The Circle of Friends

II - Someone Special-1

II - Someone Special

“Hey, Heather, what are you up to?”

“You jerk! I’m on my way to a class. What are you doing?” the voice replied over the phone.

Matt grinned at her caustic reply. “Want to see a movie tonight?” he said.

“I gotta study for a damn test. Can you believe it? This close to finals, too. Anyway, what am I missing?”

“A special showing of Night of the Living Dead,” Matt announced.

“Ugh! Matt, you know I hate those kind of movies,” exclaimed Heather. “God, why don’t you ask Sarah? She’s into those creepy things.”

“I guess I could,” Matt said. “What’s her number?”

Heather gave him Sarah’s cell phone number and he told her goodbye, a grin on his face. He had no intention of taking Heather to that movie and knew she’d decline. Obtaining Sarah’s phone number had been the goal and he wanted to acquire it without raising suspicion. Still waiting for the instructor to arrive, Matt dialed Sarah’s number. She answered on the third ring.

“Hello?” she said.

“Hey Sarah, it’s Matt.”

“Matt?” Sarah repeated, doubt in her voice.

“Yeah, we slept together the other night, remember?” he said with a laugh. The girl sitting two seats over gave him an odd look before turning away.

“Oh, now I remember,” Sarah said, playing along. “Duh, I know who you are, just didn’t expect you to call me. Are you looking for Heather?”

“Naw, you. There’s a late showing tonight of Night of the Living Dead and thought you’d want to come along,” said Matt, trying to sound casual. He didn’t want Sarah suspicious, either.

“Oh, that’d be cool. Who else is going?”

“So far you’re the only one who wants to,” he replied. It was the truth, even if he’d only asked one other person.

There was a moment of silence before Sarah answered. “Okay, well, what time?”

Matt smiled, feeling victorious. “Starts at ten. If you want to ride with me, I can pick you up at nine-thirty.”

“Sure. I’ll be waiting at the main doors,” Sarah said.

“See you then.”

Matt closed his phone just as the professor entered the room. He stuffed it in his pocket and settled in for the two-hour lecture. Despite his lack of interest in the subject, a smile remained on his face for the duration of the class. He looked forward to tonight.

He’d thought about Sarah off and on for the past several days, unable to get her out of his mind. Spending Saturday night with her had been a pleasant experience. Matt hadn’t thought Sarah would attract his attention. However, that was before he realized their interests and tastes were so similar and before she’d fallen asleep on him. The entire night was one he’d like to repeat again soon, if she would allow it.

After discussing their lack of interest in a significant other, Matt wasn’t sure Sarah would even be interested. If he just came out and asked her for a date directly, she might decline. Matt needed to be subtle. After hearing of the movie tonight, he’d seized the opportunity. It wasn’t exactly a date, which meant Sarah wouldn’t feel threatened. But it gave Matt the chance to spend another evening with her. That might be all he needed to convince her to go out with him.

When he arrived at her dorm, she was waiting on the steps. Sarah was excited to see the movie and chatted with Matt on the way to the theatre. They each paid for their own ticket, but Matt splurged for the popcorn and drinks.

There were many college students, and their noisy antics filled the theatre. They enjoyed themselves regardless and devoured the popcorn in no time. Sarah sat enthralled with the show the entire time, only glancing his way to make an occasional comment or exclamation. Matt was having a good time as well, but wondered how he would get Sarah’s attention long enough to ask her on a date.

After the movie, he asked if she wanted to stop at a coffee shop. Still energized from the movie, Sarah agreed. Matt located a place that was open until one in the morning. There were only three customers in the entire shop and they sat at a table in the corner, drinks in hand.

“Well, that was cool. Thanks for calling me,” Sarah said, sipping on her cappuccino.

“You said you liked horror flicks,” Matt told her, leaning back in his chair. “Not too many girls do.”

Sarah wrinkled her nose. “Don’t remind me. I never could get Lori or Maria to watch one with me. They like those mushy, romantic movies. Yuck!”

“You’re not into romance?” he said with a laugh.

“Are you kidding? Look at me,” she said, gesturing to the flaming dragon on her black t-shirt. “Besides, I don’t exactly attract the romantic type. Not like Lori.”

“You sound envious,” commented Matt.

Sarah guffawed. “Wouldn’t you be? If your best friend was the most beautiful creature on earth? At least here at college, I don’t have to stand next to her and feel second-rate all the time.”

“You’re not,” Matt assured her. “I know how you feel, though.”

“You?”

“I’m aware of what most girls think of Jason,” said Matt.

Sarah frowned. “Not all,” she said, taking a quick sip of her drink. “Besides, one more month and they’ll be permanently out of the loop and that’ll give the rest of us a chance.”

They turned to lighter subjects, amusing one another with stories of boring instructors, crazy parties and old horror movies. Sarah was funny and engaging, but a darkness clouded her eyes that prevented her from smiling often. Matt worked to get her to laugh, though. She was otherwise blunt and not afraid to voice her thoughts. Her indifferent attitude might be cause to believe she didn’t take anything serious, but Matt suspected more lurked beneath the surface. This mystery girl intrigued him and he felt he’d found a kindred spirit.

