September 13th, 1998

She glanced at the old, wooden clock on the far wall of some frat house and made a mental note to email her counselor about a new schedule change. The night was far from over, and unfortunately, so was the party. The house was clogged with dozens of people. Every door she opened led to an orgy or some passed out boy. Outside, in the backyard, two guys were fighting and a dozen of girls, who wore very little clothes, were giggling and jumping into the swimming pool. The greater mass of people was gathered inside; some were dancing and drinking, others were trying to pick up a date (or a one night stand), and the remaining were playing beer pong.

She sighed deeply. Nobody would convince past-High-School-senior Katherine Beckett that she would find herself three weeks into college with an empty beer can in her hand and trying to escape a frat party. And what a crappy beer it was. The truth was, she was homesick. The only reminders she had of home were her mother's necklace, that she wore around the neck at every occasion, her father's CDs that ranged from Guns N' Roses and the Stones to Van Halen and Bon Jovi. Even reading her old sappy middle school diaries helped her get through the homesickness. She knew for sure that she was not the only student in all of Stanford missing home terribly; at least that cheered her up a little bit.

Checking the hours, this time on her phone, she realized that there was no point in waiting for Lanie to be done. In fact, she thought Lanie might have forgotten who insisted on bringing her to this party tonight. Taking an eyeful of the room, Kate noticed two things: One, the front door was open while more and more people screamed and "woohoo-ed" their arrival. Two, Lanie currently had another guy's tongue far down her throat. She was definitely spending the night alone.

"C'mon, Kate," she'd said, "What better way to make friends than crashing a college party?"

Well, they pretty much did not 'crash' anything. It was more of a privilege; two-freshmen-girls, too-many-cheap-drinks, and one-fraternity type of privilege.

As she sneaked into the kitchen area, Kate managed to quickly text Lanie 'Wnt bck. C U tmrw'. She doubted Lanie would be mad for being left alone at the party. It's the college world; you have to make your own moves and meet the right people. Everyone is fighting for themselves and everyone needs to make their own space. Kate decided to leave Lanie, her only true friend so far, out of this one. It was one party after all and it somewhat gives off a creepy vibe when one is completely attached to one friend and need them at all times. If you are best friends then that is normal,but if you just met, being attached hip-to-hip is frowned upon. It's a complicated-and dramatic- world that one of a freshmen girl.

She stumbled as she walked into a tiny room and wondered how sixteen guys could cook anything at all crushed inside the four kitchen walls. The light had been dimmed and so now everything seemed yellowish and blurry, but it was enough for her to spot the water that was hidden under the kitchen cabinet. However, a guy stood between her and her secret treasure.

He was sitting at one of the stools, arms resting over the table top and head slumped over them. The image was of someone who was too drunk to keep their head upright or too tired to even bother to go home. Either way, she could get to the water without waking him up. The last thing Kate needed that night was to have another drunk guy asking for 'help' to his room. Although, he didn't really look like a frat boy; no weird hairstyles or fake Hawaiian shirts with pink cargo pants. He wore all black from his socks and shoes to his jeans and sweater. His hair was shiny under the pale light and his upper body seemed to follow a soft rhythm with his breathing. He was sleeping. She wondered if he was even supposed to be there.

Kate crouched on the floor and sneaked her hand through the wood of the chair. She mentally thanked her flexibility and long arms when she pulled open the cabinet's door and found two packages of water bottles, one on top of the other. As she tried to rip open the side of the plastic with her dorm key, one of the water bottles came tumbling down. With it, a good amount from the pack fell as well.

Great, this night could not have been better. I mean, no one saw me, right? Except -

"You need help there?" his voice was raspy and sleepy-sounding which made Kate swallow hard; he sounded so extremely sexy. His long roughed hair was everywhere as he tried to push it back with his hands.

"Uh, no. Thanks. I'm good," she figured it would be best to ignore him. She could smell the heavy alcohol on his breath and given the fact that he pleased her sight, she could have done something she'd later regret.

