Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
By the time I made it back to my truck, it was more or less time to go, and I headed out of town. Slater was a smaller town, mostly just farmland and the community college, and relied heavily on the surrounding towns near it including Murdock. It only had a few shops and was a good distance away from the big box stores in the town north.
Still, it was pretty out there with a big lake and well-maintained gardens, and when I pulled in to a parking space, I didn’t have the cold, depressing feeling some universities gave off.
I climbed out of the truck, pulling my backpack over my shoulder, and walked slowly to the main building that led to the others either across a courtyard behind it or connected through a series of open air and closed breezeways.
As soon as I was inside, I was hit by a variety of smells that brought back memories of when I was there before. New books, perfume, and the smell of the food coming from the commons just a hallway away all mixed together. I glanced around at the packed main hall, knowing that it wouldn’t be like this all the time. It was the beginning of a semester. It was busier than it would be during the regular school year.
I made my way down toward my first class. Building two. First floor. Room 103.
As I rounded the area where the commons were, snaking my way through heavy foot traffic to get to the door leading to the courtyard, my heart leapt into my throat when I recognized a pair of eyes glancing at me across the sea of people. Instinctively, I raised my hand to wave, and the girl from the bar raised hers as well.
There were too many people for us to cross over, and we were heading in opposite directions, so we didn’t stop. I wanted to, but frankly, I was a little afraid of trying. I was physically larger than most of the students between us and considerably older. I had the image of a linebacker plowing through a hallway of children in my head and how that would work out for me on my first day of classes, much less the horror this girl might feel at seeing me come at her.
Instead, our wave was the entirety of our interaction and I kept moving, out the door and into the sun of the courtyard. Just knowing she was there was still a win, though. She was insanely pretty, and the way she reacted to seeing me was positive. If I could run into her again, maybe I could chat her up. If I didn’t see her for the rest of the day, I could always wait until next Monday and try to time it just like today.
The first class was just as boring and predictable as I expected it to be, which was reassuring. Deciding to aim for a business degree, I was taking a lot of math and general education classes, and the students in them had very little desire to pay much attention or participate in any meaningful way. For the most part, they slept. It meant that getting my work done was easy and I was on to the next class and then the next class with very little in the way of challenge.
It also allowed me to drift in my thoughts back to the girl from the bar and the kiss we’d shared. Sure, she explained it was a dare, and I’d been picked out for her, but there was something in that kiss that went further than that. Whether I had been picked for her or not, she seemed to relish her opportunity.
I was still thinking about her as I headed across campus to the commons, walking through the courtyard, when I saw her again. This time, she was heading in the opposite direction again, but there was almost no one around us. Our eyes met again, and she slowed as she neared me.
“Hello again,” I said. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“I know, how strange,” she said. “Sorry I couldn’t talk when we saw each other earlier.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “I didn’t want to knock over a bunch of children to get over to you. Not that I wouldn’t.”
She giggled, and I felt my chest tighten.
“Are you heading to the commons?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Felt like getting some lunch,” I said. “I have an hour before I have to be at the next class.”
“Oh, well, absolutely stay away from the taco place in there,” she said. “It’s never been any good, but it’s somehow worse this year.”
“I will avoid it like the plague,” I said. “Thanks for the heads up.”
“Anytime,” she said, then extended her hand. “I don’t think we actually introduced ourselves to each other. I’m Kristen.”