“Hey, Ice,” Jack called, running after her at the end of their last final before winter break.
“Hey.” Alice stopped walking and waited for him. “How did you do?” she asked, referring to their Organic Chemistry test.
“Good, I think.” He frowned. “Except for question two, maybe. Which of the functional groups did you mark as susceptible to nucleophilic attack? A and B, or A, B, and C?”
“Just A and B.”
“Great, me too.” He smiled. “How about you? Any doubts?”
“Question four: the most acidic compound was CH3SH, right?” It had taken her ten minutes to mark that answer. “I always confuse them.”
“Yep, that’s the one.”
Alice let out a relieved breath. “I should be good then.”
“What do you say to a hot chocolate to celebrate? Deal?”
“Deal.”
Jack was in a bright mood for a change. Since she’d started dating Peter, it had been a rare thing, and Alice missed their easygoing interactions. Given the freezing December temperatures, they headed for the nearest place: a cozy coffee shop called Crema Café. Even the short walk outside was enough to turn Alice’s nose and sans-gloves hands red, so she welcomed the puff of warm air that blasted her as she pushed into the coffee shop.
The atmosphere inside, besides being deliciously warm, was also incredibly festive. Red and white Christmas decorations rested on every available surface, and the crowd was loud and cheerful. At four in the afternoon on the last day of finals, pretty much the whole campus was on vacation.
“Grab a table,” Jack said. “I’ll go order. Chocolate with cream?”
“Yeah.” Alice uncoiled her scarf from around her neck. “Medium, please.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Jack scurried off to join the line and Alice couldn’t avoid noting how well his pants fitted him. Bad Alice, she chided herself, no more checking out Jack’s butt. She had a boyfriend, one with a derriere just as good as Jack’s. Alice had to keep drilling it into her head that she and Jack were just friends. And friends didn’t ogle each other’s butts. Definitely not.
The only free table was a tiny one in the back that barely seated two. Alice removed her coat, sat down, and waited for Jack while blowing into her cupped hands to warm them. The hot paper cup Jack handed her five minutes later did a much better job of heating her frozen fingers.
“I’m so glad this semester is over,” Jack announced, plonking down on the chair next to her.
Close. Too close. Despite the place being crowded and the cocoa aroma drifting up from her cup, Alice could still smell Jack’s aftershave. It made her stomach contract a bit, so she flooded it with hot chocolate to force her belly to relax.
“Yeah, me too,” she said. “This one was hard; not that I’ve encountered an easy one yet.” Alice was babbling. They had spent a million afternoons just like this one. There was no reason to be this nervous. “We should put vodka in this.” Alice shook the cup. “It’s so vanilla of us to celebrate with chocolate.”
“I have a game soon,” Jack said matter-of-factly. “Nothing stronger than beer for me.”
Alice felt a stab of annoyance. “I should change best friends. You’re not daring enough.”
Jack’s eyes sparkled. He gave her a look that said, “Try me.” A hot, red flush crept its way up from Alice’s neck to her cheeks. They held each other’s gaze for a second longer before the moment was lost. Jack’s head disappeared under the table as he retrieved something from his bag.
“To overcome my shortcomings in the fun department,” Jack said once his torso was straight again, “I got you something for Christmas.”
Alice stared wide-eyed at the tube-shaped bundle he was holding. “Are we doing presents now?”
They’d never given each other gifts before.
“Nah. It’s really nothing.” Jack shrugged. “I saw it in a shop window the other day and it made me think of you…”
“Can I open it now, or do I have to wait for Christmas Day?”
Jack flashed her a grin. “Go ahead.”
Alice attacked the wrapping paper. It came off to reveal a cute pink bunny shape.
“What is this?”
“If you remove the case it becomes an umbrella,” Jack said, his voice hesitant.
Alice’s heart stopped. She stared at the pink umbrella covered in tiny white dots, unable to lift her gaze to meet Jack’s eye.
“I know it’s silly,” Jack continued. He sounded just as nervous. “But do you remember that night—”
Alice lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Jack. “Of course I remember…”
***
It was a stormy spring night, with rain pouring from the sky by the bucket. Jack and Alice were waiting for Jack’s girlfriend to come out of the pub where they’d all had dinner. The atmosphere inside the pub had been humid and suffocating. So much so that when the girlfriend—whatever her name was—had needed to use the restroom, Alice and Jack had preferred to wait outside in spite of the rain. Since that first awful dinner with Olivia, it had become routine for Jack to bring his dates along from time to time when he and Alice went out together.
