The Boy Everyone Warned Me About

The campus was bigger than I imagined. Too big. The map on my phone insisted I was standing in front of the Faculty of Journalism. The giant sign above the building confidently disagreed. FACULTY OF ENGINEERING "...Great." I sighed and looked down at the folded campus map in my hands. North. South. East. West. Why did every building look exactly the same? Tomorrow was orientation day. Today was supposed to be simple. Find my classrooms. Take a few pictures. Go home feeling prepared. Instead... I had been walking in circles for almost forty minutes. I was officially lost. Again. "Excuse me?" A group of students walked past me. "Do you know where the Journalism Building is?" One of them pointed vaguely to the left. "That way." "Thank you!" Five minutes later... I found myself standing in front of the university gym. "...This can't be right." I laughed at my own terrible sense of direction. "Okay, Caitlyn." "You've survived worse." "You can survive this too." "Talking to yourself?" A calm voice came from behind me. I turned so quickly that my folded map slipped from my hands. A tall guy in a black hoodie bent down before I could. He picked it up carefully. His movements were unhurried. Like someone who never wasted energy. "Thanks." He handed the map back. "No problem." For a second... Neither of us spoke. He was tall. Annoyingly handsome. Dark hair. Sharp jawline. Calm eyes that somehow made me even more aware of how ridiculous I probably looked. He glanced at the map. Then at the building behind me. "You're looking for Journalism." "Yes." "This is Engineering." "...I noticed." "About ten minutes too late." The corner of his mouth moved. Not quite a smile. Almost. "You've been walking in circles." "You saw that?" "I've seen you pass this building three times." ... "Oh." "I was... exploring." "Intentionally?" "No." He nodded once. "I figured." I narrowed my eyes. "Are you making fun of me?" "A little." I gasped dramatically. "We've known each other for thirty seconds." "Thirty-eight." "You counted?" "I looked." Something about the way he said it made me laugh. "You're weird." "I've heard that before." He looked around the quiet campus. "The Journalism Building is five minutes from here." I looked at the map. Then at him. "Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?" He considered the question for a second. Then folded the map closed. "It's easier if I show you." "...Really?" "I'm heading that way." Relief flooded through me. "You might have just saved my college life." "I doubt it." "I don't." The walk was surprisingly comfortable. Neither of us talked much. Well... He didn't. I apparently talked enough for both of us. "I've never seen a campus this big." Silence. "I got lost twice before finding the parking lot." Silence. "I also accidentally walked into the graduate building." "...Impressive." I looked at him. "Was that sarcasm?" "A little." "I knew it." He looked straight ahead. "I thought freshmen usually waited until orientation to get lost." "I like being efficient." That earned me another almost-smile. Small. But real. Victory. "So..." I tilted my head. "Do you always help strangers?" "No." "...Oh." "You looked like you actually needed help." "I did." "I know." "You say 'I know' a lot." "I do." "I guess I'll get used to it." "You probably will." A few minutes later... He stopped walking. "There." I looked up. The building in front of us proudly displayed the words: FACULTY OF JOURNALISM "Oh my gosh..." "I actually made it." "You did." I turned to him with a huge smile. "Thank you." He simply nodded. "No problem." I hesitated. "I never asked your name." "Noah." "I'm Caitlyn." He repeated it once. "Caitlyn." Then, after a brief pause... "I think I'll call you Kate." I blinked. "...Kate?" "It's shorter." I laughed. "You've known me for less than ten minutes and you're already giving me a nickname?" "It suits you." "...I'll allow it." For the first time... He smiled. A small smile. The kind most people would probably miss. But I noticed. Somehow... It felt like I'd accomplished something impossible. As I watched him walk away, I realized something. I hadn't asked what year he was in. Or what he studied. Or whether I'd ever see him again. Maybe I wouldn't. Maybe this was just one of those strange little encounters people forgot after a few days. I smiled to myself. At least... Getting lost hadn't been a complete disaster. Behind me, Noah glanced back once. Kate was already studying the campus map again, this time upside down. He shook his head with the faintest smile. "...Wrong way." She looked up, laughed, and turned the map around. He walked away before she could thank him again. Without realizing it... Neither of them knew that one wrong turn had just changed both of their lives forever.