Chapter 2

Saturday

With one hand on the steering wheel, Sean heaved a heavy sigh. He didn't understand why he was acting weird around Allison lately and why he was afraid to look into his girlfriend's eyes. Maybe because he was afraid that she would find out about the fact that he was thinking about another girl for the last couple of weeks. He was afraid she would be hurt, although he knew this thing he was stealthily doing had already hurt her without her knowing.

After driving from New Jersey to New York on Saturday morning, he parked his car in front of a café in Manhattan. As he proceeded toward the door, he determined not to meet this girl again who was on his mind for two weeks and forgot her along with all those precious memories they had shared together for three years in high school. He made a vow to himself that he wouldn't hurt Allison let alone make her cry. He convinced himself that he had moved on and now the only girl he loved was Allison. His one and only Allison.

But when Sean pushed the door open and saw this blue-eyed brunette girl waving at him as she smiled, all of his thoughts vanished into thin air. As he waved back to her, he walked straight up to her with a wide smile on his face.

***

Jessica couldn't hide her smile and her eyes glittered. Having a great chat with this guy dressed in black clothes—t-shirt, leather jacket and ripped jeans—sitting in front of her for nearly four hours, they never lost a topic to talk about. It had been a very long time since their last conversation a few years ago. It was beyond belief to sit there with him again while talking about anything. She had missed a moment like this so much and now she was totally enjoying it. But suddenly the phone on the table rang.

"Um, Sean, sorry to interrupt," she said as she glanced at the phone, "but someone's calling you."

"Oh," Sean responded then took his phone. But as soon as he looked at the screen, his expression changed. She watched him hang up the call instead of answering it. He then laid his phone face-down on the table, coughed as he adjusted his glasses and smiled at her. "So, where were we? I forgot." He forced to laugh a little.

The atmosphere became awkward. She had taken a glimpse of the caller just now. Allison. Without the need to ask him, she could guess that Allison might be his new girlfriend. In a split second, she felt guilty. She knew what she was doing right now was wrong because this could ruin somebody's relationship.

So, she just smiled back at him weakly and lied, "I forgot, too."

He faked a laugh as he glanced back at his phone that was blaring again. "Uh, Jess, I'm really sorry, but I got to go now."

She startled. It didn't feel right. She didn't want to destroy his relationship with his girlfriend, but on the other side, she wanted him back into her life. It was so selfish, she was aware of that, but it was because he didn't try to push her away, either. She felt like he also wanted her back.

"Uh, Sean?" Jessica called quickly before Sean got up.

"Yeah?"

"Can we... have a cup of coffee again sometime... next week?" She encouraged herself to ask him.

He was silent, considering something. "Sorry, Jess, I don't think I can come here again next week."

She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. "How about tomorrow? I'll drive to New Jersey," she tried again.

"No, Jess!" he refused.

Panic on his face made her brows furrow.

"Uh, sorry, I- I can't tomorrow. I got a basketball game."

She pasted an understanding smile. "Oh, good luck with your game, then."

"Thanks." He cleared his throat. "I got a game against Columbia tomorrow, by the way."

"Really? Where does the game take place?" she asked, curious.

"Princeton."

Her mouth made an 'O' as she nodded.

"Hey, remember when we used to play basketball, just the two of us, at the field near your house?" he asked.

"Of course, I remember, how could I forget."

"The field has been taken care of last summer and it looks so much better now, do you know that?"

Her eyebrows lifted up. "For real?"

"Yes. You haven't been there lately?"

"No, the last time I walked past it, it was still so messed up," she said.

"You didn't come home last summer?" he asked.

"No, I got an internship here the whole summer." She sighed then drifted her stare out of the window. "I miss Boston. I love our suburban environment better than the city, to be honest. Plus, it's my home, after all. It's been a while since I went to see my family, too."

A silence followed before Sean finally broke it by murmuring, "I miss us there, too."

Jessica looked at him, trying to find the certainty in his eyes but he looked away instead.

"So, what time is your basketball game tomorrow?" she asked to change the subject.

"At 2:00," he answered as he glanced over again at his phone in his hand that was back on ringing. "I'm sorry, Jess, I'm afraid I really have to go now."

"Oh, it's okay." She smiled bitterly.

He got up and before walking away, he said, "Bye, Jess, I'm sorry I can't drop you off at your place."

"Nah, it's okay, Sean. Bye. Take care."

"Thanks for your time. Nice chat today," he stated as he smiled.

She smiled back at her ex-boyfriend. "You too," she replied.

***

Dressed in pretty, A-line white dress, Kirsten stood in front of the full-length mirror in her dormitory room as she stared at her reflection. The dress had come in the mail three days ago along with a letter saying:

Today was Kirsten and her boyfriend Liam's second anniversary. She was so excited for tonight because it had been a while they hadn't met each other since she started her first semester at Columbia University two months ago. During her last year in high school and his first year at Yale University last year, he had always tried to spare some time to visit her in Los Angeles when he was not too occupied with college assignments and stuff. After having survived a 2,800-mile distance for a year, she was now back to being close to him and she couldn't be any happier.

Three years ago, her father had decided to move from Boston to Los Angeles and said they better left their old home alongside their good and bad memories there and made a fresh start in different state across the country. But then, everything happened for a reason.

Her first year in Los Angeles had been a bumpy road until Liam came into her life and changed everything. In her second year there, her father had started dating Maya, a loving, beautiful lawyer—whose a son just started college at that time, and decided to marry her a year later. Since then, Kirsten's life there turned out to be a blessing in disguise and Liam was an enormous part of it.

She glanced at the clock on her wall. 6:45 PM. Around 4:00 PM today, he had texted her saying that he just checked in to his hotel and would pick her up at 7:00 PM at her dormitory. Sitting down on her bed, she was about to wear her kitten heel shoes when she heard a knock on her door.

Is that Liam? Well, he's early, she thought, a bit baffled.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see a messy brown-haired, six-feet-one guy standing outside instead of her boyfriend.

***

(to be continued)

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