Kelsey was yawning in class, she couldn't look more bored and suicidal than any other times she was in a classroom. She turned to Julie and made a hand gesture as if she was tying a rope around her neck and pulled until her tongue rolled out. She was the kind of girl who would go as far as sleeping with the Professor just to pass a class because she couldn't stand being in it and having to read all the papers when it was time for an exam.
Julie smiled in amusement, she kept jotting down notes after notes like she always does. She sometimes doodled on the faces of Mick Jagger, Axl Rose, or Tommy Lee and other times, Preston Hicks which she already tore down from her binder. She never had a grade below B+, her GPA was always close to a perfect 4.0 and that was on a bad semester.
When the class was finally over, Kelsey let out a sigh of relief as if she was tortured for an hour and a half. It was only the first day.
Her phone rang, she quickly picked it up. Julie couldn't hear what she was saying but it was brief and she took her hand right after she hung up.
"He's in the lobby, come on!" she said and they ran along the corridors to the lobby to find a black BMW was waiting in front of it. Kelsey immediately jumped into the front passenger seat, Julie was hesitant to open the backseat door.
The car smelled nice, a soft musky cologne that must've come from the guy who was driving. His thick black hair was clean-shaven exposing his neck, and that was the only visible thing about the guy from the back. Kelsey was smooching him from the side but he seemed a little shy because Julie was there. He put his arm on the steering wheel and another on the clutch. His hairy wrists and smooth hands were the other things she can see from behind.
"Hey there ... you must be Julie," he greeted her as he looked at the rearview mirror to find her gaze. He had thick eyebrows, dark brown eyes. Julie returned his greet with a smile. He turned around to shake her hand, "I'm Nathan, I've heard so much about you," he smiled, Kelsey never mentions he was Eurasian.
"Hi, nice to meet you, Nathan," her voice was soft.
"So what do you want for lunch, girls?" he asked. Julie didn't reply, Kelsey usually made all the decisions, after all, it was her date and she was just riding along with them.
"I think that's more of your department, impress us with your choice!" Kelsey said she had a point.
"Okay ... Belvedere than, it's my favorite bistro, they have killer lunch menus there," Nathan said as he drove out of the campus area towards the cafe avenues near the Gastonburry library.
The place was rather hidden between stacks and rows of cafes and restaurants, the entrance door was a bit narrow and covered with vines that grew all the way down from the second floor. But once they opened the black metal door, the interior was as homey as an old French bistro in the French countryside. The smell of coffee and hearty meal that was freshly cooked dominated the place. The people there seemed to have known Nathan, he was a regular there. Nathan pointed to the corner seat where he usually sits, and one of the waiters followed them to take their orders.
Nathan was casually ordering his usual, while Julie flipped through the menu. She took her time before she decided to order the same thing Kelsey ordered, and just before she closed the menu, "And a hot latte with an extra shot of espresso," she said at exactly the same time as Nathan.
Kelsey rolled her eyes, "Have I told you that you always ordered the same type of coffee as her?"
"Finally! A coffee drinker, she drinks tea ... I never understood why people prefer tea over coffee," Julie said.
Nathan was laughing lightly, "I don't prefer tea either, you know there's a coffee place that serves the best gourmet coffee in Gastonburry ...." he remembered.
"Morning Brew," Julie finished his sentence and he was amazed.
"It's the best, right?"
Julie nodded. Kelsey rolled her eyes again, "That's where she often ditch me whenever she gets that loner mood."
"I heard you were supposed to join her in Bhorma, she never stopped talking about it," Nathan held Kelsey's hand and looked at her with infatuations.
"She never shut up about it with me either," Julie mentioned.
Kelsey kissed him on the lips, she seemed to be smitten by his dreamy eyes, "I'm glad you found me there, otherwise, I'd be lost and alone because I have a best friend who often ditches me to study."
The waiter came with their coffees, Julie couldn't help to smell her cup before she took a sip. "I love this, this coffee is beautiful," she commented.
"Don't mind her, she talks to her coffees," Kelsey joked. But it's true, she does have a weird relationship with her coffees, she loved them too much.
