Page 40 of Guarded Love

I want to say yes as a way to lie and claim I'm saving it for someone, but my mouth betrays me. "No."

He sits down and I do my best to ignore him. Here’s to hoping he’ll do the same and leave me the hell alone.

"Didn't expect to see you here," he says quietly as Professor Wallace distributes handouts to the front row to pass back.

"I could say the same about you," I mutter, keeping my eyes fixed on my notebook. "Don't you have practice or something?"

"Not tonight." He accepts the stack of papers from the person in front of us, takes one, and passes the rest to me. Our fingers brush, and I jerk my hand back. "Coach gave us the evening off."

I don't respond, focusing instead on the orientation packet now in front of me that I already printed out. The cover page has a colorful photo of what I assume is Old San Juan. Under different circumstances, I'd be excited.

"So," Blaise whispers, "this is what you got accepted to."

It's not a question, but I answer anyway. "Yes."

"Political history and culture of Puerto Rico," he reads from the packet. "Interesting choice for a journalism major."

I finally look at him, narrowing my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugs, the motion fluid and annoyingly graceful. "Nothing. Just making an observation."

"Well don't."

The corner of his mouth twitches and I know he's fighting a smile. "Noted."

Professor Wallace clears her throat, drawing our attention to the front of the room. "Welcome, everyone, to the second sessionof the orientation for our Winter Abroad: Puerto Rico program. I'm Professor Wallace, and I'll be your primary faculty advisor for this trip."

But I barely hear anything that she’s talking about because Blaise is going to be on this trip too.

That means a week of shared activities.

A week of group discussions.

A week of seeing him every. Single. Day.

“I opened up this session to those who attended the previous orientation in case you wanted to meet some of the new people that have recently signed up. Plus there is some more information that I would like to share with you and a few changes.”

She clicks to the next slide: a detailed itinerary. I write down the schedule, adding little stars next to activities that sound particularly interesting. A walking tour of colonial architecture. A visit to El Morro fortress. A day trip to El Yunque rainforest. By the time Professor Wallace wraps up, I somehow managed to take some notes and my head is spinning.

"Any final questions?" she asks, looking around the room.

A hand goes up near the front. "Are the roommate assignments co-ed or single gender?"

"Single gender," Professor Wallace answers. "University policy."

A few more questions follow, but they don’t take long for Professor Wallace to answer. When she’s done, she says, "That's all for tonight. Remember to check your email for updates and complete your health forms by the deadline if you haven't already."

People start packing up, the room filling with the sounds of zipping bags and shuffling papers. I shove my notebook into my bag, eager to escape before Blaise can say anything else. Thistime the universe is on my side because he gets pulled into a conversation with someone else, allowing me to escape.

My phone buzzes in my pocket as soon as I reach my car. I know it’s Ari, but I don’t respond until I’m safely back in my room.

Ari: How was orientation? Any cute study abroad prospects?

A bitter laugh escapes my lips as I reread her text. If only she knew.

Me: You could say that. Blaise is in the program too.

I watch the typing bubbles appear almost instantly. Ari was on fire with her responses, apparently.

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