Eileen and Chloe walked through the campus on their way to the student center.
"See, now isn't this better than sitting at home alone feeling bad about yourself?"
Eileen shrugged. "I guess so," she agreed, smiling slightly despite herself.
"Hey, look it's Amin and Randy," Chloe said pointing towards a group of students standing up ahead. When the guys turned towards them after hearing their names, Chloe waved to them and hurried forward, leaving Eileen to follow behind. Since Chloe immediately sidled next to Amin and started chatting with him, Eileen approached Randy.
"Hey, Eileen. Where have you been hiding?" Randy asked. "I haven't seen you around lately."
"I haven't been around much," Eileen replied lightly. "I've had a lot going on."
"That's too bad. It's nothing serious, is it?" he asked with concern. She didn't seem like her usual cheerful self.
"Not really. Just trying to juggle my love life and keep from failing out of school."
"Aren't we all?" Randy laughed. "At least the semester is nearly over . . . Hey, you're going to find some time to spend with me before I leave on break aren't you?"
Eileen grinned, "Sure. I'll see what I can do."
"Eileen, I thought that was you," Cassandra said as she approached the group.
"Hey Cassie, what are you doing here?" Eileen greeted her friend with a hug before introducing her to Randy.
"I was going to meet my sister for lunch, but she had to cancel. I'm glad I ran into you," Cassie said, studying Eileen. "We really need to catch up."
"I know," Eileen agreed. "We were talking about going over to the student center, do you want to join us?"
Cassandra was about to say yes, when the building in front of her caught her attention. She had the sudden overwhelming urge to go inside. "No thanks. I'm just going to stop in here for a cup of coffee before I go home. I'll give you a call later, ok?"
Cassandra didn't wait for Eileen's reply and instead walked into the coffee shop almost as if she was being guided by a force other than her own.
She paused in the doorway and looked around the room as if she had gone in looking for something in particular. She blinked a few times as if her eyes were adjusting to the darkness of the room before focusing on one person. Although there were other people in the room and he was sitting with his back to the door, she noticed him immediately.
She took a deep breath and tried to focus. Then she walked over to the counter to place her order.
The few extra moments waiting at the counter was enough to help Cassandra calm her nerves and feel like herself again. With a cup of espresso in hand she walked over to his table.
"Hi," she greeted him. "Is this seat taken?"
"It is now," Blaine replied, returning her smile. "Have a seat. So how have you been?"
"Good. How about you?"
"Not bad. How are things with your mom? Is she doing ok?"
"Yeah, she's adjusting. We all are," Cassandra answered slowly. "I'm glad she's back in my life, but I'm not used to having a mom around. It's a little bit annoying at times, but mostly it's really nice."
Blaine laughed lightly, "I'm glad to hear it. I've been meaning to stop by and see how things were going."
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Cassandra said sweetly. "You've already done so much for us and I can't thank you enough for it . . . But maybe you could come over some evening for dinner. I'm sure Mom would love to see you again."
"Ok, sure. Just let me know when."
"Anytime whenever you're not busy is fine with me."
"We'd better wait until after finals week. I've got a lot to do before the end of the semester. Besides Reese is going to be busy for awhile. She's got a lot going on with work right now and I'm sure she'd like to come too." Noticing Cassandra's expression go blank, he added, "That's ok, isn't it?"
"Sure," Cassandra said, the words barely making their way out of her throat. "So, I guess you two are like a couple."
Blaine looked thoughtful. "Not yet, but I hope we will be. It's still kind of new."
Cassandra nodded slowly before changing the subject, "So how's school going?"
"Not bad. I'm getting to the end now. I just have one more semester before I graduate."
"Good for you. What are you going to do when you're finished?"
"I want to go into computer programing. I'd kind of like to find something local, but if I have to relocate that's not a big deal. What about you? What do you do? Are you a student?"
"No, not full time. I've been taking a few courses here and there at the community college. I've never been able to stick to one thing for too long . . .for the most part, anyway. I'm always trying something new. So I really admire anyone like you or my sister, Zara, who can go to school and stick with it."
They continued chatting long after their coffee mugs were empty.
Eventually Blaine glanced at his watch and stood up. "It was nice talking to you, but I've got to get to the computer lab. I'm working this afternoon."
"Oh, ok," Cassandra said, standing as well. "I'm glad I ran into you."
"Me too . . .I'll walk you to your car," he offered.
Cassandra grinned. "Thanks."
As they walked towards the front door, Cassandra glanced at the posters and bulletin boards in the hallway. One of them caught her eye. She stopped in her tracks and gasped, "Look! It's Searing Indifference!"
Blaine turned and looked at Cassandra like she was crazy, "What?"
"Searing Indifference," Cassandra repeated as she pointed to one of the posters. "They're one of my favorite bands. I can't even tell you how many times I've been to see them. Oh, and they're going to play here on campus. Are you going to go?"
Blaine looked surprised and shrugged. "I wasn't planning on it."
"You really should go. They're great."
"Then maybe I go if I have time."
"You should make time. Next semester is your last, right? You should have fun while you're here."
Blaine couldn't help grinning at her enthusiasm. "I'll see."
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