo. She laughed so hard she started crying, Christine still has a hard time deciding if those were tears of joy or tears from that come from a three year relationship ending.
The point being is they were all close, it was a comfortable close to. One Christine found herself thinking of often, she hated getting close to people. Not just physically, it was harder to let people in than to keep them out, she discovered that from a very young age. She has always been reserved, more quiet, less willing to speak up for herself. It has brought her this far in life and so she never regretted the choice of it. It just so happened that freshman year she had Stephanie and Eliza as roommates. Then somewhere along the line Ryan and Ida came into their lives and stuck. The five of them against the world.
Christine sighed, gently closing her laptop and rubbed her eyes under her glasses. She was exhausted and had class first thing in the morning. She knew she also needed to go to the Library to pick up the reading Professor Hail had assigned for her American Literature class. She groaned inwardly at the thought, she enjoyed reading truly, but she found it so inconvenient that as an Accounting and Finance major she had to take reading and writing based courses. She hated reading assigned work, mostly because it was historical fiction or nonfiction or bibliographies that made her eyes cross in her skull.
She folded her glasses neatly before crawling over to her bed, the soft sheets calling her name like a long lost lover, before finally settling underneath her comforter. She buried her face into her pillow, breathing deeply in the scent of lavender, allowing her mind to drift softly to sleep.
___________
The next morning she awoke to the sound of movement throughout the apartment. She groaned rolling over, glaring at her phone at it read 6am. Too early.
She pulled the blankets up around her gently, settling back in before throwing them immediately off herself. “Not doing that today.” She huffed and threw her legs over the side of the bed. As soon as her feet touched the cold, hardwood, floors she shivered and made her way out of her bedroom.
Walking down the small hallway she made out Ryan’s shape leaned up against the counter. “Morning sleeping beauty.” Ryan smiled tipping their head forward their hair falling in a mass of curls along their forehead. They had a mug in one hand and brought it up to their lips, taking a sip.
“No talking before coffee.” Christine mumbled, shuffling over to the coffee pot that was already half empty.
“I have my coffee so I counter that.” Ryan smirked, their tattooed arms coming up to cross along the counter. Their dark skin glowing under the morning light filtering in through the window. Behind them, Stephanie and Eliza let out a small laugh. They both were seated comfortably on the Sofa, dressed for the day as if it already had began.
“I still don’t understand how you all have so much energy in the morning.” Christine poured a cup of coffee into her favorite green mug, leaning over to pull the creamer out of the fridge.
“It’ll rub off on you eventually.” Steph quirked, standing to cross into the small kitchen. Her skirt flowed effortlessly as she walked, a bundle of red curls framing a perfect heart shaped face that were highlighted with small freckles. Christine let out a soft mm-hmm as she sipped her coffee. The apartment moved around her in a gentle fashion, Ryan and Eliza talked softly back and forth. Steph joined in occasionally but mostly sat typing away on her laptop. Christine went about and got ready for the day, pulling on a pair of jean she grabbed from the floor and a tshirt followed by a hoodie.
“Is it hot outside?” She called.
“It’s Vermont, this state doesn’t know what the word hot means!” Eliza called back. Christine thought she heard Ryan make a smart comment, something along the lines of “that’s a damn lie you’re right here.” Followed by a burst of laughter from Steph in the kitchen.
Christine stuffed the notes from last night and her laptop into her bag, placing her glasses on and finally seeing the world again. She could see without them, but it helped when reading and looking at things from a distance. She stepped out into the living room again heading towards the door. “Does anyone want a ride?” She turned, her feet slipping into her sneakers.
“No thank you.” Steph said. “Grants class was canceled for today.” She added.
“I got Liz if you can give her a ride back from DD’s tonight?” Ryan asked. Christine blinked at the three of them.
“First, why the hell do you subject yourself to the torture of an early morning if you don’t have class.” She points at Steph. “And of course, I’ll see you at work Lizzy.” She called leaving the apartment.
The campus was fairly quiet this early in the morning, Christine having arrived at 7:15 and the classes not starting till 8. She sat back in her car, a breath escaping her as she stared at the passing students. All of them moved around with that familiar morning lag that came with the exhaustion of a week coming to an end. She watched, her hands crossing over the steering wheel, going through her assignments she had to complete this week, cataloging them by easiest and longest to complete. Music played softly through the speaker of her old car, the aux cord attached to her phone making it slightly muffled.
Finally, she grabbed her things, cutting the engine and exited her car. The walk across campus was short. She knew that the doors opened 30 minutes prior to any lecture and valued the fact she was almost always the first person there to pick her seat. The far left middle aisle. Not to close and not to far, she could always hear but never worried much about being called on, it was comfort. It was routine and Christine thrived on the routine.
