3 years before the quakes…
The nudge of fate?
This paper was going to be the death of me. I’d thought taking Myth and Literature for my English credits would be fun because it was “fiction,” obviously. But no, the professor was sucking all the joy out of what had once been my secret love.
I considered my laptop screen and shifted uncomfortably in my chair. Given the state of my room back at the house, I’d snuck away to the library for focus. It was quieter and much cleaner than what I’d left behind. However, my backside was far from cozy.
Smothering another yawn, I tried to concentrate on the words I’d written even as my mind wandered to last night’s party my roommates had thrown. If not for that and the poor night’s sleep, the paper would have already been done.
I really needed to find new roommates. A sigh escaped me.
“You,” a voice said.
Cringing with the belief I was about to be scolded for the noise I’d made, I looked up and met a familiar set of blue eyes. My cringe disappeared, replaced by disbelief.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many times I hung out by Building C’s door in the last two months.”
“Sounds a little creepy.”
He grabbed a chair on the opposite side of the table, spun it around, and sat on it, facing me.
“Didn’t have much of a choice. Someone never called me.”
“Someone’s busy.” I lifted my laptop a little to emphasize the point.
“Fine. Tell me your name, and I’ll go away.”
“Still creepy.”
“I’m going to have to get a lot creepier and start begging for your name at the top of my lungs in the middle of this library.”
I looked around at the other mostly empty tables, met his gaze, and shrugged. He grinned in response, not even a little put off.
“You are a tough one. It’s only going to make me more determined.”
“Why? You’re a good-looking guy. I’m sure you could find someone more willing.”
He leaned back, studying me for a moment.
“Maybe,” he said finally. “But I have a feeling, if I gave up now, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
Oh, he was good. So good that I gave him what he wanted.
“My name’s June.”
“June. Will you meet me here again tomorrow night? Same time?”
“Maybe,” I said, repeating his phrase.
3 years before the quakes…
He’s all that
Adam dropped back and threw a twenty-five-yard pass. The crowd went wild when the receiver caught it and sprinted toward the end zone. I jumped up and down in the stands, cheering so hard that I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk the next day.
The scoreboard updated. Thanks to Adam, we were decimating the other team. With only thirty seconds left on the clock, the game was over. Rather than waiting in the stands, I left my place and hurried toward our meet-up spot.
It took almost an hour for him to appear. When he did, the smile that lit his face was contagious.