Free Tempting Fate by A N Busch

head no, maybe love sick. “I have to get going or I’m going to be late for class. I’ll see you later.”
    As she opened the door to the lecture hall, she took in a deep breath. She wanted to be sitting down before him so that he could decide to sit with her or just say hi. The decision might be hers to make now, unless he was watching for her and flagged her to where he was sitting. Abby could feel her heart starting to race as she looked around the room for him. Where was he? It was a big class but she didn’t see him. She hurried to sit down in a spot where she could both inconspicuously eye the room and where he would see her.
    She waited and every time the door opened, she turned to look. Her heart raced and then almost stopped when another strange face came through the door. When the class started she looked around slowly again. Not one face in the crowd was his. When she gave up, she was sad. Even if there was still time for him to show up, he wasn’t there now. Abby pulled out her old tape recorder again, she knew she was not going to pay attention and take notes. Every second that passed by was longer than the last, until they were gone and class was over without Westly anywhere in site.
    Abby walked back to her dorm slowly thinking about it. Maybe she would call Melissa and tell her everything, get some advice. She was acting ridiculous; she didn’t even know him that well. Maybe he really was all a dream, just her subconscious telling her she needed to get out more. Have some fun, flirt; Westly was so perfect in her mind that there was no reason he should be more than a dream. She didn’t take her eyes off the ground ahead of her until she got to the front door of her dorm. Paul was at the front desk when Abby stopped by to check for mail. “Hi Paul, any mail for me today?”
    “No Abby, are you expecting something? Because if it comes later then I’ll bring it up to you when it does. If you want me to that is.”
    “Just wondered, not expecting anything in particular.” Truthfully Abby was hoping he would have dropped a note for her at the front desk. “I’ll see you later Paul, going to go study.”
    Paul’s eyes were not looking at her but past her. She didn’t know what to make of the look on his face so she turned to look over her shoulder to see what he was staring at. Westly was leaning against the wall with a pizza in his hands smiling at her.
    “Hey you, going to study, huh? Guess I’ll have to eat this whole pizza I bought by myself then.” He was trying to look sad as Abby approached him, but there was still a half smile on his face.
    “A pizza, well how I could I turn that down? It is the best way to a girl’s heart.”
    “Really, I thought food was the fastest way to a guy’s heart?”
    “Well in that case,” Abby smiled and took the pizza box from his hands, “I have this pizza and I just can’t eat it all by myself. Would you like to join me?” She could not help but giggle at herself. That was quick and it was good. It just might have been considered flirting; maybe she wasn’t so bad at it after all.
    “Abs it smells delicious and I thought you would never ask. I would love to join you. Thank you.” His smile was bigger than ever and it set Abby’s heart on fire. “Your place or mine?”
    “Mine is closer, come get it while it’s hot.”
    With that Abby was walking to the elevator with Westly right on her heels. Where did this burst of confidence come from? Abby didn’t care, but she wanted it to stick around that was for sure.
    They were about to get in the elevator when she heard Paul call out to her, “Call me at the front desk if you need anything Abby, I’ll be right here.” His voice had started out as she would have expected, like a father’s; but Paul’s last few words sounded more like he was pleading with her to not go with Westly.
    Abby covered her mouth and tried not to laugh as the door shut. Oh dear what was Westly going to think of that? She