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August sun beat down on the picnic table while she ate with a group from the dorms. They'd stumbled upon a cute café at the edge of campus, and had agreed to rest before walking downtown. It was a perfect weekend to explore her new city, homework and presumptuous playboys tucked away as unwanted memories.

Nia nibbled on her plain bagel and soaked up the balm of sunshine, running her toes through the grass. This excursion hadn't been too bad, and from bits and pieces of their conversation, she got to learn more about her neighbors. 

But for the most part, she let herself fade into the background. Various chit-chat about the Greek organizations and which guys were hottest held no interest for her, and it slipped in one ear and out the other. Some of the topics were so predictable Nia wondered if they were in a television show. 

Except, she didn't have the script.

It was hard to gauge whether the other girls were pretending to be shallow, or if they enjoyed their life filled with gossip.

Fictional characters were so much less complicated. They came with less risk and she could read into their thoughts without putting herself on the line. Even the villains usually earned her sympathy in some way or another.

Her gaze wandered to a freshly-mowed hill and on it she crafted a typical, yet sweet plot line that would be a part of any blissful summer romance.

A simple, plain girl sat in the dappled shade, enjoying a picnic with her boyfriend. Complete with a red checkered blanket and a basket full of fruits and sandwiches, they basked in the pleasure of each other's company. The girl giggled at the words of man across from her, smiling together in the midday sun...

"What an enchanting sight. Do you ladies happen to be new to campus?" a familiar voice chimed from the sidewalk.

Closing her eyes, Nia prayed it wasn't the one person she had hoped to avoid. Daydream ruined, she turned. As the devilishly handsome face smiled back, knew her request hadn't been granted.

The other girls swooned as Caspian came over to sit down with them, laying on the charm. Despite her initial surge of annoyance, seeing him in the daylight had a different effect on her. A traitorous blush crept over her cheeks as she cursed his sharp jaw line and those oh-so kissable lips.

Serena was the first to engage in conversation, her personality as bedazzling as the glittery eyeliner that matched the bright pink of her crop-top. "Yeah, how did you know? We're all freshmen. Are you a student too?"

"Mn, yes I am, but I could gladly teach you a few things if you wanted me to," Caspian replied with a flash of his straight, white teeth.

Nia groaned, somehow this was much worse than their previous conversation. Why did he have to show up twice in one week? Once was more than enough for him to get stuck in the creases of her brain like gum on a shoe.

Nia crossed her legs and drifted again to the green hill. Instead of entertaining Caspian, she returned the cute fictitious couple, ramping things up with a more... intense scenario. Sighing, Nia imagined the ecstasy of wandering hands and curious tongues.

The picnicking duo leaned in closer, touching lips as their arms wrapped around each other. They fell backwards onto the soft grass, dancing on the line of too much public affection. The girl found her hands pinned above her, gentle whispers of sweet nothings caressing her neck. Lost in the totality of their love, the two forgot the mundane world around them...

As her mind was put at ease, another voice cut in, "Nia, earth to Nia... You've been out of it the whole time." Serena's glossed lips poked in a pout as she stabbed Nia's shoulder with one slender, manicured fingernail.

"Hm?" Nia said, returning to reality. She kept her eyes on Serena, not giving Caspian the satisfaction of acknowledgment. Why was he still here? His presence was an unwelcome distraction.

"Did you notice our new friend?" Serena continued as she gazed up at the pest. "His name is Caspian, and he's a sophomore. He offered to give us a lift if we need to get groceries or just want to get out of town—right?"

Caspian responded with a curt nod. Serena smiled, then pursed her lips at Nia. "He's really nice, you shouldn't ignore him like that..."

Serena was right, and now some interaction was inevitable.  So far he hadn't mentioned they already met once, and she was grateful he didn't put her on the spot. If being polite was a necessity, then she'd just have to bite the bullet.

"Hello," Nia said, focusing on his longer than average eyelashes to avoid direct eye contact. The last time their eyes met something weird happened, and it had been bad enough without spectators. "I'm a friend of Serena's. I'm sure she and the others will be happy to hang out with you."

"Nice to meet you stranger- or it was Nia, right?"

