Like I Love You

Chapter 1: Not Into Girls-4

All evening long, as Dana worked the reference desk on the library’s first floor, she waited for Bethany to show up. Every time she saw someone of similar height or build walk by, her heart stuttered, her pulse quickened, and her palms grew damp, but the person never stopped, never swerved to come over and say hi. It was never Bethany.

The hours dragged by, long and boring. On her break at eight o’clock, she bought a candy bar from the vending machine and stood in line to use the campus phone. But the student in front of her took too long and she didn’t get a chance to call Bethany before she had to clock back in. Damn it.

The rest of the evening stretched out ahead of her, the library emptying out with each passing moment. It was late on a Friday evening, the weather was gorgeous, and no one in their right mind wanted to be hanging around campus if they could help it, Dana included. From her perch behind the reference desk, she surreptitiously read a book for one of her lit classes and counted down the minutes until she could head back to her dorm. She’d call Bethany in the morning, maybe even invite her to brunch at the cafeteria.

Yeah, that sounded good. As if I’ll have the nerve. But hey, a girl could dream, couldn’t she?

At eleven, Dana put up the Closed sign—the reference and research desks shut down a full hour before the library did at midnight—and pulled her messenger bag over her head to hang it across her body. It was too late to call Bethany now, even if she did have a single room. Besides, Dana reasoned while clocking out, a girl like Bethany probably had plans on Friday night that took her far from the dormitory; schoolwork would be the last thing on her mind. Tomorrow she’d call, around ten or so, and she promised herself she would ask Bethany to brunch. Even if it was only to grab a bite to eat at the caff.

But when she stepped outside, to her surprise, she saw Bethany sitting on one of the stone benches along the walkway leading from the library. “Hey,” Dana called, surprised. She came over to where her classmate sat, leafing through a paperback. A stack of books sat on the bench beside her.

Bethany glanced up and smiled, marking her place in the book with one finger. “Hey, yourself. I’m sorry I didn’t stop by sooner—I fell asleep after dinner and only just woke up.”

With a laugh, Dana said, “That’s alright.” She didn’t say she’d been waiting all night. Bethany didn’t need to know that. “You’re here now.”

“I didn’t want to call and wake your roommate,” Bethany said.

Dana shrugged. “She’s probably out partying. Kimber’s pledging a sorority this year.”

“Oh? Which one?” Before Dana could admit she didn’t know, Bethany laughed. “Don’t bother answering. I know s**t-all about them. It’s totally not my scene.”

Relief washed over Dana. “Mine, either. So did you want to set up a date, or something?” Her face flushed and she felt sweat bead on the back of her neck. Was she asking Bethany out? It sure sounded like it. Quickly, she added, “For our project?”

“I was thinking tomorrow afternoon.” Bethany stood and stretched, her shirt pulling sensuously over her slim body and small breasts. “We could meet around ten or so, grab a bite to eat, then get down to work. I have a few ideas of books we might consider using, if you don’t have any preferences.”

Dana couldn’t take her gaze off Bethany. Did she even know how beautiful she was? Dana didn’t think so. “No, I don’t know many French authors.”

“I know tons.” Picking up her books, Bethany cradled them in her arms and nodded towards the steps. “Walk back with me?”

“Sure.”

They fell into step together easily, close enough that when their hips swayed, they sometimes bumped each other. Anyone watching would’ve thought they were two old friends returning to their dorms. Dana wondered what it would take to move beyond this to something more intimate. Perhaps tomorrow she’d get a chance to find out.

* * * *

The next morning, they agreed to meet outside Bethany’s dorm, then walked together to the cafeteria. During the week, the campus had a wide variety of fast food places available to students on the meal plan, but on weekends, only the cafeteria in the Student Union served breakfast. Because of the way the plans were structured, students actually only got two meals a day on Saturday and Sunday, so most of them slept in until late morning and then filled up at the caff on a heavy brunch that left them satiated until dinner time.

Over a decadent meal of Belgian waffles slathered with whipped cream, fruit, and chocolate drizzle, Dana and Bethany learned more about each other. They were both sophomores, and both hailed from small towns in Virginia a good two hours’ drive from campus, though in different directions. Dana lived south of Richmond, straight down the interstate, while Bethany was out west towards the mountains, past Charlottesville. They both preferred going to the movies to watching television, and when Dana mentioned a second-run theater not far from school that they could get to on the public bus, Bethany’s eyes widened in disbelief. “No way!” she cried. “I didn’t know that!”

“Haven’t you taken the bus just to see where it goes?” Dana asked. It was one of the first things she did her freshman year; without a car, public transportation was the only way she could get off campus and the bus was free to students with a valid ID. “There are only two screens and the movies are on their way to video, but tickets are just three dollars. I think they’re showing Jurassic Park this weekend.”

“We should totally go!” When Bethany got excited, her whole face lit up—Dana thought she seemed to radiate from the inside out. “Have you seen it yet?”

Dana wrinkled her nose. “It’s like Barney on steroids, or something. I don’t really want to see it.”

But Bethany cajoled, “Oh, come on, it’ll be fun. Three bucks! How can you beat that?”

Though she wasn’t really interested in the film, sitting in the dark with Bethany would have its merits. “Alright, I’ll go. They run two shows every night, I think, like seven and nine. We can check the school newspaper, I know the times are in there.”

“Great!” Bethany dove into her waffle with vigor. “Even if the movie’s bad, this will be fun, you’ll see.”