It was 9 AM on Sunday and I had woken up to the revelation that it was time to be like Eden and Ruth – goal oriented and non-procrastinating.

Ruth always kept a strict schedule for her Sundays –well… for all her days. Today, she had her morning standard egg and avocado breakfast at 6:45 AM, equestrian class at 7:30 AM, church at 10:00 AM and then to all her committed activities.

Eden, on the other hand had a hangover but before the hangover, she had a strategic sleep over with Robert Harris –not much sleep involved.

Since they had their goals in check on this Sunday, I decided to follow suit by actually attending an appointment in Voicenotes Café with my textbooks and assignment on macroeconomics and microeconomics that I failed to complete on Saturday.

But as I tried to concentrate on my beloved textbooks, my mind kept wandering into self-reflection and after drinking a few Americanos and glaring at my blank assignment -the self-reflection turned to self-criticism.

The main reason for the self-criticism was Nicholas Lauder –the non-so-average blue eyed blond boy. Did I, Mackenzie Reed actually consider him remarkably above average that I would forsake all common sense and moral fibres in my body, to allow my virginity to be lost to a stranger I barely met for 5 minutes?

Even Eden, who considered herself to be the most sexually liberal of the three of us had lost her virginity to her boyfriend of six months –not in five minutes of vodka lemonades and furbelow dresses. And she even hinted it was a romantic, intimate and a private occasion –not a public event where all prying eyes were open to witness the defiling of a willing senseless virgin.

What exactly was I thinking in that moment?

Sure, it was memorable. The way his hot and passionate kisses lingered against my skin. I could still feel them tingle across my neck…

Was that really love at first sight? Was this the feeling romantic movies and books tried so hard to describe?

“Hey,” said someone like he was walking on sunshine. “Glad I bumped into you.”

I glanced up and discovered it was Sebastian. “I would say the same if you were anyone else,” I grimaced.

“Even Gabriel Harris?” quipped Sebastian, settling comfortably in a chair across from me. “I think you disliked him more than me on Saturday night.”

“Since it’s Sunday, I think I dislike both of you equally,” I retorted, annoyed that he sat down at my table like we were friends. “Why did you sit down? You didn’t ask if you could sit down –it’s my table.”

“What’s a table between friends?” said Sebastian, humorously.

“An unfriendly table,” I replied, stoic, “Must I remind you, we aren’t friends.”

“Oh… yeah, you’re right. We’re girlfriend and boyfriend,” said Sebastian, “we share more than tables.”

“Not anymore or ever,” I stated, standing to leave.

“Wait a second,” said Sebastian, locking on to my arm. “You can’t judge a guy for the friends he made when he was five years old or falling in love at first sight with a woman he considered perfect.”

“Love at first sight?” I squeaked, quite stunned by the term as memories of Nicholas Lauder flashed before me.

“Yeah, it’s something uncontrollable. It’s not like I chose to love my mother’s best friend,” said Sebastian.

“That’s true,” I said, trying to blink Nicholas Lauder away from my sight. “I mean… love at first sight is a treacherous horrible instrument –it’s like an unexpected parasitic disease.”

I sat down, thinking that Sebastian had a point. He had a solid honorable family tree with roots so deep in non-adulterous soil –it must have been love at first sight that twisted his insides and made him into a complete immoral fool. It must have been love at first sight that tempted me to…to…

Sebastian quirked an odd brow at me and then enthusiastically agreed with me like we were friends again, “It knows your intimate weaknesses and sways you into a pit of hell.”

“And you know what they say about hell…” I added after him, “… once you’re in… you can go on vacation but it will always be home! It’s like the Hotel California song by the Eagles. You are trapped for eternity in love at treacherous sight!”

“Is that where I am now?” asked Sebastian, retrospectively. “Eternally trapped with Claudia at love at treacherous sight? I wouldn’t mind being trapped with her in Hotel California except she’s infatuated with Professor Patterson and honestly I wouldn’t want to be stuck with love at first sight with Professor Patterson –he isn’t anything to look at, not sure if Hotel California would want to keep him.”

