Chapter 4

Charlotte paced around her living room with her phone in her hand, trying to come up with a reply for Owen. She had a headache, and her AC had broken last night, so it was sweltering in her apartment. Owen had texted her 10 minutes prior, asking how things went after class with Hutcherson. She desperately wanted to tell him about everything that had happened, but that would involve so much explaining, and she didn't feel right telling someone else about the fight she experienced in the park. It was too personal. She instead decided to simply tell him that everything went fine and that he answered her questions, even if he was a little snippy. Her little flip phone chirped in her pocket, Owen quickly responding to her text.

Owen: No surprise there. He must like you if he actually answered you're questions though. He usually tells the students that they should have just payed attention to begin with. Anyway, what are you up to today? Think you could fit some study time in your busy schedule? :)

Charlotte: You really think he likes me? Idk why, but that surprises me...and yes :) I have plenty of time. As long as we go somewhere with A.C. Mine broke last night (probably from over use) and I'm melting in here. Where do you want to meet?

While waiting for Owen's reply, Charlotte threw on some jean shorts and a white bohemian shirt, pairing it with her leather sandals. She opted to leave her hair down for now, but kept a hair tie on her wrist just in case it got too hot. Checking her appearance in the mirror, she decided she looked well enough for public and, grabbing her bag, decided to wait outside where it was slightly cooler until she heard from Owen. She had just locked her apartment when her phone chirped again.

Owen: Your AC broke? Jeez, of all the days. Where do you live? I can come over and find the problem with it, and we can decide where to eat while I fix it. I'm pretty handy some times ;)

What the hell was the winky face for? Then she realized what Owen had asked her. Oh no. Charlotte stared at her phone. He wanted to come by, and her place was a mess. Her apartment smelled, and she was pretty sure there was something growing at the bottom of her dirty clothes hamper. But he might fix my AC...she thought. She decided the pros far outweighed the cons, and told Owen her address. He replied, stating that he wasn't too far from her and he would be there in ten minutes. Ten minutes! Charlotte jumped up and ran to the door, fumbling with her keys.

Bursting into her apartment, she opened every window that would budge, and hastily put her dishes in the sink. She then picked up any trash, and dashed into her room. After picking up all the dirty clothes, she stashed her hamper in her closet, messily made her bed in record time, and sprayed everything with Febreze. She was just lighting a candle by her computer when her doorbell rang. Blowing out the match, she tossed it in the trash which she realized was (regretfully) full. Fuck, she thought. Deciding that it couldn't be helped, she ran to the door and opened it. Owen stood on her porch, examining the flowers that her neighbors kept in pots along the railing. When the door opened, he noticed her standing there and walked towards her.

"Hey Charlie. Why are you out of breath?"

Charlotte mentally cringed, then took a deep breath.

"Oh, I was just...in the bedroom when you rang the bell and I kinda...ran across the apartment

to answer the door." She mentally smacked herself for such a lame excuse and for not keeping her apartment clean to begin with.

Owen laughed at her regardless. "I can't tell you how many times I've done that. So, where's the

broken AC? You are gonna let me in, right?"

"Oh! Sorry! Yeah, come in. Sorry it's such a mess."

Charlotte moved aside to let him in. He walked in with a box of tools, taking a good look around. After spotting the unit in her front window, he made a bee line straight for it.

"It smells good in here," he commented. Charlotte thanked the Gods of Yankee Candle for inspiring her Mother to send her the candle as a birthday present. At least it was masking her apartment's natural musk. He examined the unit. "Man, this thing is ancient. No wonder it shit out on you. Well, you may as well have a seat. This is gonna take a bit."

She was about to sit down, when she realized she should at least offer the guy a drink. He was doing her a huge favor after all. She asked him if he wanted a glass of water, and when he accepted she grabbed two glasses from the kitchen and used her Brita filter to fill them. After handing him his glass, she sat down in her computer chair with a sigh and watched him take the front panel off her prehistoric air conditioner. They talked for roughly an hour, while he examined various wires and cleaned a few parts. She was just beginning to think about how great a guy Owen was when he snapped the front panel back on and stood up.

"That should do it," he said proudly. "Lets plug 'er in and see if she works."

