“Two semesters? Are you sure?”

Kelsey and I headed to the university this morning to check out schedules, classes, and requirements for a business degree. Even though the students are on break, the administration and academic advisors are working today. I hadn’t expected to get so lucky.

“From your transcripts, and what you’ve already taken, you can get it done in two, three at the most,” the advisor tells me.

“This is perfect,” Kelsey says. “You control your own work schedule so it will be easy to schedule around classes, studying and homework.”

“Except, I won’t see much of you.”

“I’ll be student teaching and working on papers at night. We’ll still be together, working.”

Two college kids, studying together every night. “We better make sure we study in the dining room,” I tell her as we leave the school, after signing up for classes.

“Why?”

“We’ll be too close to a bed in your apartment or my room.”

“Study first and play later, if we aren’t too tired,” she teases me.

“Yeah, that would have been a hell of a lot easier to do before last night.”

She chuckles. “You have a point.” Then she leans in and kisses me. “No regrets?”

I turn and pull her into my arms, kissing her deeply, wishing we were back at the brownstone right now. “Never.”

“Bookstore?”

It takes a moment for the fog in my brain to lift since I had every intention of heading to the subway and going home and back to bed with Kelsey.

“Bookstore?” she says more slowly.

“Well, I guess I need books if I’m going to actually learn anything.”

She tugs on my hand and pulls me across campus. Kelsey says hi to some of the people working there as she heads straight for the business section and holds out her hand. “List.”

I give it to her and she grabs each book I need as if she has the shelves memorized. Perhaps she does. She did work here for three years.

She keeps adding to the stack in my arms and the weight of the books gets heavier and heavier. This is the part of school I don’t like. But, if I am going to be serious about Martha’s offer, I need to prepare as best as I can or I will only set myself up for failure.”

“That’s it,” she grins at me.

“Notebooks, pens, pencils,” I suggest.

“Not here and not at these prices,” she whispers. “We’ll hit a discount store after Christmas.”

After the cashier bags the books and I practically choke on the amount, Kelsey leads me back out to campus.

“Where to?”

She grins. “Home of course.” Her brown eyes darken. “We need to make you a study area, and if it happens to be in my apartment, not far from my bed…”

“I thought we decided that wasn’t a very good idea.”

“School hasn’t started yet.”