Right Where We Are

The Original Song

LUCAS-

All his life, Lucas heard the phrase, "You'll find love when you least expect it." It was a cheesy line, often delivered as a sort of pitied response when he said he didn't have a girlfriend. He usually shrugged it off, knowing somewhere in his core that love didn't work like that.

He wasn't going to fall in love at first sight, because he had no way of knowing who a person was if he did. And he knew he wouldn't fall in love with a simple appearance. Lucas always imagined himself falling in love with someone who was his best friend. It would be something slowly built, something that would just make sense at some point.

Still, he couldn't deny that part of him- that full-fledged romantic part taking after his mother- which made him wonder if every person who smiled or engaged in a friendly conversation would be the person he was meant to be with for the rest of his life. Especially as a college freshman. He kept expecting to kick off his coming-of-age story, with a lot of friends and a lot of parties and that special someone he'd spend the rest of his life with.

Except college wasn't that simple.

Lucas hadn't always struggled with confidence. That had started in middle school, after a series of embarrassing moments and subtle bullying that slowly made him feel like an outcast. It got a little better in high school, but really, Lucas knew he was just used to the faces and knew how to be likable for everyone. He knew how to mold to the groups around him enough to blend in without quite fitting in, and that was enough.

Until now. His university was a small campus in comparison to better known schools, and so the student population was relatively small. Which meant most upper classmen knew each other, had their groups, had their inside jokes. And while the freshmen would be a good pool to make friends out of, it seemed like everyone was sufficiently sure of themselves to not look like blundering idiots around campus.

Sure, everyone seemed uncertain those first couple weeks, but mostly everyone had grown out of it by making friends in their hall or classes or joining clubs. Meanwhile, Lucas had no idea what he wanted to do. He didn't seem to have a passion strong enough to make him want to invest in a club, and he wasn't entirely sure how to make friends to stay. He could carry a conversation, and he was friendly enough, but he felt like maybe he just wasn't interesting enough to make anyone stick around to be more than a friendly face.

He tried to be okay with that, but he felt like he was missing out. Which was why he spent so much time in the café that served as a pitstop for students before or after class as well as a place to stay awake when studying due to its freezing temperature.

As he looked around at all the students talking and laughing, he caught a few eyes that recognized him. They waved in friendly greeting, which Lucas returned, and then they went back to their conversations with actual friends.

Awkward. He felt... painfully awkward.

He checked the time and felt a slight relief to see he had about twenty minutes before his next class. Enough time to get a drink and walk over.

He got an iced coffee and poured an unhealthy amount of sugar that his Mama would probably go hysterical over. It wasn't his fault the coffee was so bitter.

He put his earbuds in and walked out, hefting his backpack on one shoulder and smiling at familiar faces. Well, every face on campus was somewhat familiar due to the size of the school, but he smiled at the people he'd talked to before, even if he couldn't recall their names.