Slowly, students seemed to shuffle inside. Some walked in groups of two or three, holding coffee with a familiar logo showing and chatting amongst themselves, others entered alone and sat alone. Still rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they marched up the sides of lecture hall with uncoordinated steps and dragging arms.
There in the quiet morning of the lecture hall a man slid next to Christine. Two seats down he sat, pulling his laptop out along with a notebook and something to write with.
‘As if there aren’t enough seats available?’ Christine thought to herself as she glanced around at the nearly empty hall. Not many students signed up for morning classes. Mostly opting for the 9am, 10am slots. Christine liked her 8am, 10am class slots. She enjoyed getting off at 11pm and heading to work at noon. As much as she despised mornings she loved the freedom that came along with it.
Soon, Professor Green walked in. Her thin hair pulled back into a tight ponytail that seemed as stiff as her posture. She logged onto the computer and pulled up her presentation. Looking around absentmindedly to the students around her. Christine didn’t actually mind a lot of her professors, but there was something that Mrs. Green carried with her that rubbed Christine the wrong way. The air of authority was intimidating yes, but she carried herself with a lack of empathy, as if the people sitting in front of her were numbers to calculate for her own personal gain. She loved statistics, it was actually her favorite class, but Christine knew that she would find more joy from it if her teacher didn’t hold such disdain for the students in front of her.
The lesson started and Christine wrote frivolously, taking time to underline or star things she would go back to highlight and review that night.
“And remember.” Professor Green inhaled, her voice booming among the clacking of computers and silent writing. “Next Thursday there will be a quiz on the subjects we have been discussing those past two weeks.” A choir of groans echoed through the lecture hall, Christine wrote in the top of her notebook.
QUIZ THURSDAY underlined and put into a small cloud at the top. She brought her pen up absentmindedly to tap her chin while Professor Green sat down at the large desk in the front.
“Man what a drag.” Christine’s eyes shifted towards the man who was sitting next to her. “A quiz this early? Come on.” He followed, glancing at her.
“It’s the third week, I’m surprised it took that long.” Christine remarks with the same disinterest she usually does when talking to strangers. She immediately regretted her mistake as he full turned to look at her. A small smile on his face. She opened a gateway to an unintended conversation and cursed herself silently.
“True, senior year is looking like it’s about to be brutal.” He leans over, a dimple displayed on his right cheek. He reminded Christine of one of those cliche posters for a college sports team. He didn’t have any striking features, he was generic in a way that made him blend in with the crowd. Brown hair, brown eyes, an okay smile and that was that.
She nodded, he looked like he was about to say something else when Professor Green closed her laptop loudly and stood up again. “Everyone have a good day, class dismissed.”
Christine’s shoulders relaxed as she shoved everything into her book bag in a disorganize fashion. She was grateful for the older woman for the first time in her life. Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder she turned to leave quickly.
“Hey hold up!” The man called after her, she froze, turning awkwardly in the aisle. “I’m Leo, I didn’t catch your name?” He looked down at her, closing the space between them in a way that forced Christine to back up. He didn’t notice the way she stepped back, didn’t notice the way her hands curled tightly around the strap of her bag as he spoke. He didn’t notice any of these things because they were so minor, she knew without even thinking about it how his concept of physical space varied from hers.
“I’m Christine.” She mumbled, turning quickly before he could say anything else.
Exiting the building she all but ran to the library. She replayed the scene over in her head, groaning inwardly.
‘I should’ve just stayed quiet.’ She worried that he would continue to bother her in class. She worried that since now he knew her first name that would lead into him thinking he could sit next to her. Talk to her. Walk with her. It always did. It didn’t matter how closed off or short her responses were. She had no interest in making new friends, she went four years with the same four close friends and a few acquaintances, like Marcus. However even with Marcus that was only situational, him and Ida are damn near inseparable.
She made her way up into the library, the familiar scent of stale books and expired fabreeze hit her all at once. She liked the library, maybe would even go to say she loved it. It was always quiet, there was something sacred about respecting other people’s peace and personal space when you were in there as well. She adored the old carpets, the rows of books that stacked high up three levels, the little nooks that she could squirrel herself away in. Everything about it screamed at her to stay whenever she left.
Making her way towards the elevator she pressed the third floor. She knew what she was looking for, Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis. All the nonfiction was kept on the third floor and she would be amiss if she denied herself the view of the courtyard up there. As she exited the elevator she made her way straight to the giant circle window that overlooked the campus, the ceilings slanted up into an angle all along the ceiling of the old building, rows of books lined both sides surrounding a large open area that look directly down to the lobby. Her hand grazed the wooden railing as she walked. There were a few people up on the third floor, but most stayed to the second floor with all the open areas available for studying and quiet seating areas. She peered out the window briefing and smiled. 9am classes have definitely started based on the few students who loitered or walked without purpose across campus. Some messing with their phones as they walked, not paying attention to their surroundings. Christine moved back, heading towards the aisles, searching for “L” on the scripted plates that decorated the outsides of shelves. Finally, she walked down, searching up and down.
