I spun around to see Connor standing behind me, and it occurred to me then that he was much taller than I had initially thought. He had to be at least 6’3” or 6’4”, making my perfectly average 5’9” feel shorter than usual. I tilted my head to meet his steel blue eyes and managed to say, “Coffee? Um, sure, I’ve got some time.”

“After you then,” he grinned, gesturing toward the large, glass doors leading outside. I smiled back at him cautiously and began to walk toward the exit. Even though I knew it was coming, the frigid air stopped me in my tracks, forcing me to pause and acclimate to the harsh new environment. Connor seemed taken aback as well, his hands suddenly scrambling for his pockets. “Thanks for agreeing to this. I know it was last minute.”

“Sure,” I said, my cheeks warming despite the icy wind hitting my face. “If I’m being honest, I’m kind of curious why you asked me in the first place. We definitely don’t know each other because I would most certainly remember you.”

“You’re right, we don’t know each other. This is probably going to sound stupid, but when you walked in this morning, I just felt this weird urge to introduce myself. I don’t really know how to explain it, but I guess I liked your vibe,” Connor explained, his gaze bouncing between me and the modern exterior of the building in front of us. He let out a small laugh before he continued, “To be clear, I don’t go around introducing myself to random strangers often, this is actually kind of a first for me. Come to think of it, I’m not usually the type to make impulsive decisions based on ‘vibes,’ either.”

“Are you implying that you’re shy, Mr. Wells? Even if that’s true, if I’m not mistaken, you were just collectively eye fucked by our entire World Lit class, so it’s hard for me to imagine you as a timid wallflower,” I quipped. Connor let out a husky laugh, “Was I? Since you put it that way, I’m not really sure how to feel. What do you think, should I be flattered or offended?”

“Flattered. One million percent. Shit, I don’t think anyone has ever looked at me the way our entire class just looked at you! It wasn’t just the women, either. There were absolutely a few guys staring you down, too.”

“First of all, there is no universe in which you haven’t been looked at with desire,” Connor’s voice lowered as we finally escaped the blistering cold. “To your other point, I seem to remember a certain guy silently challenging me to a staring contest back there. Was he eye fucking me, too?”

At that moment, the blood from my entire body suddenly rushed to my cheeks, my face on fire. Unsure of how to respond, I hesitated slightly before asking, “Connor, are you trying to kill me? Shit. We haven’t even gotten our coffee yet.” He laughed again, and this time the sound sparked an unfamiliar, but not unpleasant feeling in my gut. What the fuck is happening right now?

Lucy’s was busier than it had been early that morning, but we managed to get our coffees without much of a wait. I snagged a small table in the back corner, which bordered a vast wall of floor to ceiling windows. I took off my coat and placed my phone on the table before sitting in the simple, high-backed chair. When Connor sat down, he took a moment to admire the view before directing his gaze back at me. He went to speak, but before he could say anything, my phone lit up and started to vibrate. Fucking hell, Addie. “Fuck, sorry, let me get this real quick. I promise it will only take a minute,” I insisted, as Connor just smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. A crowd of people had just come into the shop, and I was not about to fuck with the miserable weather again, so I decided to just take the call at the table.

“Hey, Addie,” I answered unenthusiastically. “Sorry I missed your call earlier, I was in class.”

“Babe! I’m so glad to finally talk to you, it’s been so crazy here,” she responded in her high-pitched, giggly voice. “Is everything going okay there?”

“Everything’s fine. Listen, I’m in the middle of something right now, so I need to go. Let’s talk when you get back, alright?” I pushed, trying to escape the call as quickly as possible.

“Oh, um, yeah. Okay, that sounds good. I’ll be back on Sunday, so I’ll see you then,” she said, sounding less sure of herself than she had just a moment ago. “I love you, Bo.”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to you soon,” I whispered, ending the call and sighing to release my exasperation.

“You have a girlfriend?” Connor asked quietly, intentionally looking away from me for the first time since we met.

“I do, but I’m actually breaking up with her when she gets back from France in a few days,” I explained. I could have sworn that I saw relief flash across Connor’s face, but the look was gone as abruptly as it came. “God, I feel like such an asshole. Did I sound like an asshole just now? I just don’t know what to say to her knowing that I’m planning on ending things, you know?”