Sarah found herself equally fascinated. Whereas Lori was incredibly positive, Matt was just happy-go-lucky. He didn’t appear to have a care in the world. The twinkle in Matt’s eyes spoke of mischief and boyish charm. Sarah found herself laughing more than usual and enjoyed the experience. She wished she could ignore the things that bothered her. Living with a roommate as dour and serious as Heather had dampened her spirits.

“What made you want to work with germs?” Matt said, curious to discover Sarah’s fascination with something so morbid.

“It was the lesser of many evils,” stated Sarah, finishing her drink. “My dad’s a doctor and my mom’s an RN. They work together at his practice. My oldest brother is finishing up at Harvard. He’s gonna be a surgeon. My other brother, Randy, is in the service and he’s a nurse, too, like my mom. So of course, I was expected to enter the medical field, too. Nothing really interested me, so I selected microbiology. I don’t like dealing with people and diseases seemed less threatening.”

“Until they turn their hosts into zombies, that is,” teased Matt.

Sarah laughed at his reference to the movie. “Well, guess I’ll just have to keep a shotgun handy.”

Matt glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost one in the morning. The coffee shop would be closing soon. If ever he was going to ask her out, now would be the time. Leaning forward on the table, Matt looked her in the eye and smiled.

“Listen, before we get kicked out of here, I wanted to thank you for coming with me tonight. I had a good time.”

Sarah nodded and shoved aside her empty cup. “Yeah, it was fun,” she said.

Unable to read her, Matt took a deep breath. “Do you like to dance?”

“Sure! Love to,” Sarah replied.

“Well, I was wondering, maybe Friday night you’d like to go dancing with me,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “Are you asking me out on a date?” she said in an accusing voice.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” Matt said, trying to remain optimistic. “If you want to, that is.”

Sarah sat there for a moment, her mouth open. Her mind raced with all the reasons why she didn’t want to get involved right now. None of the excuses seemed very convincing, however. They didn’t apply to the charming, engaging young man sitting across the table. Despite the unlikeliness of their pairing, Sarah decided to take a chance.

“Okay, why not?” she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

It wasn’t the stellar response Matt had anticipated, but a yes was all that mattered. “Well, good. I’ll get with you Thursday to make plans then,” he said.

“All right,” said Sarah, her brows coming together. “But I want to keep it a secret.”

“You don’t want anyone to know?” he said, hurt by her request.

“No! Wait, that came out wrong,” said Sarah, shaking her head. She laid her hands flat on the table and gave him an apologetic look. “What I meant is, I don’t want Heather to find out.”

“Okay,” said Matt with a grin, his shoulders relaxing. “I won’t tell her if you don’t. Neither of us needs the flack, anyway.”

“She can sure give it, too.”

Smiling, Matt placed his hand on hers. The softness of her skin felt good under his fingertips and he lifted her hand, admiring its beauty. His own hand dwarfed her petite fingers, but they were as lovely and delicate as Matt recalled from Saturday.

“You have beautiful hands,” he said.

Sarah didn’t quite know what to say and gazed back at him. Matt continued to smile, his brown eyes warm and friendly. She wanted to tell him how good he looked, too, but couldn’t decide which feature to select. It all appealed to Sarah.

The girl behind the counter informed them closing time had arrived. Matt released her hand and Sarah rose to her feet, her response lost in the moment. He followed Sarah, throwing their garbage in the trash as they departed. They were the last ones to exit the shop and the girl locked the door behind them.

On the way home, they reverted to casual banter, and given the late hour, it bordered on the ridiculous. Matt dropped off Sarah outside her dorm with a promise to call Thursday. She said goodnight and bounded up the stairs, pausing at the door. He waited until Sarah was inside, giving her a final wave goodbye, before releasing the emergency brake.

Matt smiled as he pulled away from the curb. He had accomplished everything he’d set out to do tonight. He would be taking Sarah out on a real date.

Friday evening, Matt picked her up before seven and they went for a quick bite to eat. Eager and lively tonight, Sarah chatted all through dinner. Once they reached the club, she exhibited just as much energy on the dance floor. Pleased to have such an enthusiastic partner, Matt kept them dancing for as long possible.

Sarah was having a great time. Everything was still casual and that suited her just fine. She wasn’t sure what to think of the situation. Aware of Matt’s playboy reputation, Sarah felt sure he knew her reputation as well. However, his interest appeared to extend beyond mere physical attraction. She still had no idea why he would ask her out on a date, though.

They had just returned to their seats to recover their breath and quench their thirst when the tempo changed to a slower beat. Sarah’s emotions yanked her in different directions. Wary of close contact, she hoped Matt would not ask her to dance. However, part of her desired to feel Matt’s warm body against hers. Sarah held her breath and kept her eyes averted from Matt’s direction.

“Sarah?” said Matt, touching her thigh to get her attention.

When he gestured toward the floor, Sarah nodded solemnly in agreement and rose to her feet. They joined the crowd and Matt wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her close. Sarah felt her whole body jolt, just as it had the other morning when his arm came down across her midsection. She could feel his strong shoulders underneath her hands and wanted to fondle his hair. Sarah refused to become optimistic, though. It was unreasonable to expect more than one night in Matt’s presence.