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“Love.” Grace smiles in a way that makes me want to lean across the table, take her face in both of my hands and kiss her. “There’s Nikiya, the temple dancer. She’s in love with Solor, a noble warrior, and he loves her. She’s also loved by the powerful High Brahmin but doesn’t love him in return.” She clutches her hands in front of her heart. “It’s got it all…Love triangle, betrayal, desperation. Lots of drama.”
“Have you ever danced the lead?”
“Once.” She looks away and her smile drops when she catches sight of the clock. “My class is on the other side of campus. I’ve got to get a move on.”
“I’ll walk you to class.” I gather our stuff and take it to the trash. “Ready?” I ask as I heft her bag over my shoulder.
“Sure you don’t mind carrying that?”
“Not at all.”
And the conversation is easy for the next few minutes as we make our way across campus. There are no awkward silences, no having to come up with things to say. When her steps slow I know we’ve arrived at our destination, and I’m more than just a little disappointed. Already strategizing, I barely register what she says when she asks, “So, this six weeks is like a vacation?”
“An extended leave that I requested between tours.”
“A break is good, right?”
I don’t tell her the reason behind it because that’s a story for another day. I just say, “It’s turning out to be a good thing,” because that is the God’s honest truth. I feel like something good is coming, something life changing, and I can’t attribute this weird sense of divine promise to anything or anyone but Grace.
“Here we are.” She looks as disappointed as I feel when she says it.
“There’s a good band playing tomorrow night at a small place in Durham. Can I take you out?” She hesitates for just a second, but it’s one second too long. “You’re not going to make me hack into the school’s operating system to get a copy of your schedule so I can accidentally on purpose run into you on campus again, are you?”
She studies me. “For some reason I get the feeling you actually could do that.”
“Sorry to disappoint. I’ve got some uncommon skills, but computer hacking isn’t one of them.”
“It’s just that you’re leaving pretty soon. I mean, is there any point?”
“A lot can happen in six weeks.”
“Five weeks and a few days,” she corrects. And now I know she’s been thinking about me, so I go all in.
“I like you, Grace. A lot. And you’re right, I’ll be leaving in a few weeks, but I don’t want to pass up on something that could be great just because the timing is sucky.”
“Sucky.” She gifts me with a soft smile and a nod. “I’ll go out with you tomorrow.”
I take my phone out. “What’s your number?” I tap it in and then hear her phone buzzing a moment later. “Text me your address and I’ll pick you up at seven. We’ll get something to eat first?”
“Sounds good.”
I look down to read her text. “You live on Darling Drive?”
“It’s so random. The other streets are named Elk, State, Maple...Typical street names.”
I’m tempted to comment on it as we linger outside for a few more seconds, but I know whatever I come up with will sound corny. I smile, though, because someone like Grace should live on Darling Drive. It fits.
“Maybe wear your hair up tomorrow night, ok?”
“Why?”
“You’ll see.”
Chapter Four
Grace
I have an elastic band in my bag, but my hair is not up. My wavy hair has done more than just cooperate today. I used some new anti-frizz product that coaxed bona fide curls from my unruly mane, so I’m not about to go and ruin the effect. My hair is glossy perfection, my makeup is understated, and I borrowed a casual strapless dress from Frannie that makes me look fan-freaking-tastic.