Caspian's teasing smile widened and Nia instantly regretted looking at him.

Luckily, he didn't hold his hand out this time and redirected his attention back to Serena before Nia had the chance to react. A breath of relief escaped her lips; at least he wasn't going to force her to talk.

Since he wasn't looking her direction anymore, Nia chanced another look at his face. A single glance stretched into a stare as her mind churned with leftover tension from the interrupted daydream, one that fit Caspian a little too well. As she had imagined, the sunlight angled in just the right way to highlight his dark eyes. Cast against a cloudless sky, Nia could finally tell they were blue. Not just blue though, what words would she use to describe them? Perhaps—

His eyes mimicked the deep sea treasure of refined sapphires, with sprinkles of silver that shined like rays of moonlight...

Nia realized he would make quite a good dark elf character, if only he had longer hair. Those refined and sharp features, along with his height and bold eyes...

"It's not polite to stare, you know." Caspian met her head-on with his entrancing eyes. "I don't mind. Just know if you keep it up, I might be mesmerized into going home with you." He winked and the heat in her cheeks turned up a notch. Or two.

Serena and the others stared with incredulous faces. Their eyes held a mixture of shock and jealousy, neither of which Nia was comfortable with. She didn't intend to get noticed by them, or by Caspian for that matter.

Amid scrambling about for a reply, Caspian released her from his gaze and addressed the others, "So, where is home for you girls?"

They were eager to answer, their attention diverted as swiftly as it had come. The sudden tension in her chest released and she pulled out her phone, pretending to be busy for the remainder of the conversation. This time she was grateful that neither Caspian, nor any of the girls, cared about her preoccupation.

"Hey Nia," Serena tapped her on the shoulder, lighter than earlier. "Do you want his number before we head off to go shopping downtown? He said we could all have it."

"No, I'm good," Nia said, not looking away from her phone screen.

"Okay, that's fine. In any case, I have it," Serena responded.

A hint of relief was woven into Serena's voice. As good looking and charismatic as Caspian was, it was no surprise she wouldn't want to be all over him and Nia had no problem with that. In fact, if Nia had the same outlook as Serena on life, she might find herself with similar feelings. But at first glance, Caspian had shown a different side in that empty lecture room, and it wasn't that of a lighthearted lover-boy.

Goosebumps prickled her skin at the memory. Even if it only flashed for a moment in her mind's eye, she was reminded of how determined and focused he had been. She couldn't figure out why. Being boring and unsociable as she was, there was no way she was worth his time, so what was he after? He could play at being a helpful sophomore but there something else underneath that easy smile besides perfectly white teeth.

She'd had more than enough experience with those who held up a façade, only to reveal their true nature when others weren't looking. Pushing dark thoughts in the back of her mind, Nia gave a single wave along with the others as they parted ways with Caspian. Finally.

As soon as he walked away, one of the girls turned to her. "I know you think he's hot. I mean I was low-key staring too... so why didn't you get his number?"

Olive eyes asked the question as much as the girl's soft-spoken words. A name from the earlier surfaced—Ivory. Like Nia, she was one of the quieter ones, usually observing things from the background without getting too involved, but could hold her own in conversation. Over the course of the afternoon Nia had found herself migrating to Ivory out of the whole group.

"Oh it's uh, not because I like him... I was thinking of basing a character off of him in one of my stories. It looks weird, I know, but I'm really not interested in him at all."

Ivory smiled, "Okay, I understand. So you're a writer then? What do you write?"

"Umm..." She'd rather not talk about her personal life, but it was the only way to get out of this mess. "It's just a side hobby, nothing serious. But I should be getting back to the dorms, I already have a composition paper due next week and I haven't even started it."

"Hm, okay then... Can I put my contact in your phone? I think you're the only one I don't have right now." Ivory said, letting the topic drop.

Nia sighed. "Sure. I'm bad at replying though." She handed her phone to Ivory, who then hunched over the table, typing in her info.

While waiting, Nia took in a breath of fresh air. Maybe on her way back she'd stop on that hill and write down the scenes she thought of, taking extra care not to picture him.

Hmmm, will writing actually erase the thoughts of him though?

💘 Siberia