Thursday morning I followed Beth to the table reserved for the coffee pots and various sugars and other creamers. Per her usual, Kim appeared behind us and complained about our additives. I gripped my travel mug with both hands, keeping in line with my friends.

Beth stopped in her tracks, initiating a pile-up. I slammed into Kim, and the coffee I held exploded from the slit in the lid, splattering in a vertical line from collar to hem of my coat.

“Beth!” Kim and I both yelped in unison.

I looked down at my coat and used my mittens to brush off the dripping, mocha-colored liquid. Someone abruptly grabbed my arm and yanked me forward. I didn’t have time to see which of my girlfriends it was, because Jared’s incredible blue-grey eyes caught my attention the second I looked up.

I took quicker steps than I should have to be within conversation distance, but once I stood within a few feet of him, I couldn’t speak.

“Running late, aren’t you?” Jared said, seeming pleased at my reaction.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, baffled.

He laughed and looked down. I saw from my peripheral that Beth and Kim were just as awestruck as I was. I couldn’t imagine what had possessed him to show up here, and I was even more clueless at his carefree manner; as if our conversation from the night before had never taken place.

“Will you have a seat?”

I sat down immediately, in an almost comical fashion. He usually didn’t make an appearance unless he had something important he needed to say, or if there was trouble. The scenarios were flashing through my mind. I stared at him in silence, waiting for the answer.

He crossed his arms on the table and leaned toward me. “I know you said to leave you alone, but I did a lot of thinking last night and I had to see you. We need to talk.”

My mouth opened a bit in shock, and I shut it just as I looked up at Kim and Beth. Their mouths were in a similar state.

“We’ll, er…meet you in class, Nigh,” Kim said, raising her eyebrows.

I grimaced as they abandoned me. My shoulders felt so tense they seemed to be hovering around my ears. I took a deep breath, and forced them down to their proper position.

Jared appeared nervous and he swallowed. “Did I cross a line?”

“I want answers, Jared.”

The corners of his mouth turned up as he slid a card over to my side of the table.

I pinched the thin paper between my fingers and examined it. It was a generically ivory business card with his name and company name in chocolate brown writing. My heart kicked into high gear upon reading the next line, which contained his phone number.

“You’re giving me your number?”