He plugged the AC back into the wall and cranked it to high. Hot air blew in from the outside, right into his and Charlotte's faces. Owen quickly reached over and turned it off, his face sweating.

"Shit. I guess this thing is beyond repair. Sorry Charlie, looks like you need a new one."
Her shoulders sank, knowing that she would never be able to afford a new one. She smiled at Owen sadly anyway, thanking him for trying.

"We've been in here too long, lets go get something to eat. I'm starving anyway. And since I couldn't follow through on fixing your unit, it's my treat."

Charlotte began to protest; she really didn't like other people paying for her. But Owen insisted, and she finally gave in. He took her to a little Chinese restaurant by his place which had great food. It was also really cheap, which made Charlotte feel better about him paying. After lunch, Owen asked Charlotte if she wanted to do a little studying.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I want to run to the store first. I'm going to need a window fan now that I know my AC is permanently dead."

They walked up to the closest home improvement store, and picked out a decent fan that wasn't too expensive. It had started to get late by the time they were done, so Owen agreed to walk her back to her apartment and they took a rain-check for studying a different day. The sun was setting when they reached Charlotte's place, and thankfully the temperature had started to drop. Charlotte was just about to open her door when Owen spoke up.

"Hey Charlie, listen. I was wondering...would you like to go out sometime?"

He appeared nervous, and Charlotte had been hoping he would ask her out. But she decided to play it off like she didn't know what he was talking about and tease him a little.

"Like today? Sure Owen, I like hanging out with you."

She instantly felt bad, because now he looked even more nervous.

"No, I mean...like a date. I want to take you to dinner. Can we do that?"

Charlotte smiled. She really liked Owen, and she loved that he was willing to be more

than friends. She decided to stop teasing him, and happily got on board with a date.

"A date? Yeah, I'd really like that. Just let me know when you want to go out."

His face broke into a smile, and he hugged her enthusiastically. Then he reluctantly said goodnight, and hopped off the porch. Charlotte laughed, closing the door behind her. The first thing she did was set up her new fan. The breeze it created felt great, and cooled her down much more than she was expecting. She heated up some dinner, and planned to finish up some homework before bed. It was still early, but she was determined to get some actual sleep tonight.

After she ate, she sat at her computer and opened her bag to pull out her notebook for Hutcherson's class, when she realized it wasn't there. Confused, she got up and searched her room, then her desk, and finally her dirty clothes hamper just in case it somehow ended up there when she cleaned. But it couldn't be found anywhere. Defeated, she slumped in her chair, trying to remember the last time she had it. It was with her through all of her classes yesterday, and she had it after Hutcherson's class... Suddenly, she sat straight up when she remembered. Last night. She had set it down on the Professor's desk in order to pull the necklace out of her bag. She must have forgotten it in her haste to leave the room, and she had to get it back. All her notes were in there, and she absolutely needed it for her homework.

Groaning, she quickly texted Owen, explaining that she somehow managed to leave her notes in class, and asking him if the classroom would still be open. He replied that it should be, and offered to go with her, which she declined. It wasn't far from her apartment, and it would only take a few minutes. Standing back up, she turned on her porch light and walked outside, noticing that the cool down had been temporary and it had gotten more humid since Owen had left.

She was halfway to the school when she heard thunder overhead. She cursed herself for not bringing her umbrella, and hurried to the school. It was already 9:30, and she was hoping she could find a janitor or someone to open up the classroom if it was locked. She reached the room, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was open, but the lights were off. Using her phone for light, she walked in and searched the desk but couldn't find her notebook anywhere. She was about to give up and go home when the lights flicked on.

"Can I help you with something?"

Charlotte stiffened. She knew exactly who was behind her, and he was the last person she

wanted to see right now. She was still irritated from the night before. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned around. Professor Hutcherson was leaning against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest and his tie loose. Charlotte's breath hitched when she noticed how sexy he looked, but she shook her head clear and focused on the task at hand.

"My notebook. I left it here last night after I...after we talked."

He smiled at her.

"Blue, spiral bound notebook filled with notes in pink ink?"

He went through it again! Charlotte glared at him, but nodded.

"It's in my office. This way."