I snapped back to reality when I heard Sebastian’s idiotic rambling and realised that I was being just as idiotic.

Love at first sight being a treacherous and horrible instrument?

That’s what people who were irresponsible like Sebastian Grey and named Sebastian Grey would say.

I wasn’t like them or him.

Next time I met Nicholas above average Lauder, I would be a responsible and logical being. I was the type of person to take responsibility for all my actions –not blame it on some flimsy excuse of love at first treacherous sight.

“Sebastian, I can’t believe you just called Dean Harris by her first name,” I said, condescendingly. “Have you no shame? This is a public place where our fellow students eat scones and drink their coffee!”

“Wait,” choked Sebastian, like their was something in his throat, “I thought we were on the same page here… we both have this first love syndrome that we have given into –“

“I have not given into anything,” I interrupted with a huff, “we don’t have this first love syndrome –you might but I don’t and you know what, first love syndrome is what people like you invent to justify or excuse your actions,” I said, swiftly.

Sebastian was speechless. His mouth was slightly opened like he was waiting for his mind to form words and transport them out of his mouth.

“Sebastian,” I said, firmly, “do you understand the trouble you’re in with Dean Harris?”

He nodded slowly. “Was that some Jedi-mind trick?” he asked, staring at me like he had been slapped. “First be compassionate then… slam the judge mental truth so Sebastian can suffer in agony about the matter.”

“Judgmental or not –the truth is the truth. You need to be more responsible and just tell your best friend’s mother that she is the Dean that student’s respect and look up to! She needs to act like the Dean we all looked up to before… before…”

“Before she had spontaneous sex with me in her kitchen,” said Sebastian. “I think she said something about adding more spices in the kitchen.”

“What?” I gasped, disturbed by the sexual innuendo and the description. “That’s something I definitely didn’t need to hear.”

“I know…I’m sorry,” said Sebastian, tousling his hair in an apologetic manner. “I don’t know why I just spurt these things when you are around. It’s so easy to talk to you about this.”

“That’s cause I’m the only one who knows,” I replied sarcastically. “How long can you keep this secret from your best friend?”

“I don’t know… I want to tell him but it breaks all the invisible hieroglyphical best friend laws,” said Sebastian, looking like a lost puppy.

“Seriously? Invisible Hieroglyphical Best friend Laws?” I repeated, quite unsure why I bothered to continually sit and listen to Sebastian’s pathetic excuses. Sure, he looked wounded, lost and in need of an understanding friend but we weren’t friends. “I honestly don’t know what you want from me,” I told Sebastian. “If you need someone to talk to get a shrink.” I said, firmly, grabbing my textbooks to leave.

But as I turned to leave, I saw not so blue eyed average Nicholas Lauder entering Voicenotes café and I did the only logical thing that anyone else would do.

I ducked, like I was on fire and stealthy crawled like a cat, finally reaching the underneath of the table Sebastian used.

God, when did Voicenotes café become so popular? I wondered, trying to blend with the table.

Sebastian popped his head underneath the table. “What are you doing?” he asked, arching a brow.

Good question. “I just dropped something under the table.” I lied, trying not to look horrified.

“Oh…” he said, unconvinced. “Did you find it?”

“Just give me five seconds,” I said, wondering if I could stealthily crawl from one table to the next.

After exactly five seconds, Sebastian popped his head underneath the table. “You coming back up?” he asked, “or should I come down there and help you?”

“No, I found it,” I said, picking the first thing I could find on the floor –it was a dusty receipt.

“Receipts are very important,” said Sebastian, then quickly popped his head back up.

I glanced at the receipt and wondered if blue eyed Nicholas Lauder would actually remember me. It was a party after all and we were both intoxicated…and Voicenotes café was a big place – he would probably never see me.

I crawled out of the table, stood up and casually dusted off my clothes. “Well… Sebastian I should leave…”

I was about to formulate my excuse but my mind fogged up when I saw Nicholas Lauder instead of Sebastian.

“Oh,” I said, waiting for something logical to say. What was logical in this situation? “Oh, that’s right… am I at the wrong table?”

