F*ck Fate! (Book 3)

Chapter Six: Unintentional Happenings

Andy

"What are you doin' tonight?" Kat asked me across the table in the student dining center.

I shrugged, stabbing my fork into a piece of lettuce. "I'm guessing you are about to tell me what I'm doing?"

She unlocked her phone and carefully pulled up a picture with her picky. "His name is Lance," she started, sliding the phone over to me. "He's super hot, plays on the baseball team - definitely plays on your team, if you know what I mean. Also, he's going to meet you at that coffee shop at seven tonight."

I sighed, pushing back her phone without looking at the picture. "You gotta stop setting me up all the time, Kat," I told her. "You know it never works out. I'm done trying."

She slid her phone back over. "But look at him, Andy! If I wasn't with Joey and he wasn't gay, I wouldn't let that hottie pass me by! I have a good feelin' about him this time."

I rolled my eyes. "You said that last time. About the guy who never showed. Remember him?"

"He..." she sighed. "He was an asshole. I should have seen that coming. But trust me with this guy. He'll be your one."

Giving in, I picked up her phone. He was attractive, I'll admit to that. But I've been on so many dates that failed miserably. I didn't want to tack this guy onto the list too, no matter how good of a feeling Kat might have about him.

"Please, Ands? One date with him?" She dropped her fork onto her plate. "Do you really want me to go up to this hottie and tell him you don't want to meet him? He seemed pretty excited to meet you."

I sighed, handing Kat back her phone. "Fine. What was his name again?"

She smiled widely. "Lance. Oh, I'm so excited for you!"

I just nodded, looking down at my salad. Unfortunately, it wasn't too appealing today. The lettuce was wilted and the chicken was slightly burnt, yet icy cold. I didn't really want to finish it, even though I knew I should.

"Not hungry?" Kat asked.

I shook my head, bringing my gaze back up to meet hers. "Yeah, I don't know. Maybe it was that burger I had yesterday. Messed with my system. Didn't really eat breakfast either."

She frowned. "Oh no. I feel like that's my fault."

"No!" I shot back immediately. "Don't blame yourself. I chose that burger with everything on it. I could have gone with something else." Although technically I hadn't ordered that burger, but how can I blame the guy for messing up? Obviously he was still new at his job.

I checked the time and sighed. "I should go," I told Kat before taking the breaks off my wheels. "I'll see you later."

"Wait, you're leaving?" She stood up, ready to follow me out of the dining hall. "I thought you weren't doin' anything this afternoon?"

"Turns out I do. Sorry. I'll see you later though. Promise."

Before she could reply, I was heading for the trash cans, where I dumped out the rest of my salad. Despite the rational side of my brain screaming at me for making the wrong choices, I knew exactly what I wanted to eat for lunch today. The irrational part of my brain was trying to convince me it was just for the food. Even I wasn't falling for that. I knew it had nothing to do with the food and everything to do with the boy behind the counter with the stunning green eyes.

It wasn't long before I reached the restaurant. Like yesterday, someone needed to hold the door open for me to get in. They really need to invest in automatic doors, or at least prop the door open every once in a while. They might get more customers that way. But who was I to tell them how to run their business?

There was a bit of a line today, which gave me a little more time to look over the menu. I had barely looked yesterday, which is probably one of the reasons I ended up with that burger. To my surprise, they actually seemed to have a couple healthier options among all the unhealthy ones they were known for.

"Can I help who's next?"

I realized that I was next after a couple seconds. A second after that, I realized it was Shawn - at his own register today - waiting to take my order. Seems like luck was on my side today, as long he actually got me the sandwich I was about to ask for.

"Hey, I remember you," he said when I wheeled myself up to the counter. "Uh, Andy, right? Do you want another burger today or do you actually want a number one combo this time?"

I smiled, laughing a little. "Good memory. But I'm actually going to have a chicken salad sandwich. If, of course, that's okay with you."

He smiled back at me and I felt my chest tighten for a second. I hated how much of an effect he was having on me. It was just a smile, goddammit!

"Anything else with that sandwich? Fries? Drink?"

I shook my head. "I'm afraid if I get a drink, it might get knocked over again."

His cheeks turned the slightest bit red. "I can assure you that that's not going to happen. Again."

I nodded. "Okay, then," I said. leaning back in my chair, even crossing my arms over my chest for dramatic effect. "I'll take a drink too. Let's test this theory of yours, shall we?"

The rest of the transaction went smoothly and ended with him telling me he'd bring out my food again. I went over to the same table I was at yesterday, immediately pulling out my creative writing notebook I made sure to bring to campus with me today. That love poem was due tomorrow and I still haven't started it yet. There's no better time to get started on it like the present, right?

Just as I placed my pen on top of my notebook, I heard Shawn's voice over the low murmur of customers. I don't know why it stuck out to me, but I turned around to see another customer approaching his register.

Shawn obviously recognized the guy. After a second of staring at each other, Shawn asked, "Sam?"