“That sounds like an uncomfortable position to be in, for sure,” Connor empathized, his brow furrowed. “I haven’t been in a serious relationship in a while, but I can definitely appreciate your predicament. Oh, and no. I don’t think you sounded like an asshole.”

Desperate to stop talking about my soon-to-be ex-girlfriend, I attempted to change the subject, “So Connor, tell me about yourself. If you answer my questions, I promise to answer yours.”

“I’m holding you to that, Mr. Collins. Well, let’s see, where to start?” he asked rhetorically. “I’m 25, so probably a little bit older than you if I had to guess. This is my last semester as a junior. I had some family issues come up after my freshman year, so I took some time off to deal with things before coming back. Even though I feel kind of awkward and out of place sometimes, I’ve actually enjoyed my time here as an older student.” He paused, glancing up as if it might really help him think. “Hm, what else? Oh, I’m a psychology major. The plan is to go to grad school and then work as a psychologist, preferably with at-risk teens.”

“That’s very admirable,” I interjected. “It takes a certain type of person to go into a field like that. Not only that, but the fact that you have all this planned out is pretty fucking cool to me.”

“Thanks for saying that,” he breathed out quietly before perking up. “Let me think of some things to share that don’t have anything to do with school. Ah, so I live in a studio apartment near campus. It’s tiny as hell, but the tall ceilings and massive windows more than make up for it. I’m an only child, so while I do have quite a few friends, I’ve always been a bit of a loner. My mom and I are close, she’s probably my best friend. Oh, and I’m openly gay.”

Okay, well at least it wasn’t all in my head, I thought, wondering if I should feel bad for immediately assuming that he was attracted to me. Nope, no way, he was absolutely flirting earlier, so it was a valid assumption. Hmm, do I want this? Am I into guys?

I’m definitely into Connor.

“Damn, I’m jealous! I wish I had my own apartment. I live with my parents right outside of the city, so not too terribly far from here,” I paused to think before continuing on. “Regarding my sexuality, I’m not sure what I am. I’ve always considered myself straight, but honestly, I never really thought much about dating before Addie. I have great friends, and for a long time, I just didn’t feel the need to rush into a relationship, you know? I only started going out with her because she seemed so set on it at the time, but I regret it now. We were friends before, and I doubt we’ll be able to go back to the way things were once we’ve split up. Not that I blame her or anything. Anyway, I hadn’t really considered guys before today, but now...shit. I don’t know, Connor. I guess I just like your vibe.” I looked up through my lashes as I took a long, slow sip on my coffee, waiting patiently for a reaction.

Connor smiled wide, showing off his straight, white teeth, “Well, okay then. I’m glad to hear it.” It’s mutual, holy shit. Should I ask him out? Would that be terrible since I haven’t broken up with Addie yet? Nah, fuck it. “Hey, Connor? If you’re into it, would you maybe want to hang out again? Like, not here. Not at school.” Damn, when did I become so bold?

“Absolutely, I would love that. Thanks for asking,” he beamed before writing his number on one of the unused napkins scattered across the table. Once I added his number to my phone, I sent a quick text so that he could save my information as well.

Me: Hello, Mr. Wells.

I noticed the time when I locked my phone and realized that my next class was about to start. “Shit, I’m late for my next class!” I shouted, jumping to pack my things and run for the door. “Text me, okay?”

“Will do,” Connor said, winking at me before I took off. When I stepped back into the cold, I pulled out a cigarette, determined to smoke before my next class. I took a long, comforting drag as I felt a subtle vibration coming from my pocket. I reached with my free hand to retrieve the phone, a new message illuminating the screen. 

Connor Wells: Mr. Collins. ;)

I looked up with a smirk on my face as I shoved the device back into my coat. As I walked, I became increasingly aware of my racing pulse, but chalked it up to the sudden exercise. How the hell am I going to tell Clif about this? Should I tell him about it? I mean, it’s not like anything really happened. Not yet, anyway. Wait, not yet? Do I want something to happen? Why am I thinking so hard about this?