“L E, L E, L E.” She repeated to herself, her finger motioning up and down as she tracked down the aisle. She stopped finally towards the end of the aisle and looked up. There were about 15 copies of Elmer Gantry in this library, looking up she huffed a sigh of frustration as they were all lined neatly at the top of the shelf. Her bag slipped from her shoulder as she pressed her body as close as humanly possible to the shelf, reaching on her tip toes, her fingers just brushing the edge of the shelf.
“Are you fucking serious.” She felt the frustration build slightly as she searched the aisle for a stool. She went out to the main section and check three other aisles for a stool or ladder or something before giving up and returning to the original spot where her book bag sat. She stared up at the books with disgust, “whatever.” She mumbled, her foot finding purchase on the lower shelf. She lifted her body up, her hands gripping the old wood before her left hand reached up.
Someone walked down the aisle at this moment, Christine’s grip slipped as she flew back, her back foot thrusting behind her to help her find some semblance of footing. She ended up slightly successful, her shoulder slamming into the adjacent shelf as she centered herself. “Fuck.” She groaned, her hand instinctively coming up to nurse her aching shoulder. It was in this moment she heard a slight snicker, her eyes shot up to the source.
“You okay?” He asked. Christine stared at him for a second. He was tall, his hands rested coolly in the pocket of his carhart jacket, a black tshirt visible through the unzipped coat. He wore blue jeans that were, by themselves, unremarkable but on him fit perfectly. His dark eyes locked with hers instinctively, a coy smile spread across his face. Black hair was cut neatly and styled in that effortless way that screamed ‘I have my shit together’. Christine noted the way his pupils expanded as he spoke, his dark eyes seeming to have expanded into an endless void.
Her face flushed, creeping up from her neck and she felt the tips of her ears burn with the ferocity of the moment. “Yeah..” she mumbled, her gaze drifted down slightly, looking anywhere but his face. “I just fell.”
“I saw.” The stranger stayed back again, observing the way she started folding into herself. The tips of her ears burned bright red as he spoke again. “What book were you trying to get?” He asked.
“Uhm… Elmer Gantry.” Her hand left her shoulder, trailing down her arms to cradle her elbows as she spoke. “It’s right there.” She nodded her head up to the top shelf where all the copies sat mockingly. The man nodded, stepping forward coming closure down the aisle.
Christine felt her heart thundering in her chest from the embarrassment and instinctively took a step back when he reached the books. His eyes shot to her as he took a single step back as well, to anyone else, it likely would’ve gone unnoticed. However, Christine valued that space more than she can put into words. She watched as he reached up and grabbed two copies of Elmer Gantry, he tucked one under his right arm and extended his left to her. She gently reached out and took the book from him, his eyes seemingly scanning her as she did. She noted his eyes shot down to look at something quick and then came back up to look at her face almost instantly.
“Thank you.” She mumbled slightly, her fingers curling around the edges of the worn paperback.
“For Professor Hails class right?” He asked, his voice low in the library. She nodded once. He seemed to understand her lack of conversation, he took another step back creating a comfortable amount of space between them. “Try not to create a domino effect in the library, short stack.” With that, he turned and left without saying anything. She clutched the book to her chest, her student ID jingling as she did.
Picking up her bag, she all but sprinted down stairs. She’d be damned if she took the elevator with that man and wanted to checkout the book as fast as possible and forget that interaction ever happened. Once she secured the book, she pushed it into her bag and left the library with the urgency of someone who was being chased. Her head was down, eyes straight to the ground, glancing up as she navigated through the few people who were making their way onto the campus. The 1000 classes were to start shortly and she knew the influx of people was about to be unbearable.
As she entered Professor Hails class she sighed. The lecture halls were the whole ‘college experience’ but there was something about a simple classroom, with desks, and rock hard chairs that made learning slightly more bearable. It was never as overwhelming.
She took a seat in the middle again, pulling her laptop out. A few students were already in the back chatting as she did. As put her bag across the back of her chair the door opened and in walked the man from the library. Christine and the stranger locked eyes almost instantly as he stepped in. He was the definition of nonchalant, his bag sat loosely on his shoulder as he stepped in, a slight smile playing on his lips as he recognized her. However, instead of talking to her he simply winked and walked towards the back of the class.
She sat up straight the entire class, not once daring to look back at him.