They took shelter under the pub’s ledge, Jack standing in front of her near the door. After a couple of minutes, the door was pushed open, forcing Jack to squeeze her between his chest and the pub wall to keep out of the downpour. Too close. With her back to the wall and Jack looming over her, Alice’s skin prickled. Embarrassed, she shifted to the side, keeping under the ledge, making it look as if they weren’t together. A bulky guy with a black umbrella came out of the pub. He did a quick scan of the road and focused his attention on Alice.
“Hey, you,” bulky guy said. “Bad night to go home without an umbrella. Want a spot under mine?”
Before Alice could do or say anything, he grabbed Alice by the waist, pulling her close to him. His breath reeked of onion rings and beer. It made Alice gag.
“I’m good, thanks,” Alice said, trying and failing to push him away. He had her in a viselike grip and wouldn’t let go.
“Come on,” Mr. Bad-breath said, sending another wave of foul stench her way. “I’m taking you home.” He started dragging her down the road.
Jack’s deadly-cold voice came from behind them. “She said she’s fine.”
Mr. Bad-breath stopped. “What’s your problem, dude?” He turned toward Jack. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“No, she’s not,” Jack replied, his voice low.
At the look of controlled fury on Jack’s face, the guy tried to justify himself. “I was only offering her space under my umbrella.”
“She already has an umbrella,” Jack said.
“I don’t see any umbrella,” the guy protested.
Jack wrenched Alice free. “I’m her fucking umbrella,” he growled, shoving Mr. Bad-breath away. A look of furious determination darkened his eyes.
“Whatever, dude.” Mr. Bad-breath walked away from a fight he was certain to lose given the resolve in Jack’s eyes, leaving them both standing in the rain.
Alice’s hair and clothes were getting soaked, but she didn’t care. She lifted her gaze to Jack. “That was very Rihanna of you,” she said to smooth the tension.
Jack’s jaw relaxed, and he flashed her half a smile. Neither of them moved; they just stood there in the pouring rain, staring into each other’s eyes. The way he was looking at her made Alice’s pulse speed up. He moved a step closer. Oh, gosh, was he going to kiss her?
“Jack!” his girlfriend called. “What are you doing in the rain?” Whatever-her-name-was came and stood next to him, placing him under the shelter of her own umbrella.
Alice was the only one left standing in the rain, her hair and clothing drenched. And her role in the scene shifted from movie-romantic to incredibly pathetic in an instant.
“I guess I’ll get going,” Alice said. “I’m only a block away.” More like four or five.
She spun around, not waiting for a reply, although she did manage to catch the death stare whatever-her-name-was flashed her. Then she hurried off into the rain, not daring to look back and catch Jack’s eye.
***
Alice thanked Jack for the bunny-themed gift and managed to nod her way through the rest of the conversation in the time it took them to finish their hot chocolates.
When a solid, minute-long silence lingered between them, she said, “We should get going.”
“Well,” Jack said, getting up to leave. “Seeya after Christmas.” He grabbed his bag from the floor.
Alice got up as well. “Mmm, about that.” She wasn’t sure why telling Jack she was going to Hawaii was making her so nervous. But she couldn’t put it off any longer. “We might see each other sooner than that.”
“I’m flying to Hawaii tomorrow, Ice. No chance.”
“I know. But when I told Peter I was alone for Christmas, he invited me to Hawaii.” She smiled half-heartedly. “So Haley and I are going.”
Jack’s face fell, sending a chill up both of her arms.
“Don’t be too excited,” Alice said.
“It’s not… I mean,” he stuttered, eyes wide with surprise. “You’re coming to Hawaii?”
“I am.”
“That’s great.”
His creased forehead and tight-lipped smirk sent a completely different message from “great.”
“I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow,” Alice added, annoyed, but trying not to show it. “We’re on the same flight.”
“Of course.”
Now Jack looked as if he was standing on hot coals. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and seemed eager to get away from her as quickly as possible.
“Well, I’ll catch you tomorrow then.” Jack took two steps backward. “Gotta go. Bye.” He turned on his heel and was gone before Alice had a chance to add anything.
Outside, it had started snowing. Fat, feathery flakes were spiraling down, coating the streets in white frost. Alice shook her head and opened her new umbrella to walk home.