“There’s no question. We’re going to spend a few weeks in Paris.”
And that was my limit. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. It was stupid and silly of me. I was being petty and childish, but hearing about her wedding and her honeymoon was hard enough. Then to hear about Paris, that just pushed me over the edge. It reminded me of everything I had just lost, and it reminded me of all the plans I had wanted to make. Now they were all fallen dreams that I was forced to throw to the wayside.
Tears started slipping down my cheeks, and I tried like hell to cover them up. I could feel little droplets fall to my hands and I tried surreptitiously to brush them away. The moment I wiped my face clean, more tears materialized, and I knew there was no way I could hide my puffy eyes and my red nose.
“Oh my God, are you all right?” It was the blonde girl. She was turned towards me, and her expression was one of concern.
“Yes, of course.” I nodded, trying to smile through the tears. “I’m just being silly.”
“Is something wrong?” the redhead asked.
“No… It’s just I’m a little emotional today, that’s all, what with graduation…”
I hoped that was a convincing enough lie. They exchanged a glance, but neither one questioned me, and I felt completely ridiculous.
“I’m sorry,” I sniffed. “I’m being so silly.”
“No, don’t say that,” the blonde said, patting my arm. “Graduation is emotional. We’ve all worked out butts off for four years to get here. This is a big deal. You have no reason to be embarrassed.”
“Thank you,” I said. “You’re nice.”
“Nice is my middle name.” She laughed. “But the name on my birth certificate reads Martha. It’s nice to meet you. And this is Abigail.”
I smiled through my tears and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you both. I’m Natalie.”
“I’ve seen you around, Natalie,” Abigail said. “You took sociology, didn’t you?”
“I did,” I nodded.
“We were in the same lecture for two semesters.”
“Really?” I said, amazed that I didn’t recognize Abigail at all. “I’m sorry, I can’t say that I remember you.”
“That’s okay,” Abigail laughed good-naturedly. “You always had your head down, and you concentrated so hard on the lectures. I used to admire your focus. I certainly never had any. The only time I concentrated on my lectures was when the professor was reasonably good looking. So in my case, that meant never.”
Martha laughed and shook her head at her friend. “You should have taken Economics 401 then.”
I felt myself grow a little more alert as Martha mentioned Chance’s subject. “You took Econ 401?” I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“I did,” Martha nodded. “For half a semester, and then I dropped out. The professor was a total babe, but the subject was way too difficult for me. I was losing sleep trying to research for the assignments he gave us. In the end, I just couldn’t hack it.”
“Which professor is this?” Abigail asked, with interest.
“Professor William,” I said immediately.
“That’s the one,” Martha nodded. “He’s way over six feet tall, broad shoulders, ripped body, blond hair, and blue eyes.”
“Hazel,” I said before I could stop myself.
“Sorry?”
“His eyes,” I said reluctantly. “I’m pretty sure they’re hazel.”
“Oh, guess, I haven’t been close enough to him to notice.”
“I consulted with him on an assignment once,” I said, feeling as though I needed to explain.
“Did you really need the consultation?” Martha giggled. “Or was that just an excuse to meet the elusive professor?”