“Come in,” she called out as she scrambled to save and minimize the file.
Brian pushed open the door and stepped in, the giant bouquet of flowers slightly bumping against the doorjamb as he entered. “Hi, guys.”
“Brian!” Melanie left the magazine she’d been flipping through and went to give him a hug. “It’s great to see you again.” She stepped back and gave him a once-over. He wore a button-down black shirt with dark jeans. His hair had been slightly tamed but still curled appealingly over his ears and the collar of his shirt. “My, aren’t you looking rather fabulous?”
His cheeks turned slightly pink as he grinned a little. “Yeah, well. Big date tonight.”
“Oh, really?” Melanie lifted her brows at Charlotte. “Who’s the lucky girl?”
Brian’s grin widened. “Theresa Campbell. Charlotte didn’t tell you?”
“Nope. Well, she’s going to be pretty thrilled to see you on her doorstep.” Melanie kissed his cheek.
“Thanks. Here.” He slipped a daisy out of the bouquet and handed it off to her. Even though they’d dated for a year and had split nearly two years ago, he was still friends with her. He considered himself pretty lucky to have a friend like her.
“Aww, thanks.” She sniffed the bouquet he held. “Whoo. Those are great flowers. If I hadn’t already dated you, I would snap you up pretty quick. You’re quite the catch, Bri.”
Charlotte shook her head as Brian’s cheeks colored more. “Stop embarrassing the guy, Mel. Brian, did you stop by for good luck?” She gave a friendly tug on one of his curls. “Mel’s right. You look great.”
“Thanks. And, yeah, good luck’s definitely needed.” He paused and bit his lip. “And one more thing. I gotta ask for a huge favor, Char-Char.”
“What is it?”
Brian gave her a big smile. Convincing one. “You know how I don’t have a car but you do? Well, I was just wondering if I could borrow yours for tonight? Please?”
“Uhh…”
“If it’s running low on gas, I’ll fill it up. I’ll make sure nothing happens to it,” he assured her. “I’ll even take it for a wash tomorrow—if you want.”
Charlotte grinned and shook her head. “Relax, Brian. You can take it. Just don’t crash it,” she warned him. “It took me four years to finally pay it off. Be careful with it.”
“I will. Absolutely.” He kissed her cheek. “You’re the best. The very best.” He handed her one of the yellow roses from the bouquet. “I owe you big. I’ll pay you back. Promise.”
She handed him the keys and took the flower. “Don’t worry about it. Have fun. Take care of yourself.” Then, on impulse, she gave him a quick hug. “You’ll be great, and if she doesn’t see it, she’s blind.”
“Thanks, Char.” Brian glanced at his watch. “I better go. Bye, guys.” And he bolted out the door.
Charlotte indulged herself by smelling her rose. When she met Melanie’s eyes, her roommate wiggled her brows at her. “Not in love with him, huh?”
“No. Not even a little.”
But, even as she immersed herself in her writing again, her fingers returned to stroke the delicate yellow bloom.
Brian thought their movie date was going well. At least, he hoped it was. He’d pulled up to the Campbell home and sweated the whole way up to the door. When Theresa had opened the door, though, he’d forgotten all about his own nerves. She looked amazing. He didn’t know how she managed it, but she was even more gorgeous than she’d been the night before. She’d loved the flowers. Of course, she had. Hadn’t he already gotten a mark of approval from Melanie, the reigning queen of style among his friends? He had, and so he’d been thrilled when Theresa had made the appropriate female noises of glee and excitement as she’d buried her face in the various blooms.
He’d felt like a prince.
Now, they sat in the movie theater, watching a film about the violation of human rights in Southeast Asia, and Brian couldn’t have been happier. Not only had Theresa chosen the film, but it was one that he’d been wanting to watch for a while. So here they were, Brian thought, sharing an interest in writing, films, and, as he’d discovered on the way to the theater, music. She liked all the classic rock that he was in love with, and she hadn’t minded when he’d sung along. In fact, she’d sung along with him. Whenever he was in the car with Charlotte and Alex, they’d told him to zip it and had never sang with him.
He was if not in love, then tiptoeing very close to the edge. And he’d only known Theresa for a day and a half.
When the movie ended, they walked out of the theater, hand in hand. Outside, Theresa stopped under the glow of a streetlight and smiled up at him.
“I’m having a really great time, Brian.” Her smile was warm, and her hand felt perfect in his. “I’m glad we did this.”
He found himself beaming back at her. “Yeah, me, too. I have to confess something, though.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows drew together. “What is it?”