"I can understand that, I'm the same with my food and my ingredients ... I cook," Nathan said to Julie.
The conversation developed to discussing Nathan's passion for cooking and the restaurant chain that he was currently working on. His family encouraged him to get a Bachelor's degree in Business Management because they owned a large chain of meat companies. He found a way to accommodate both his family's wishes and his own by starting a restaurant chain. His family was wealthy enough to fund the whole thing.
His first chain in Bhorma was a start, he was supervising the renovation and managing the start-up plan when he met Kelsey. He chose Bhorma because his family owned a house there where he can stay rent-free for the amount of time needed to set up his business. Nathan was very passionate when he described his work and the vision he had for his business. Kelsey was listening up until she was no longer interested in the minute details and her gaze started to wander around the room.
"I was pretty swamped and exhausted with all the preparation, I still have to recruit staff in the next few months and train them in the kitchen especially ... and when I took some time to unwind to the bookstore, that's when I met an angel ... lurking around in the literature aisle," he looked at Kelsey with a satisfied smile, she turned her attention back at him and kissed his lips. "Anyways ... there's nothing sexier than a girl who reads, right?" Nathan added.
Julie was halfway swallowing her food when she heard that, and she almost choked on it. She was coughing, tears started to swell up in her eyes, and even snort was coming out of her nostrils. She pads on her chest tried to stop her coughing but couldn't. "Are you alright?" Nathan tried to figure out how to help her. She shook her head.
Kelsey was handing her a glass of water with a worried look on her face. She knew her best friend was choking because she never read a single book in her life, not even if her grades were depending on it. Kelsey was not one who can stay with a book and enjoyed the experience of reading. Julie can only imagine what Kelsey had said to make him believe otherwise.
When the ordeal had passed, Julie took the water and drank it, she was nodding, "Yes, I agree ... Kelsey is a sexy angel, and a wonderful friend too," she lifted her glass to toast on that. She had always played along with whatever Kelsey's game was with guys, but to concur that she was an avid reader was something new.
"Sooo??? What do you think about him?" Kelsey asked after they got back to the dorm."He's ... nice," it was the first thing that came to her mind. Too nice, she thought, for Kelsey. But she couldn't bring herself to say it, Nathan was very different than any of the guys Kelsey ever dated, and she knew them all. Nathan was a serious type, he had a calm and cool nature about him that didn't fit Kelsey's type of boyfriends. Kelsey's type was more like ... Preston."He seemed to have big plans for the future and he's working for it too," Julie said.Kelsey nodded, she didn't seem to care much about that. "I just can't wait to get him back in the sack tonight ... we're going clubbing later, you should come too," Kelsey said. Julie hesitated, beingthe third wheel on Kelsey's dates was not her favorite thingto do."Don't tell me you want to stay in and study?? It's only the first day of the semester, Jul
Kelsey didn't come back to the dorm for two days. She does that when she was with a boyfriend. She checked in with Julie every day just to let her know where she was. Usually, she'd stay with the guy for days, fucked his brains out until she was bored fucking him and she'd come back to the dorm to complain about how bored she was and then went back to the guy to fuck him some more.Julie was used to the routine, she was glad she was a professional loner. She would drown herself in books and completely lost track of time whenever Kelsey went on her voyage. She never felt lonely without her roommate, and when Kelsey's back, she would take a break from her reading to listen to her over the top sexcapade with the 'oh so boring boyfriend' just to see her gone again in a few days. Rarely there was a boyfriend that didn't bore her, those who can keep her satisfied in bed weretheones that can keepher longest. And that seemed to be the case with Nathan.
