The Uber driver dropped Haley and Alice off at Logan International Airport super early the next morning. Haley fidgeted all the way through the airline check in and airport security checks. Since they were leaving so early, they had skipped breakfast at home. And Haley was starving. When they finally stopped at a Starbucks near their gate to grab a quick bite, her stomach was already grumbling in protest.
As Haley sipped her grande caffè mocha, a tall guy shuffling through the Hudson News shop across the hall caught her attention. He had his back turned so she couldn’t see his face, only his clothes. He was wearing sweatpants and a puffy sports jacket with a hoody pulled over his head.
“Hello?” Alice asked next to her. “Are you listening?”
“No, sorry, I was distracted by the hottie over there.”
“Which one?”
“The one in the puffy blue jacket?”
“How can you say he’s hot? I can only see his back.”
“It’s a hot back. I wish he’d turn around.” She stared at his shoulders, whispering, “Turn, turn…”
Both Haley and Alice followed the mysterious guy’s progress around the shop, but he walked away without once turning his face toward them.
“Aw, pity,” Haley said. “Now we’ll never know.”
Alice rolled her eyes. “I think I’ll live.”
“That’s because you already have a hot boyfriend. We single gals, on the other hand…”
“Need to ogle strangers in airports?” Alice offered.
“Pretty much.” Haley laughed.
“So you’re definitely over your masked stranger?”
Haley’s heart gave a wistful pulse. Last summer she’d gone to a Venetian Masquerade Ball and danced with a masked stranger only to lose him halfway through the night and never see him again. She’d been a bit obsessed ever since. She’d never even seen his face, making the search that much harder. But her mask had been a simple rhinestones application around her eyes that left her face practically bare, so she’d hoped that if she couldn’t find him, he would somehow find her. But that had been months ago, and she’d lost faith.
“Not much of a choice,” Haley said, “I have to use the restroom. Wait for me here?”
Haley left without waiting for a reply. She searched the ceiling for the restrooms signs and followed them to the Ladies’ Room. As she pushed open the door, it banged into someone.
“Oh, sorry,” she apologized.
An older woman scowled at her. Haley poked her head inside and saw the room was packed with people waiting in line. There were only four stalls, and one of them was out of order. It’d take her forever to wait for her turn. Why are women’s restrooms always so busy? The thought gave her an idea. She backtracked from the Ladies’ Room and decided to scout out the situation in the Men’s Room.
Haley stopped in front of the Men’s Room door. She checked behind her shoulders. All clear. It was empty inside, and all the stall doors were open. Go figure. Haley snuck into the room and went about her business as quickly as possible, rushing outside as soon as she was finished.
Just when she thought she’d made it undetected, Haley bumped into someone on her way out. She found her gaze level with a puffy blue jacket. The guy from the news shop. Haley had to bend her neck backward to see his face: green eyes, chiseled features, and a cute smile. He was so tall and so hot. Recognition gnawed at her. Where had she seen him before?
The hot guy stepped back. “Pardon me,” he said, double-checking that he had the right restroom. “Isn’t this the Men’s Room?”
“Yeah, sorry,” Haley apologized, embarrassed. “There was a super long line for the Ladies’ Room, and here was empty, so…” Haley kept looking at his gorgeous face, trying to place it. “I’m sorry, have we met before?” And now she’d just used the oldest pickup line in the book. Great.
“I think I’d remember meeting you.” His lips curled upwards in an amused smile. He kept his eyes trained on hers, making her blush. “We could’ve crossed paths on campus.” He jerked his chin toward her Harvard sweatshirt. “I go to Harvard too.”
“Going home for Christmas?”
“No, actually. I’m on the basketball team and we’re going to Hawaii to play.”
That was it! She’d seen him at a game.
“Really?” Haley couldn’t believe her luck. “Me too.”
He arched his eyebrows. “You play basketball for the Crimson?”
“No.” Haley laughed awkwardly. “What I meant was that my best friend is dating your captain, and he’s invited her along, so we’re going to Hawaii with the team, sort of.”
His smile widened. “Small world.”
Haley tilted her head to the side. “So it seems.”
“It was nice meeting you…?”
“Haley Thomas.”
“Scott Williams.”
He looked at her expectantly, and Haley realized she was still blocking his path to the Men’s Room. They both moved at the same time, bumping into each other again. They did a little dance of moving in the same direction twice before Scott stopped and allowed Haley to move past him. She started toward the café, but couldn’t help turning back. Scott was holding the door open, watching her go.
Haley smiled and ran off, eager to tell Alice the news.