Great Minds Think Alike

This is the first draft... I thought about doing a sequel so to speak. I don't know yet.... but here ya go.

Great Minds Think Alike

He gazed at her as she rushed across the courtyard to her next class. He smiled when she walked past, but she didn’t notice, as usual. She didn’t notice much. She walked with her head down, seemingly concentrating on the pavement she so hurriedly crossed. He sighed as she opened the door to the English building and vanished inside. He cursed himself for not having the courage to say hi…again.

There was a loud thud as he jumped off his perch of a concrete divider, and he swore as he shook the tingling pain from his legs that were previously content in sleep. Grudgingly, he went to his own class, though his thoughts never strayed so far that her presence faded from his mind.

He was so deep in thought, he almost missed dismissal. Quickly, he tossed his things into his book bag, not even stopping long enough to cap his pen. As he flew down the hall, his unbuttoned trench coat floated behind him like the cape of the superhero he wished he was. Once again, he noted how unfortunate the campus layout was for him. His Chemistry major took him clear Reacross the campus from her and her beloved English department.

He slowed as he approached, trying to compare himself as he noticed her step out of the English building as quietly as she had entered it just an hour before. With a slight adjustment on his part, their paths would now intersect. Realizing what he had just done, his heart fluttered, such close encounters always did that to him. Nervously, he adjusted his hair, coat, and backpack, stopping to appreciate how beautiful she looked at that moment.

A copy of “Gone With The Wind” rested in her hands, which were clasped before her. The book itself was a well-worn paperback, but the bookmark sat only about fifty pages in. He smiled to himself as he recalled that she was never seen without it. Her nails today, as they often were, were painted solidly and sleekly black. She was the only girl he knew who could make black nail polish look beautiful, but then, she could make anything look beautiful. She wore a peasant skirt that flowed all the way down to her ankles, it was burgundy, his favorite. Her shirt and shoes were as black as her nails, the shirt, plain with sleeves that went down past her wrists, her shoes plain and flat, decorated only by a tiny bow on either side. The only jewelry she wore was a simple emerald ring, and a silver locket. These she wore every day, without exception. All of this, he absorbed in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly, she was right before him, moving quickly and with a grace he admired. Before he so much as thought about it, he muttered a greeting. It took all of his willpower not to clasp his hands over his mouth and make his escape. But, his effort was rewarded when she smiled at him and returned his greeting warmly, in a voice he could only describe as angelic. He was stunned both with surprise and uncontainable joy. His steady gait faltered ever so slightly. He recovered, attempting to act as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Did he hear a giggle? Of course not, he shook his head in an effort to clear clouds that had formed. He rubbed his temples as he meandered in the lovesick haze she had created.

The next day, encouraged by yesterday’s positive encounter, he sat at his usual spot with a little more confidence, his back a little straighter, his face a little brighter. A smile plastered his face from ear to ear, it had appeared the day before and showed no signs of leaving. She approached, looking gorgeous, as she always did. He didn’t expect anything, after all, she had only said hello. But nonetheless, he contentedly watched her cross the courtyard. He was so entranced by her that he almost didn’t notice the grin that lit up her face when she saw him.

In class, he was more distracted than usual. He replayed it in his mind over and over, she couldn’t have smiled because of him. It had to be some sort of coincidence. But the more he thought about it, it was clear. She wasn’t watching the pavement, as usual, he head was up, searching for something, and as soon as her beautiful green eyes found him in his usual spot, they lit up.

He left class, hurriedly as usual, he didn’t want to miss her, but he was still dazed. He slowed to a casual pace as he got closer to the building that housed his love. She was nowhere in sight, he glanced at his watch hoping desperately that he hadn’t missed her. He settled his lanky form on the concrete divider from which he had admired her many a time. Several minutes passed, and he began to fear she’d gone for the day. His spirits dampened. Reluctantly, he hopped down. He took a moment to grab his backpack and adjust his coat. When his gaze lifte4d, his vision was filled with the most beautiful sight he could ever imagine. He couldn’t fathom why she stood before him, nor could he so much as form a sentence. She grinned as if she knew the effect she had on him, while he could only blush fiercely. Shy though he was, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her exquisite face. After an indeterminable amount of time, she broke the silence.

“Hello.”

“H-hi.”

She giggled ever so slightly, “I see you here a lot.”

He shrugged, “It’s a small school.”

“I suppose. Still, it seems you spend an unusually extensive amount of time in this part of campus.”

Gaining confidence, he replied, “Yet, every time I’m here, I see you here.”

“Yes, but I’m an English major.”

“And what makes you think I’m not an English major?” he was slightly offended at her assumption.

“You just seem more like a…” she paused, as if in thought, “ a Chemistry major to me.”

He was taken aback, she had guessed entirely correctly based on…on what? “I…uh…how…” he trailed off, embarrassed that he seemed to have lost his ability to form a coherent thought.

“My father often speaks highly of his gifted students. It was only a matter of time before he mentioned you.”

“Y-you’re…father…” the shock of her correct guess about his major was nothing compared to the paralyzing effect of the news he just heard.

“Yes,” she replied kindly, seeing how distraught he had become, “my father is the head of the Chemistry department. He seems to think you are a certified genius in the lab.”

“Well…I…” he didn’t know he was so highly regarded, “I do all right I suppose.”

“All right?!” she exclaimed, laughing, “Walk with me?”

“Of course.” They started off slowly in no particular direction.

“I don’t know how much you know about me, but, like you, I’m one of the top students in my field.”

“I’m not…” he interjected. Of course he knew about her reputation, everyone did. But he didn’t come close to matching her intellect.

“Oh hush. I happen to have a very reliable source,” she grinned, “But it’s not either of our academic careers I wanted to talk with you about.” She paused to compose her thoughts. He was too entranced by her presence so close to him to notice the silence.

She looked at him curiously, but not unkindly, “You really don’t say much, do you?”

“Well, I don’t want to risk saying anything stupid,” he answered truthfully.

She laughed outright at this. “Why do you care about what I think of you?”

“because I…” he hesitated, “because I love you.” He felt as if gravity had suddenly intensified in the four square feet on which he stood.

She stopped. He tried to read her face. He saw no anger, and only slight shock. Mostly, he saw affection, at least he thought it was affection.

Her voice dropped to a whisper and her eyes suddenly fell to the ground. “I love you too.”

Gravity returned to normal, if not less than its normal state. He was surprised not only that she loved him back but more so to see this side of her. Vulnerable. That was it. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her. Gently, he placed two fingers beneath her chin, tilting her head upward. He held her eyes for a moment before leaning in close and kissing her tenderly. Cautiously, he placed his other arm around her waist, just in time to catch her as her knees went weak and she fainted. Carefully, he set her on a nearby bench, watching her closely with a worried face.

It wasn’t long before she regained consciousness. She smiled weakly when she realized how concerned he was. He smiled back, relieved.

“Was this what you wanted to talk about?” He asked, half-jokingly.

“Yes,” she giggled, “it was actually.”