Julie was deeply lost in the streets of Europe with Robert Langdon is one of those Dan Brown's thriller novels. Her face was covered by the hardback she had just bought the day before and was already halfway through the 600 plus pages story. Her coffee cup was half empty, her croissant half-eaten, her eyes nailed to the sheets."Julie?!" a voice called her name which she pretended to not hear, she was three pages away from the next chapter. The source of the voice didn't call on her again, instead, he took a seat in front of her in silence. Her eyebrows furrowed as she was finishing a few more paragraphs before she slid her book to one side and startled at the sight of Nathan."Nathan?! I'm sorry I was ..." she was lost for words."In the middle of a chapter? Don't worry, I'm like that too ..." he laughed softly, showing a row of perfect teeth between his perfectly shaped lips. "Are you alone? Can I sit here?" he was dir
Whenever she's not in a class, twice or three times a week at various coffee shops they would meet to discuss work while Kelsey attends her classes. They made tremendous progress just by brainstorming, making phone calls, and work on Julie's laptop. Sometimes Kelsey skipped class to join them, to see what the work was like but then she was bored after a few hours and decided that she was better off in class.Julie went to the counter to order some coffee and snacks whenPreston approached her. "Hey, I thought I'd find you here," he greeted her. He was standing really closeto her, their arms rubbed with each other and it made her uncomfortable."Hey Preston," she replied in a monotone."My birthday is coming up, I wanted to invite you," he said.Julie shrugged, "Oh I don't think I can come, but thanks for inviting me, I'll let Kelsey know.""Come on, Jules, this been go
The party was at his house. Preston's family also owned a house in Gastonburry, but he chose to live in the dorm because he didn't get along with his dad. It was a better choice for his love life too, it would've been disastrous to bring his dates home and meet his parents in the morning.Kelsey was right, Preston was a slut, he sleeps around with everybody. He had the looks, he got the reputation, and he was a singer in his band which was gradually making a name for itself. Even though he took the Business Major, his musical talent was pulling him in another direction.His girlfriend for the past couple of years was an on and off relationship because he couldn't keep his pants on. It left Julie feeling like an idiot for letting him in her room that night and fell for the same trick that he probably used with every girl he slept with. Or maybe he didn't need a trick at all, because most girls would open their door to him just because he was
'I broke up with Naomi' the girl who he cheated on with her. So? She thought. It couldn't be undone, she slept with someone else's boyfriend. Something she never thought would happen. Especially not when her last boyfriend cheated on her because she wasn't sure about giving up her virginity to him.She shrugged it off. She remembered how hewas when she opened her dorm room that night. He was drunk, he said he couldn't sleep, he was smelling like booze with a tint of Hugo Boss, he hadan unopened bottle of Vodka in his hand.Preston always smelled nice, even under a stale cigarette odor. He took his jacket off, leaving his thin worn out The Doors T-shirt hanging loose above his jeans. He threw himself on the floor next to her, their backs leaned on the bed. He opened the bottle with his teeth and they started drinking.He went on about the thousands of fights he had with Naomi, that night being the peak o
The first time he was introduced to Julie, the most obvious thing about her was her quietness. People would assume she was shy. She doesn't talk much unless it was something that interests her. The next obvious thing was her intellect, she can talk about anything that nourishes her brilliant mind. She knows her music, she knows her books, she knows her artists like they were her friends.She laughs at things most people find offensive, she laughs at herself, her laugh was contagious. She knows how to be focused, she knows when to let loose. She listens like you are the most important person in the room. She'll tell you the nicest things about yourself and the worst things without judging you. By this time, you'll see her as your best friend. And then he sees it, the way she threw her head back when she laughs, the creases in the corners of her eyes, her smart comebacks, the way she tucked her hair behind her ears. She was pretty. Pretty amazing.
Kelsey came back later that day looking exhausted. She threw her arms up and fell on her bed like a log. She let out a long sigh of relief.Julie was on her laptop editing Preston's videos, she glanced at her suspiciously, "Long day?"Sheprobably had spentthewhole afternoonsexingupwith Nathan,thesigh didn'tsoundlikeagood one.Kelsey turned her head lazily, "Hhmm ... he didn't bring his A-game today, and I was wearing my go-to jeans and lucky thong ... I guess it's not so lucky anymore."Julie chuckled, "Why? What happened?"Kelsey rolled on her stomach, "I don't know, something was weighing on his mind, I think it's probably work, he's nervous for next week ... the recruitment and everything ... it's starting to feel like we're married."Julie nodded, "Yeah he does have a lot on his plate, he'll be meeti