Brian lowered his voice to a dramatic stage whisper. “I’d been dying to go see that movie for the longest time. I have to admit I was ecstatic inside when you said you wanted to see it, too.”
Theresa grinned. “Then I’m glad I picked it. We just seem to share similar taste in everything. I haven’t come across really anyone that I’ve shared a passion for classic rock, docu-films, and writing with. That makes me really happy.” She squeezed his hand.
“Well, I’m happy that you’re happy.” He looked over at the parking lot and spotted Charlotte’s car. “Why don’t we finish off this great night with some pizza? There’s this awesome pizzeria a couple blocks from here. The smell of it puts you in heaven.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were seated in the middle of one of Brian’s favorite places in the town of Duray—Luciano’s Pizzeria. The atmosphere was homey, the scents were, as he’d said, to die for. Luciano’s was run by a large Italian family, and they treated their customers like part of that family. The restaurant was full of happy sounds, delicious aromas, and plenty of Duray students who’d stopped by for a treat.
Brian and Theresa snagged a booth in a corner of the restaurant where they could watch all the happenings. While they waited for their pizza to arrive, guys from the Duray baseball team that Brian had played on, members from the choir, and others who knew him stopped by the table to ask how finals had gone or to just say hi. There were more than a few brows raised in speculation when Brian introduced Theresa as President Campbell’s daughter. As he knew the campus community well, he knew that the news would fly across campus in the blink of an eye. Tomorrow morning, he’d hear about how he and Theresa were practically married.
It amused him, but, because he wasn’t sure how comfortable Theresa was with that idea, he wished that tongues wouldn’t wag quite so much.
When their food came, Theresa enthusiastically ate a slice, and Brian had the rest boxed up for her as she insisted she couldn’t possibly eat more. “You’ll want more in the middle of the night,” he assured her. “Trust me. We’ve all been there.” So she’d agreed and taken the box.
They left the pizzeria amid a chorus of “Bye Brian” and “Enjoy Duray, Theresa”, then simply stood outside as Theresa gazed up at the sky.
“You can’t really see the stars in New York,” she told him as they walked the block and a half to where the car was parked. “Too much light pollution.”
“Well, there’s plenty of stars here.” Though he was used to the gorgeous nighttime view, he still studied the brilliant stars.
“I sat out on my balcony for an hour last night just to watch the stars,” she murmured. “I really loved it. They seem so bright and close. So much bigger and more numerous than they seem through all the city lights. If I were you, I’d sleep outside every night if I could.”
“Actually,” Brian began, “after the first couple weeks, you stop noticing that they’re there. Then, one night, you’ll look up, and there they are. It’s always a surprise to see the stars shining so brightly. It’s amazing to just watch and know that they’re always there. Even when you don’t realize they’re there, they are.” He stopped and cocked his head. “Does that make sense?”
Theresa smiled. “Absolutely. Sometimes, we don’t see the true value of something because we’ve begun to take it for granted. Then, one day, we lose it and realize just how much it means to us. If you’re really lucky, you can get it back, but it’s a pretty rare thing.”
“Yeah.” His gaze flicked up to the sky once more before it focused on her face again. “Thanks again for coming out with me tonight.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “I should be the one thanking you. It was pretty great of you to take me out. I had a lot of fun. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d have any fun in Duray while I was here. Obviously, I was wrong.”
“Obviously.” He smiled into her warm eyes. “So you thought Duray people would be boring?”
“Well…” She smiled sheepishly. “Maybe. Yeah.”
“And now?” Was it his imagination or was her face angled just a bit more towards his? They were definitely closer, though.
“Now? Now, I think I couldn’t have been more wrong.” Her voice was a breathy murmur.
“Good.” Brian didn’t think he was misreading the signals, and everything in him was screaming for him to just kiss her already. He closed the small distance between them and softly pressed his lips to hers.
Charlotte stepped out of the café, her cup of coffee steaming in her hand. Pushing her hair back with her free hand, her gaze swept the quiet street around her. When it landed on the couple across the street, she froze. If it was possible, she thought she felt something inside of her tear in half.
When the pain flashed in her hand, she looked down. The steaming coffee had poured out of her now-crumpled cup and had scalded her hand. Her skin was already a bright red color, and the stinging, burning sensation caused tears to rise in her throat.
Squeezing her eyes together, she knew she’d have to go to the nearby emergency room, since the burn was bad. But what made angry tears spill forth onto her cheeks wasn’t the pain in her hand. She was furious with Brian, with Theresa. But most of all, she was furious with herself.
She was susceptible after all.
