10 YEARS LATER
“Is this seat taken?”
Just when Sabrina thought her day couldn’t get better, Koen Conner’s baby blues were staring down at her. She smiled at him across the table of Campus Eats, Southern Tennessee State’s finest on-campus eatery, suddenly grateful she’d decided to stay there and study after her shift was over. “Uh, no. It’s not.” Definitely not. She removed her feet from the opposite chair and sat up straighter, wishing she’d spent a little more time on her hair that morning. She reached up to tuck a tangle of stragglers behind her left ear, very much doubting that it looked as nonchalant as she intended.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He dropped his backpack at the end of the table and instead of taking the chair across from her, he pulled out the one beside her. It made a loud scraping sound as it scooted across the tile floor, causing him to close one eye and pull his head back just a fraction. He dropped into the chair, which rocked precariously forward and to the left. “I’m thinking it’s time to get some new chairs in here. Maybe you should tell your boss, hmm?” As if on cue, the chair rocked backwards and to the right. He quirked his left eyebrow. “See what I mean?”
“Perhaps it is time for some new ones.”
“Oh, I don’t think there’s any perhaps about it.” He stood, exchanged his defective chair for one at the empty table behind them, and then made a show of sitting slowly, as if waiting to see if it would actually hold him.
Sabrina couldn’t help but laugh. “Better?”
“If it wasn’t, I’d be on the floor right now.” He put his elbow on the table and set his chin in his hand, unleashing the full force of his beautiful boyish grin on her. “What are you working on?”
She glanced at the computer screen, pleased with her early progress. “A brochure.”
“For?” He leaned a little closer to the screen, which also brought him closer to Sabrina.
“I just found out I’ve made it through the first round of interviews for an internship with the Grace Rose PR firm in Atlanta. Round two involves an in-person interview. I’m working on something to take with me that will hopefully help give me an edge.”
“Atlanta, huh?” He turned toward her, now even closer. It made it very difficult to form an intelligent response.
“It’s the biggest PR firm in the country. They have offices in a dozen major cities. Landing an internship there is what we all strive for. It’s the gateway to anywhere we want to go.”
“Really?” He leaned just a bit closer. “And where do you want to go, Miss Sabrina Rice?”
She looked at him, felt his closeness, and tried to remind herself to breathe. Any other time and for any other person, she could spout out her life’s plan all the way down to the minute details. Right now, with Koen this close, it all went a little fuzzy. “I, uh . . .” Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, which was just as well, because any answer she might have given was long since forgotten.
He seemed to find this amusing, because he grinned, then finally leaned back against his chair. “How’d you do on that psychology exam?” He had a dimple in his left cheek.
“I’m feeling pretty good about it.” She took a sip of her decaf Earl Grey. “How about you?”
“Well, let’s just say—” he unleashed another grin—“I think I could use a study buddy for the next one. You know anyone who might be willing to help me?”
“I . . . uh . . . think I might.”
He held her gaze and continued to smile. “I was hoping you’d say that, too. You’re just full of the answers I want to hear today.”
“Thanks,” she sort of squeaked, “I do my best to be helpful.” It was impossible not to smile when she looked at him.
“Well, if that’s the case, then what if I—” He turned his head slightly toward the window just over Sabrina’s shoulder. “Wow, what the . . . ?”
Sabrina turned to see what had caught his interest. A girl was racing through the middle of the campus, her legs pumping at an impressive rate. Her shoulder-length hair was bleached white in the front and dyed jet black in the back, and it whipped up and then back with each stride. She jumped down a set of four steps, landed cleanly, and picked the pace right back up, hardly missing a beat. In her left hand she held what looked to be an aerosol can.
A campus security guard rounded the building behind her. Behind her and losing ground fast. In spite of the fact that he was young and appeared to be in decent shape, by the time he reached the steps the girl had jumped over, it was more than obvious his chase was a lost cause. He stopped, doubled over with hands on knees, gasping for air and shaking his head.
“Did you see that? That girl was fast!” Koen’s voice grew louder with admiration. “I’m thinking she must have been part gazelle or something. Can you believe that?”
Sabrina looked down at the table. “No, I don’t think I can.” She started gathering her things. “I’ve got to go.”
He reached over and put a hand on her arm, the warmth of his touch almost managing to restore her to her former mood. “Hey, wait. I wanted to ask, there’s a bunch of people watching the Tennessee versus Duke basketball game over at Jared’s tomorrow. Do you want to go?”
“I . . . I . . .” Inside her, two opposing forces battled. One would do almost anything to spend a day with Koen. The other, meanwhile, couldn’t bear to watch collegiate sports, and most certainly not when it involved Tennessee. A few seconds ago, before she’d seen the running girl, her answer might have been different. But now, well . . . “I can’t.” She put her books in her backpack, her heart aching in so many places she’d forgotten existed, she thought she might burst into tears—something she hadn’t allowed herself to do in years. Three years, to be exact.
She did manage to paste on a smile in an attempt to salvage something of this day. “Thank you for inviting me though.”
His eyes narrowed a fraction, as if he was trying to understand what just happened. “Sure.”
She threw her backpack over her left shoulder and walked from the table. Just as well. She needed to stay focused on her studies now, anyway. At least, that was what she’d keep telling herself. She’d almost made it to the door when Lindy Stewart and her entourage came breezing through.
Lindy and her pack came to Campus Eats almost every day around this time, ordered fat-free chai lattes, and basked in the admiration of every single male in the place. As the number two tennis player and number one most desired female on campus, Lindy never lacked for admirers. “Look who’s here,” Sabrina heard her whisper to the girl beside her, then she smiled and waved into the snack bar. In spite of herself, Sabrina turned to see who the object might be, although she was pretty certain she already knew the answer.
Lindy bypassed the line and took the seat beside Koen. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he smiled and said something that caused them both to laugh. Of course he smiled. Sabrina turned to go, wishing she had just kept walking.
So much for her day that couldn’t get any better.