Love Always (NG4)

30 - Dilemma

Rory sat alone in the student union thinking about how much she hated the coffee. She wasn't waiting for her friends. Instead, a meeting with her advisor had brought her to campus. She arrived to find an email delaying their meeting an hour. So she sat with a horrible coffee and her phone. Sam had been home for a weekend, which left her more homesick than before. If he wasn't in class, she'd call him.

He had called with exciting news about a reporter going to his senior show that evening. Missing his show was on the long list of cons when she went away to school. The first was obvious. Sometimes she woke in a sweat wishing she had made different decisions. If she counseled herself, she would have been remind that it was important to find herself as an individual. The problem was she couldn't tell if she had. Other than her and Sam talking and not hurting, her second semester also allowed for her to be just Rory.

"You had that same look on the plane."

She looked up to see Dan standing next to her with a coffee and his messenger bag over his shoulder. He looked different with the scruff of his beard on his face. She thought of Sam's face when he didn't shave. Forcing a smile, she shook her head knowing both times she was thinking of Sam.

She lied, not feeling comfortable to share with him. "Just thinking about my work. It's piling up."

"End of the semester. May I?" He pointed to the empty chair across from her. She nodded, and he pulled out the chair and sat down.

She asked, "How's Finn?"

"He's. He's okay."

Rory's eyes narrowed. "Is something wrong?"

"His mother hasn't been feeling well. He enjoys playing at the park."

Finn had appeared on a few Sundays, and Dan sat while she played and chased after Charlotte.

"Your cousins are cute."

Rory smiled. "I give my uncle and his wife a few minutes to themselves on Sunday mornings. It's the least I can do since I'm crashing at their house until summer break."

He looked at her. "Maine, huh?"

She smiled. "Yup. We moved when I was in high school. I love it."

She took a sip of coffee and made a face before putting it to the side, so she wouldn't be tempted to taste the vile liquid again.

"But you left."

"This program is one of the best." He nodded. "You're not from Maine?"

"No, my mother moved after I left home. I grew up in Maryland."

She sat forward. "Why Maine?"

"Believe it or not she met her significant other online."

"She's not the only one who moved to Maine for that reason."

She thought of Bryan. He frowned. "You have that look again."

She looked at her phone, twenty minutes until her meeting. "Just checking the time. I'm meeting with my advisor at ten."

"I have a ten o'clock class."

She scrunched her nose. "Economics."

He chuckled. "Economics. It takes a special person to appreciate the intricacies of the economy."

"Obviously, I'm not that special."

He stammered. "I. I didn't mean it like that."

Rory laughed. "I was teasing."

He smiled. "Good. I should go before I insult you again."

Rory laughed. "Say hi to Finn for me."

He stopped and turned back. "Maybe. No. Forget it."