Love Week

The Meeting

I open my eyes and breathe a sigh of relief. Today is Sunday, and I am not late for class. I almost rushed out of bed when my alarm rang. I slowly pull the covers and get out of bed. I do some stretching before making room for quiet time with Jesus.

After quiet time, I get some food from the cafeteria, planning my day as I walk. The cool breeze and smell of nature after a good rain are always refreshing. I smile softly as I watch the squirrels quarrel and the birds look for food. When I enter the dorms, I hear many voices that make my heart race a little. Curious, I look at the little group gathered in the lobby. Oh, it's just the basketball players greeting friends after their recent win. One of them looks directly at me, and my eyes widen. I look away and hurry to the girls' dorms, breathing a sigh of relief when I'm in the elevator.

I make it to my floor and hurry to my room. The smell of peppermint greets me, and I smile to myself as I see my organized and clean room ready for some studying. Sundays are more slow-paced and restful, but I still have to get some work done. After an hour of homework and another thirty minutes of workout, I decide to take my reading outside. There's a book I've been wanting to finish, and I keep putting it off. Maybe what I need is a change of scenery, but I sure hope there aren't a lot of people. It's my first and last semester on this campus, and I'm still getting used to things around here.

I hug the book close to me as I listen to music playing through my earphones. I take the stairs to the lobby, hoping for peace and quiet. Unfortunately, as I open the door, I still hear voices, laughter, and stories being shared. I take a deep breath and walk past everyone, planning my next course of action as I exit the building.

I follow the path until I reach a bench under a tree. Maybe this will serve as a good reading place. I sit down and open the book, relaxing into a comfortable position to start reading. I pick up where I left off. The characters have just entered a new world and are figuring out what to do next. I flip through the pages, quickly absorbing the story and getting lost in the adventure.

"I can't believe you're reading that too." A voice says, interrupting my exciting adventure. I pull myself back into reality and look up. I try not to gasp or make my eyes widen too much. "Are you enjoying it?" He asks with a small smile. "Uh, yes. It was quite thrilling before you interrupted the adventure.," I reply, looking away. "Right, sorry. I just haven't seen anyone else reading this series." He says, moving his hand. I look up and see that he's asking if he can sit down beside me. Do I say no? I guess not. I nod and he sits down a few inches away from me. He turns towards me, and I see more of him. He's not as intimidating or serious as I thought.

"I didn't think a basketball player would be interested in this series. In any fictional book, really." I admit, closing my book. He laughs softly. "Yeah, I get that. The other guys don't really read. But I've been fond of reading since I was a kid. And that series is good. Do you have the latest book?" I find myself talking about this new book series with one of the star basketball players of the school. Is this crazy, or what? We end up talking for an hour, mostly about our favorite books and some of their movie adaptations.

"I never thought I'd be talking to you about this," I close with a smile. Talking with him isn't so bad. He nods, "I've seen you around, and I know you're a new student, so I never thought we'd get along through books." I raise an eyebrow. "You didn't think we could get along?" He shakes his head. "Sorry, no. That is not what I meant. I mean, I didn't know what to say if I ever approached you. But when I saw you today and then saw you with the book, I felt like there was something I could say. Now that I think about it, did I say too much?" I shake my head, relaxing. "It was a good talk. Surprising, but good."

He stands and nods. "I think so too. I'm going back to the dorms to get some work done. Will you be staying here?" I look around and feel the breeze getting colder. "I think I'll head back too." I stand as well and follow him back onto the path. We talk a little more about school and life, and I wonder how much of him is kept underneath the guise of 'basketball player.'

"Well, I'll be heading this way. Thank you for the talk, Miranda. I hope we can have more talks or hang out sometime." He smiles and waves, and I find myself smiling back. "Uh, yeah. Thanks, Ian." I turn around and walk in the direction of our dorms, fighting back the feeling of wanting to see if he's still looking.

When I make it back to my room, I find myself standing still. Did I really just hold a long conversation with a guy? And not just any guy, but Ian, the star player? And did I really say that we could talk and hang out again? I sit down on my chair and stare at myself in the mirror. "I'm supposed to focus and graduate. There's no time for extra socializing, Miranda. Especially with guys. Get yourself together." I say softly. I sigh. Moving so often hasn't made it easy to make good friends. I thought high school would be the most challenging season of spending only two years in each school. But then, for college, I ended up being in a different one each year. While my studies are doing okay, I don't think I am as a whole. And this is why I keep my books with me. They're my friends who bring me out of reality and into another world.