Nicholas smiled, one of those charming smiles that would knock out the senses of any living being. “I don’t think so…I’m pretty sure you’re at the right table.”

“Where’s Sebastian?” I asked, but more importantly was Nicholas voice always this sexy and raspy?

“He offered to get the coffee,” replied Nicholas, “and I offered to stay.”

I smiled, feeling those stupid butterflies in my stomach. This is not love at first sight, I told myself – this is Hotel California, don’t get trapped in it.

“Well, thank you for offering to stay but I should leave,” I said, giving him my best polite smile.

“What about the coffee?” asked Nicholas, sounding like he wasn’t talking about coffee.

“Maybe you could drink it for me,” I replied, “you do like coffee?”

“I do like coffee but I think I really like it when your hair is down more, Mackenzie,” said Nicholas.

“What?” I said, flabbergasted by his comment but hypnotized by the way he said my name.

Wait…

“How do you know my name?” I asked.

“I happened to tell him about you,” said someone joining the table – it was Claire from my Economics class. “I always wanted to introduce myself to you. I love your presentations in class, they are so concise and helpful. I’m Claire Lauder.”

“Thanks. I’m Mackenzie Reed,” I said, shaking her hand.

“This is my brother Nick,” said Claire, folding her arms as she sat down. “I hope he wasn’t being a jerkass.”

“Jerkass? Who taught you that word?” laughed Nicholas. “I was politely enticing Mackenzie to stay with coffee.”

“Did it work?” asked Claire, her blue eyes as majestic as her brothers.

“I guess it did but where’s the coffee?” I said, sitting down and liking Nicholas more.

“You know Sebastian…” said Claire, “he could spend the whole morning and afternoon talking about nothing to random strangers.”

“You’re describing the exact moment I met Sebastian,” I said and Claire laughed.

“He’s done that ever since I knew him – since we were four or was it two years old,” said Nicholas.

“That’s a long time,” I said.

“Yeah, we are best friends – closer than brothers,” said Nicholas. “I have my procrastination; he has his rambling which is obviously slightly worse.”

I laughed. “For some reason, I find his rambling charming,” I said, “he always has something to say which makes any conversation less awkward.”

Nicholas intensely glanced at me, “and what else do you find charming?”

“Sorry about the coffee delay,” interrupted Sebastian, bursting the tray of coffee on the table. “I’m your delayed waiter for today, Sebastian Grey.”

“Welcome Sebastian,” said Claire. “We were all afraid that the coffee was going to return cold and soggy.”

“There’s no tip for that kind of service,” quipped Nicholas.

Sebastian laughed. “This is why I love you guys –always so critically encouraging,” he said, sitting down. “Unlike you guys, my girlfriend here thinks I’m the best.”

“Oh?” said Nicholas and Claire whilst I choked on the coffee.

“She did say she found your conversational skills charming,” said Claire, sipping her coffee.

I found Nicholas odd glance at me but shrugged it off. Who did Sebastian think he was? This was wrong, I never agreed to be his girlfriend. “Excuse me I have to go,” I said, standing up, “and Sebastian I don’t find this or your free coffee charming at all.”

I left Voicenotes café and walked into the cool outside air.

“Wait, Mackenzie,” called Sebastian from behind me. “I didn’t mean it – it just –“

“What? Came out?” I said, furiously, turning to face Sebastian. “What are you trying to do? I told you I don’t want to be in this sordid affair you have going on. I never agreed to be your girlfriend –there aren’t any small or big benefits for me and even if they were I wouldn’t do it!”

“I’m so sorry,” said Sebastian. “I don’t know what I was thinking, it’s just that you got me and understood me –“

“You can’t take advantage of people like this,” I told him, thinking of my own mother –how she believed in a lie and held on to it until it broke. “You hurt people and confuse them. It’s not okay.” I said, tearing up.

“I’m so sorry,” said Sebastian, unsure what do to but then hugged me. “I just didn’t know what to do. I actually don’t know what to do… I just felt safer with you on my side.”