Fall from Love

helps ease the awkwardness between us that I feared was inevitable. My mind had been spinning at what I was going to say to him when I first saw him. The silence that’s between us right now is what I’ve been dreading.
    Suddenly, my body feels warm and I realize that my scarf is still wrapped tightly around my neck. It’s only mid-September, but the weather has already started to turn chilly. I yank the scarf off and shove it in my purse. The flirty waitress returns, setting our drinks down in front of us and my hands immediately cling to the warm cup.
    “So, how are your classes so far?” he asks when she walks off.
    The cliché questions are also something I dreaded.
    I shrug as I take a sip of my cappuccino. “So far, so good. I’m finally starting to settle into a routine now. It always takes a few weeks, you know?”
    He nods. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
    “What’s your major?” I ask, licking the foam that I can feel lingering on my lips.
    “Engineering. You?”
    “Journalism.”
    “Really? Do you have Dr. Langford?”
    It surprises me that he actually knows my professor by name, especially since he’s not a Journalism major. “Yeah, how did you know that?”
    He shakes his head as if it’s no big deal. “He’s just an old family friend. He and my dad were college roommates. I hear he gives some killer tests, though... or that’s his reputation at least.”
    “Yeah,” I sigh and my stomach turns. “I’ve heard that, too.”
    “Maybe I can put in a good word for you.”
    “No,” I shake my head and force out a laugh. “Please don’t. I would prefer to blend in as much as possible. No need to draw unwanted attention. The first test is next week, so I’ll be able to tell you if the rumor is true or not.” I swallow hard and take another sip of my cappuccino, knowing that another bad grade will send my GPA even farther down the tubes. Last semester, with what happened with Adam, my grades suffered terribly. I should’ve failed most of my classes, but I think the pity from my professors is what saved me.
    “So what are your plans this weekend?” I ask, hoping to change the subject.
    “Probably just studying or something,” he says. “You?”
    “I’m going to take Jenna out... it’s been awhile since we’ve done anything with just the two of us.”
    He nods and relaxes more into his chair. “That’s cool. I hear there’s a new club or something on Main Street.”
    “Yeah, I heard some girls in class talking about it, too, but I’ve got something different in mind. Something a little more exciting.”
    “Really?” He seems intrigued.
    I smile. “We’ll see. She may hurt me when I tell her what we’re doing.”
    He eyes me suspiciously. “This is supposed to be a nice thing, right? Why would she hurt you?”
    I fumble with the napkin in front of me, not able to meet his eyes, and not able to wash the smile off my face. “If I tell you, you’ll have to promise to keep it to yourself and especially don’t tell Josh. I don’t want to give her too much of a head start in strangling me.”
    He raises an eyebrow. “I’m really confused now, but definitely intrigued. You don’t have to worry; I’m good at keeping secrets.” He leans forward across the table and his face comes within a few inches of mine. Slowly, I lean away from him, feeling my whole body break out in a small sweat. From the look in his eyes, it’s clear he notices my retreat.
    “Skydiving,” I tell him, my voice barely above a whisper. “We’re going skydiving on Saturday. Or at least, I’ve made us an appointment.”
    A smile tugs at his lips as he leans back in his chair. “Wow, and she doesn’t know? I’d pay money to see the look on her face when you tell her.”
    “Yeah, it’s actually something I’ve always wanted to do. She may not be too thrilled with it at first, but I know she’ll love it.”
    When I glance back up, I see him looking at me, like he’s analyzing every feature on my face. I shift around in my seat, feeling uncomfortable with his gaze. He clears his throat and finally looks away.
    My eyes look away, too, and I find myself staring at our two empty coffee cups.
    “Well, I should probably get back to campus.” I give him a polite smile. “It was really nice to see you again, Carter. Jenna seems really happy with Josh and I think it would be great if we could all be friends.”
    “Friends would be great,” he says and I can’t help noticing his face