“We did,” he said, his eyes focused on mine. “It was good to see you again, Nina, but I have to get going.” He stood up and returned the chair to its proper place. I stiffened. I wanted to ask him when I would see him again, but couldn’t find the courage. I settled for relaying my feelings with a disappointed frown.

To my relief, he noticed.

“I’ll see you soon,” he reassured me, amused at my deflated expression.

“Good,” I nodded once.

He strode out just as marvelously as he came in, and I crumpled into the back of my chair. My muscles complained, I hadn’t noticed I was so tense. I sipped my coffee and took a deep, relaxing breath.

I had gone from never knowing he existed to inexplicably running into him. My life was suddenly full of these little miraculous surprises, moments I was finding so much happiness in that I was already wondering when the next one would come.

My friends’ eyes bored into me. I looked up, conscious of their burning curiosity.

“Yes?” I prompted, smiling innocently.

“Oh please, Nigh. Like you’re not swimming in your own freakily potent pheromones right now,” Kim said.

“He’s really cute,” Beth added.

“I guess…if you like the type,” I mused, trying to keep my cool.

“If…?” Beth cried. “You mean the well-dressed, gorgeous, movie-star type that is polite and interested in you? You mean that type?”

Kim laughed. “You are being ridiculously calm about this, considering while he was here you had the personality of a clam.”

“I did not!”

“She could have shot coffee out of her nose and he still would have stayed,” Beth giggled.

“He’s not cute. He’s angelic,” I sighed, dwelling on every detail of him.

Kim joined Beth’s giggling and all three of us erupted in laughter.

Over the next few days, every time I stepped off campus I watched for him. Beth and I went for coffee more than once, and I was shamefully preoccupied. I would answer when prompted and nod my head in the acceptable places of conversation, but we both knew I was anticipating my next moment with Jared.

I couldn’t believe how annoying I’d become over a man I barely knew. I was not one of those girls who became wrapped up in such things, and truth be told I lost patience easily with those that did. When I caught myself searching for him in every store, every restaurant and coffee shop I frequented, a scolding was in order.

Five days of this ridiculous behavior paid off.

The sun disappeared behind the horizon as Beth and I waited by pump four of Eastside Shell gas station. I yawned out of boredom, listening to the pump clicking with every dollar put in. Beth wrinkled her nose at the smell and I mirrored her expression.

“What?” she asked.