"Are you sure?" he asked as more and more bottles came out the cabinet.

Honestly, what did she even do for that amount of bottles to topple over her? The situation was pretty awkward already; there was no need for anything else to happen.

"Yes. I'm sure. I'm just trying to reach for a bottle," she huffed, dragging out the words.

She could stretch all she wanted but by now Kate knew there was no point in hiding her misfortune. There was no way she could reach anything from where she stood. Still squatting, she looked up to him and saw him grinning like a Cheshire cat. On top of that, he was giving her a look she hated, evil and judgmental. She could almost hear him thinking 'I know you're drunk and trying to hide it won't do.'

"Agh, could you just move?" she snapped. "You're clearly seeing me struggle."

"I was sitting here first! You're the one who disturbed my beauty sleep looking for alcohol."

Ugh, Kate mentally sighed, he was so handsome. She hadn't yet taken a good look of his face, but his voice just made her melt and his arms were so well-defined through his sweater. Green. Now with a close look, she could see his sweater was not black, but of a dark green that matched so well with his skin tone. She forced her brain to stop.

"Okay, first of all, I'm not trying to find alcohol. I came here because I know they hide their water. And I think you should take your beauty sleep to somewhere where there's not a party going on."

"So you agree?" he asked and honestly, if she just kneeled right now, she could take his face on her hands and kiss those lips. "That I am good looking?"

Yes!

(But I'm also drunk.)

"What?! No," she even pulled a face "I didn't say that."

"Yep. You pretty much did," he dared and gave her that smile again, so wide and contagious anyone would think someone like him would be surrounded by friends all the time. A charismatic smile; one she doesn't have.

"Can I just get my water, please?" she asked, and tried pushing his chair to prove her point.

"Um, sure. Yeah. Sorry. Go ahead," he stood up from the seat and pushed it forward, hearing some of the bottles being dragged on the floor along with it.

Kate took one of the water bottles closest to her on the floor, and as she tried to place as many as possible back on the shelf, she grabbed one heavy bottle on the far back of the cabinet. Cheap Vodka, she saw. Can I take it?, she wondered. Is it stealing? Possibly, but these boys stole all the fun from the night so I guess eye for eye...

"All done?" he asked as he stood staring not at her, but at the white wall across the room.

She almost forgot he was there. She thought for a second if he would say anything about the alcohol. Maybe if she was nonchalant about it enough, he would not even mention it. She couldn't be the only person stealing alcohol from a party. For all he knew, she could be taking it to the other room to share it with friends or even a boyfriend. Yeah, she had an imaginary boyfriend to share this Vodka with. But looking up to him, she realized she didn't want an imaginary boyfriend. Hell, she didn't even want a real boyfriend. She wanted him. She wanted to drag him into his room and take body shots with him, feel those arms wrapping around her as he pushed her against the wall to kiss her neck, sour alcohol breath against one another.

"Yeah. Thanks." Kate was breathless.

"No problem. Would you like me to call someone to walk you back or are you good?"

Whoa okay... She did not expect that. For once, she didn't realize she was so drunk that someone would think of helping and second, plot twist! He's definitely not trying to get into her pants. Honestly, she wouldn't want to have sex with someone who tried to steal alcohol either. Such a shame though, he is so handsome. Even behind his glasses. He's much taller than her, kind of thin but muscular. Why can't they just make out here, right here on the table. Nobody would interrupt. She would even let him get to second base if he let her get her hands under his clothes.

"What. You got a curfew or something?" she said on a giggle.

Goodness gracious, Kate, you are drunk...

"Uh, no. I just don't think it would be a good idea for me to walk you back," he answered, a hint of seriousness on his voice that made her body take two uneasy steps towards him.

He has a girlfriend, totally does! And you're trying to get in his pants. You're pathetic and hella drunnk. You better get yourself together, Kate. You're just another drunk freshmen trying to steal alcohol.

