The Surprise of a Lifetime

Chapter 2-Jane

As soon as class ends I stand up and head straight for the door without looking back. "Wait" I hear a certain someone say. I don't wait though, I keep going. I can hear all of the footsteps of everyone exiting the classroom but for some reason, I can hear his the best, and I know he's right on my heels. I push through the crowded hallway of the building until I finally make it outside. It's nearing the end of August and it's freezing out but I welcome the cold in this moment. 

I stop to catch my breath. I quickly regret this action on my part when I see my beautiful stranger, I mean Xander, coming towards me, only a few feet away now. I try to turn and keep walking but his hand gently grabs my arm to keep me from going anywhere. 

"Can we talk?" He asks me. I'm staring at his hand on my arm, not even daring to look up into his clear ocean blue eyes that I remember so well. 

"I don't think-" I begin to say. 

He quickly cuts me off, "please?" I finally look up to his face and he's giving me a small shy smile. There was none of that shyness when we were...messing around in the bathroom all those weeks ago. I don't know if it's his shyness or something else that makes me nod my head and let him lead me to a nearby bench. With my heart beat slowing, I no longer welcome the cold. I should have worn more layers or at least thicker clothes. 

I stare at him expectantly. When it's clear he isn't going to be the first one to talk, I muster up all my courage and ask as innocently as possible, "what did you want to talk about?" 

He sighs in relief and says, "first of all, you know my name and I still don't know yours. I feel like I'm at a disadvantage here." He smiles and I immediately feel warmth running through my body despite the cold air. 

"Jane." I say all too quickly. 

"Jane." He repeats in a satisfied whisper. He speaks louder, "well Jane, it's nice to officially meet. Small world we live in right?" He tries making light of the situation but I no longer have the confidence of the drunk girl he met at that night club, all I feel is embarrassed and shy. When I don't answer, he continues to speak, "so how is it that I've never seen you before on this campus?" 

For some reason, that question gets me talking. "Well, I thought me taking Psych 101 would have given it away." I smile and when he doesn't respond I say, "I'm a freshman." 

He honestly looks shocked at this statement. It takes him a few seconds to regain his composure before saying, "but you were in that club." 

"Fake ID. Definitely not proud of it but it was all my sister's doing," I explain, and for a brief second I wonder why I'm even explaining anything to this guy. 

"I see." Is all he says. 

That leaves me to take the lead in this awkward conversation. "And you? What year are you?"
"This is my fourth year," He says, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Oh. Wow." Is all I can manage to say. 

"Listen I have to go to my next class. It was great putting a name to such a beautiful face." He smiles at me and surprises me when he wraps me in a hug. "I'll see you around." And with that, he walks off, leaving me standing there in the freezing cold, holding in the tears that I refuse to let spill. 

***
The rest of the day passes by uneventfully and I can't get our encounter out of my head. Maybe I'm just thinking things but he seemed really disappointed when he found out that it's my first year here. I don't know how to take that. One thing is for certain, if I had any thoughts about telling him he knocked me up, those thoughts are long gone by now. The reaction to my freshman status was less than stellar and made me think that he definitely wants to forget that we ever even...never mind.