The next morning Sydney was taking her morning run through the park. She stopped to catch her breath, sitting down on the park bench. She bent down to tie her shoe and she heard footsteps coming towards her. She looked up to see Jack Bristow jogging towards her. She gasped when she saw his perfectly toned body. When he saw her he stopped.
"Good morning." he said cheery.
"Hi professor."
"Please, outside of class call me Jack."
"Ok, Jack."
"What are you doing out so early?" Jack said sitting down next to her.
"Going for a run. I assume you're doing the same."
Jack laughed and ran a hand through his sweaty hair.
"Yeah. It helps me clear my head."
They sat in silence for a while before Sydney spoke again.
"I hate Catherine Earnshaw."
"What?" Jack asked turning to her with a confused expression on his face.
"I hate Catherine Earnshaw."
"Oh, you're talking about Wuthering Heights."
" Yeah, she . . ."
"Wait, save it for class." Jack said placing a hand on her shoulder.
She simply nodded. Jack stood and stretched a little before saying goodbye and running off down the trail.
Sydney looked after him and smiled. She breathed in deeply and jogged back to her dorm.
******
Sydney ran to class she was five minutes late. She had taken a nap and ended up oversleeping. When she reached her Lit class Jack was well into his lecture. She attempted to slip into class without him seeing her.
"Ms. Anderson, glad you finally decided to join us." Jack said without turning around.
Sydney walked with her head down to her seat in the front.
"Now that Ms. Anderson has decided to join us maybe she can tell us about the chapters of Wuthering Heights I assigned yesterday."
"I hate Catherine Earnshaw." she explained.
"Why?" Jack asked.
"Because she is an idiot. She sees what she wants right in front of her but is too afraid to reach out and grab it."
"Why is she afraid?"
"Because she is afraid what others will think."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Of course, when it comes to matters of the heart."
"So are you telling me Ms. Anderson that whenever you see a man you are attracted too you ask him out."
"Not everyone."
"So you want every guy that has ever thought you were pretty to ask you out." Jack said walking towards her.
"Well no, but."
"Then how can you call Catherine Earnshaw an idiot when you obviously are guilty of the same action yourself."By this time Jack was standing directly in front of her. She didn't know how to respond so she just hung her head.
"Good idea, but back it up a little bit better." Jack said returning to the front of the room.
Sydney turned her attention to doodling in her notebook. After forty of the longest minutes of her life Jack dismissed class. Sydney closed her notebook and a sheet of paper fell to the floor. She opened it and was startled at its contents.
Want to meet me for coffee?
She looked up at Jack and nodded.
*******
Sydney walked into the small coffee shop on campus. Jack Bristow was sitting at one of the tables by the window reading. She sat down across from him and ordered some coffee. Once the waiter brought back her coffee, Jack put down his book.
"Is there something I can help you with Ms. Anderson."
"Outside of class call me Sydney."
"Sydney, can I help you with something."
"Your note. You asked me to meet you for coffee."
"What note?"
Sydney handed him the slip of paper that had fell out of her folder. He looked it over and handed it back.
"That's not my handwriting."
"What?"
Jack grabbed a napkin off the table and scrawled in his practiced pen Want to meet me for coffee. Sydney grabbed the napkin and compared the handwriting. It was completely different. Jacks writing was like practiced calligraphy.
"Oh my god." Sydney said blushing heavily.
"It's ok. It's always nice to have company." Jack said putting his bookmark in his book.
"What were you reading?" Sydney asked sipping her coffee.
"The Constitution."
Sydney looked at him confused.
"It's a breakdown of what analysts believe the original framers of the constitution intended."
"History?"
"Yeah. I collect historical documents. If I could get my hands on the constitution I would have that too."
Sydney was about to speak when her phone rang.
"Hello."
"You saw the note I put in your notebook and thought it was the professor asking you out. Seriously Syd." Francie said on the other line.
Sydney looked out the window and saw her friend waving at her from across the walkway. Sydney reddened and hung up the phone.
"I've got to go." she said rising from her seat.
"Ok. See you in class."
Sydney nodded and sprinted out the door. Back in the coffee shop Jack was about to pick his book back up when he noticed the credit card on the table. He tucked it in his pocket, and rose to find Sydney.
*****
Sydney was back in her room being teased mercilessly by Francie. She was stretched across the sofa with a pillow over her head.
"So what did he say?" Francie asked snatching the pillow away.
"Leave me alone."
"I'm serious what did he say."
"That it wasn't his handwriting but he didn't mind the company."
Francie laughed again at her friends irritated expression. At that moment there was a knock on their apartment door. Francie went to get it and was startled to see Jack Bristow standing there.
"Professor." she said looking at him suspiciously.
"I'm sorry Ms. Calfo, I was looking for Sydney Anderson."
"I'm her roommate. Sydney's inside. Come in."
Jack entered the small apartment and smiled at the various awards from high school decorating the walls.
"Syd you have a visitor." Francie announced sprinting off to her room.
"I don't feel like talking to anyone, after that fiasco in the coffee shop." Sydney whined.
"I didn't think it was a fiasco." Jack said laughing.
Sydney sat up quickly and looked towards the voice.
"Jack!" she said bolting from the sofa.
"I didn't mean to startle you." he said calmly.
"No. It's ok. What are you doing here?"
"You left something at the coffee house."
Sydney looked at him suspiciously. He was smiling from ear to ear, so she thought she knew where he was going.
"Now that you mention it I am missing something."
"Yeah. And I'm sure you want it. It's rather important."
"Ah yes. I know exactly what you're talking about and I don't want it. You are my professor, and I am you're student."
Jack looked at her confused.
"What does that have to do with me giving you back your credit card?"
Sydney blanched.
"Credit Card."
"Yeah," Jack said handing her the card "What did you think I was talking about?"
"Nothing."
"Oh. Well that's all I wanted. So see you around."
Sydney walked him to the door. Once he was gone Sydney turned to look into the taunting face of Francie.
"Don't start."
"What I was just going to ask what you thought he had to give you?" Francie asked.
Sydney mumbled incoherently as she walked back to the sofa.
"What?"
"His phone number."
Francie burst into a fit of laughter. Sydney turned and threw a pillow at Francie's head.