"Yes. You're right. It's okay. I'll just walk by myself. My dorm is pretty close," more like three whole songs away from here... and you didn't even bring your Walkman. "Thank you," she ultimately said before starting to walk away.

Kate continued walking towards the door, but her heels betrayed her and she was launched towards the closed door like a boneless rag-doll. She felt his hand in her arm as soon as her face banged against the door. His body posture let her know that he was trying not to actually touch her, but she ignored that and held tight to his wrist. Steadying herself back onto her feet, she bent down to get her shoe strap back on her ankle. All while he stood there, motionless and not meeting her face. This could not get more humiliating!

"Uhm. You know what? I think I'm going to walk you back. Hold on a second," he said and went back to around the chair he had been previously been sitting on, stomping his right foot on the floor as if expecting to touch something with it.

"What about your curfew?" she asked, a tone of sarcasm and hurt in her voice because yes, she was hurt. She missed New York and her warm bed. She had this fascinating person in front of her trying to help her, but she was too damned drunk to make sense of it.

"Well, I think I'll be okay for tonight and I don't know how much of an asshole you think I might be, but whatever that is, I can assure you my idiotic level is not up to the point where I wear dark sunglasses inside-door at night for fun."

He reached for his cane. Oh no, he's blind.

Kate had been so busy feeling sorry for herself she didn't even notice it. Now it all made sense; looking straight to the wall while she tried to get water, not even arguing against the Vodka, not knowing about the chair until she tried to push it with her own hand, the dark sunglasses... The poor guy had to give her a long monologue so she could understand why walking her back was not a good idea. Well, now she couldn't be an asshole and say no. He had already offered... Surely he would be able to get back to the party by himself, right? Asking, or mentioning, such thing would be somewhat insulting, taking away everything he knows and judging him for being blind. For all she knew, he could know the campus better than anyone and even if he didn't, he probably knew a lot more than her, who measured distance in songs and had a maximum of four friends.

They walked in silence for the first few minutes, but it felt like hours for her. She wanted to know what he was thinking, what he was... sensing. How did the air feel against his skin? How did he know where she was walking to by just hearing the soft clicks of her heels? How did he stay upright and walked so effortlessly even though he drank enough for her to smell his breath a while ago in the kitchen? If this was any other situation, she would find herself taking shy looks whenever he wasn't looking. But now, with his face just staring into one direction and his whole posture so focused into the task at hand, she took the liberty of not watching the pavement and focusing on him. She didn't care if she fell again or if she smack her face against another door.

However, she was not trying to understand his handicap; rather, she was studying him. All of his little details; the way his brow furrows as if he was trying to recall every step of the way, how his lips were parted, making it seem like he was going to say something, the way his body was completely relaxed when she could only imagine how terrifying it'd feel like to have no clue whatsoever of what was ahead of him. She held his hand with hers, slowly intertwining their fingers. Their hands felt clammy, but neither seemed to care. She looked up to him, trying to get a reaction, but nothing really changed. His hold tightened, but slowly got back to normal. She figured it was a silent thank you.

"So uh, are you a freshman?" he asked and she wondered what gave it away.

"Actually, this is my third week here." she told him in an auto-pilot tone; she had repeated it multiple times over the past month.

"How do you like it so far? I mean, I think overall the campus is beautiful and people are really nice, but personally, the heat is killing me," he said and threw his head back to make an emphasis.

His voice was soft and sincere, mirroring the way adults talk to children. For a second, she panicked. The last thing she wanted that night was to be seen as one, especially by him.

"Really, the weather? Is that what you're going for?" she answered, a smile on her face mirroring his.

"Sorry. I was about to say I'm used to cold weather since I'm from New York, but please enlighten me, what other topics did you have in mind?" she didn't hear a word after I'm from New York. The Cheshire cat smile was back on his face, but somehow it didn't make him look judgmental or evil now. It was sweet and kind of cute.

"Oh. That's so cool because I -"

"Hey! Wait! Wait for me!" someone shrieked from a distance and both heads turned.