_____
Felix walked down the aisle of the library absent mindedly scanning the rows of books, looking for the letter ‘L’ for the assigned reading this week. He was beyond bored, his fingers flexing in the pocket of his jacket as he walked. He spotted the ‘L’ about two aisles down and sped up slightly to just grab the book and go. As he turned into the section he saw it as if it happened in slow motion.
A woman with light brown hair tucked into a messy bun reached up on her tip toes to the top shelf. Her hand slipped back and he watched, almost launching himself at her to prevent her from falling, as her leg shot out to catch her unceremoniously. Her shoulder slammed into the bookcase across from her and he watched as her hand shot up to nurse her shoulder. “Fuck.” She stood up right and Felix couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped his lips.
“You okay?” He asked. Her eyes shot up to meet his and he sucked in a breath. Her eyes all but caused him to melt right then and there, one was a deep green reminding him of the canopy of the forest on a sunny day. The other was sea blue. The same blue that looked like the crashing of the ocean while out to sea. Distinct. Her heart shaped face was framed by curled pieces that seemed to have escaped her bun throughout the day. His eyes scanned down, her top was concealed by a hoodie that had definitely seen better days and her legs were hugged tightly by a pair of blue jeans, accentuating the curve of her hips as she stood.
She was beautiful.
“Yeah.” He watched as a flush creeped up from under her hoodie, coating her cheeks in a deep scarlet that reached her ears. “I just fell.” Her voice was so quiet in the library, but it echoed violently in his ears.
“I saw.” Felix joked slightly, but he noted the way she seemed to fold back into herself instantly at the comment. His mind shot to the book that she was grabbing for, Elmer Gantry. There was no way she was reaching for that one? He surely would’ve noticed a woman like that in his class wouldn’t he? He thought about it deeply as he spoke. “What book were you trying to get?” He asked.
“Uhm… Elmer Gantry. It’s right there” She spoke softly again, he watched as her head nodded slightly to the top shelf. He headed the short distance down the aisle, closing in on her in a couple of long strides. As he approached he noted the way she stiffened, she took a small step back and Felix froze. He took a small step back himself and reached up for the book, making sure to grab two copies with ease. He tucked one under his arm and held his hand out to her. Felix’s heart thundered in his ears as he took in the details of her face up close, her hands reaching out to wrap around the book. Her student ID jingled and his eyes shot towards it.
‘Christine Brooks’ it read with a small picture of her. She was smiling lighting, her lips pressed together to form a small line. Awkward in a way that was cute. “Thank you.” His eyes shot back up to meet hers as she took the copy from him.
“For Professor Hail’s class right?” He asked, desperate to get her to talk again. She nodded once and Felix understood immediately. It was as if he could read her thoughts, he felt the shift as he approached, saw the way she folded, and he himself took another step back. The effect was almost instant, he watched her tense shoulders slightly fall as she looked at him through thick lashes and square frames that displayed her eyes like an art museum. “Try not to create a domino effect in the library, short stack.” He smiled tightly and turned, he kept his pace calm, cool. One hand in his pocket as he approached the elevator. To anyone else he would look like a normal guy, nobody could tell he was inwardly spiraling.
‘Christine Brooks, Christine Brooks, Christine Brooks, Christine Brooks.’ He repeated her name as he stepped into the elevator, he wouldn’t forget. He wouldn’t be able to forget a name that matched a living angel. Was she in his class? How had he never noticed her before?
Stepping out of the elevator he walked into one of the stacks of endless books, keeping an eye on the library check out.
Within two minutes she rushed up to the librarian, he watched as she checked out and sped out of the library. He was quick, he checked the same book out, the librarian attempted to make small talk with him as he typed in his student ID to which he just grunted.
Exiting the Library he scanned the campus, seeing the small woman walking with tight shoulders towards Parker Hall. ‘There’s no way?’ He thought, he kept a respectable distance behind her. His face outwardly was the picture of calm. Just a normal college student walking to his next class that was supposed to start in the next thirty minutes. Nothing out of the ordinary to observe, but inwardly his eyes wouldn’t leave her. He took in every detail as she moved, unaware of his presence behind her. His mind spiraled, where had she been his whole life? She was reading the same assignment as him so must be either a junior or senior? If so- where did she stay? It wasn’t on campus as all juniors and seniors lived in apartments and were not permitted to live in the dorms.
As she entered into Parker Hall and made her way to the small classroom he breathed a sigh of relief. She was in his class. He must’ve brushed over her. He had to of.
A few minutes passed and he walked into the class, his eyes landing immediately on Christine. A small smile tugged at his lips as he stepped in, she looked like a deer in headlights as he shot a wink at her and headed towards the back of the classroom. His eyes never leaving the back of her head for the entire lecture.
‘Christine Brooks, where have you been my whole life?’