Kate made out that the running silhouette was a girl running to them, heeled shoes on her hands.

"Lanie?" she asked, furrowing her brows.

"Who's Lanie?" Rick mused aloud.

"Uhmm. She's my roommate. We went to the party together," Kate explained as Lanie approached them, short of breath and sweat running down her cheeks and chest.

Kate mentally scolded herself when the thought of Rick's blindness made her feel glad he couldn't see Lanie's breasts bulging out of that skin-tight dress. The wind blew at her feet, reminding her October was almost there.

"Hey, guys -Kate, I'm sorry - for leaving you behind - I thought - I thought you were having fun until I saw your message - I swear I tried looking - for you as soon as I left Matthew's room."

Kate listened carefully to her friend, and even frowned a little when Lanie mentioned Matthew and how his ex-girlfriend had appeared out of nowhere, shaming them in front of his friends. Her mind was not processing a word if she was honest. She could only think of his hand and hers intertwined like it was normal. Like they did this everyday. Like they knew each other well. Intimately well. She could feel his gaze on her even though he might not be aware of it, but it felt so intimate and secret as if they had known each other for long and this was the way they always stood, side by side .

"So?" Lanie asked in the distance.

"So what?" Kate pondered.

"Do you forgive me? Please! I promise to pay more attention next time."

She wasn't even mad. There was still a lot of alcohol in her system, but the bitterness and sadness had been washed away. She didn't want the day to end. To speak honestly, she just didn't want Him to leave. She wanted to sit with him in that bench close to her residence hall, the one looking over the fountain. She wanted to put her feet over his lap and kiss him, tell him about his lips and how kissable they looked, pecking his lips in between every word. But who was she kidding? She didn't know his name. He didn't know hers. He didn't know how she looked or where she'd come from. It would be better if she just stayed away, forget every fantasy as fast as ripping a Band-Aid. No regrets left behind; better delusional than hurt.

"Yeah, of course. No harm done, Lanie. Wanna head back home now?" Kate asked.

"Um, yeah, I guess. If you're not busy...?" Lanie motioned with her eyes to Kate's fingers still wrapped around his.

"Yeah, I'll just head back to the house. You guys take care." he said and her heart ached a little when his warm hand left hers and his cane stepped forward to find a new path.

Lanie watched him go with dozens of questions in her own mind, but every uncertainty ceased when she saw Kate launch forward, asking him to stop, reaching for his arm.

"What's wrong?" he asked. His face, and all of him, focused on the feel of her palm around his bicep and the closeness of their breaths.

"What's your name?" he smiled, not the usual bright, all-toothed smile, but a warm smile. One that made her just want to leave Lanie behind and take him to that bench of her fantasies.

"It's Rick. Rick Castle." he said but didn't get a chance to ask for hers because Kate stood on her toes, lacing her arms around his neck and bringing his face to meet hers.

A soft kiss on the corner of his lips. She didn't push for it and neither did he. They both knew the night was over and a new day had started. But she stayed there for a second or two and whispered a 'thanks' against the corner of his upper lip. She didn't want him to kiss her back, because she might actually sex-aisle her roommate and take him up to her dorm, and so she kissed him once again. Another quick peck on the same place from before. She let go of his neck, and whispered her goodnights.

"Until tomorrow," he told her and she didn't know if he was serious or not because his eyes hid under those damn heavy shadows and there was no smirk to his voice or Cheshire cat smile on his face.

The ticking of his cane echoed on the pavements as the click-clack of her heels flew on the opposite way.

"What's with the fancy walking stick and the shades though?" Lanie asked.

She didn't know if Lanie was too drunk or didn't actually have the slight clue. The latter option was plausible, though. For someone who has no idea of what's around him, Rick walked at a pretty standard pace.

"It's his cane, Lanie," she explained."Rick's blind."

Currently looking for a beta. I apologize for any errors or weird plot developments. Hopefully, it will get much better with the second chapter.

Thank you!

Reviews appreciated. Especially if you are trying to give me any advices.