AN: Hi, all! I'm bringing a short multi-chapter to the party. The topics stems from a conversation a friend and I had. I hope you enjoy. Please let me know.
January 1987
Elizabeth's fingers were wrapped tightly around the steering wheel and she took slow, deep breaths. It's just the gynecologist. Women go all of the time. It's no big deal. Come on, Lizzle, just get your ass out of this car and go inside. It took another five minutes of self-prodding before Elizabeth Adams finally climbed from her car, brushed her hands nervously down her jeans and walked across the parking lot. Pushing against the glass door of the nondescript office building, she stepped inside.
She gave her name and dutifully took the clipboard from the receptionist and retreated to an open seat at the far end of the waiting area. While filling out the form, Elizabeth hesitated at the address. Should she put her school address or the address of her Aunt Joan's townhouse an hour away? Deciding that she didn't want Joan to ask questions if any correspondence happened to show up at her home, Elizabeth neatly penned her address at UVA.
Tapping her finger against her lip, she frowned at the open ended question at the bottom of the page, just above the signature line. Is there anything you'd like to address with the doctor? Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat and she was tempted to walk right out of the building, climb back into her car and drive back to UVA, pretending none of this had happened.
She sat frozen in her seat, jaw clenched, thoughts scrambled in her mind, and she stared down at the reddish-orange thread that was woven into the nap of the dull blue commercial carpet that lined the waiting room. If she looked hard enough, the thread seemed to make some sort of pattern as her eyes followed it back and forth over the small area in front of her.
"Elizabeth." A cheery voice permeated her trance and her head snapped up to see a petite, African American woman, who looked to be in her early thirties, propping the wooden door open with her foot. She wore lavender scrubs and her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail that corralled her thick braids. The nurse smiled widely and, while Elizabeth was sure it was meant to be warm and welcoming, it caused the piece of toast she'd forced herself to eat, to roll in her stomach. Pushing herself to her feet, Elizabeth adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder, gripped the clipboard a little tighter and forced herself to walk the entire length of the room to meet the waiting woman.
Height, weight, pee in the cup, go to the room, blood pressure, answer the basic questions. When the nurse finally left Elizabeth alone in the room, she looked down at the cotton exam gown that she had clutched in her hand. Robotically, she stood, pulled the fabric curtain along the track, providing a small amount of privacy, and she started to undress. Her mind wandered back to the beginning.
September 1986
"Mind if I sit here?" Elizabeth flinched, caught off guard by the voice. "Sorry," the man smiled. "I didn't mean to startle you. It's just—" he gestured around the open area of the library, "most of the tables are occupied."
Elizabeth forced a slight smile as she scanned the room. Indeed, all of the tables seemed to be taken and most did have two, or even three, people sitting at them. She sat alone. She laughed nervously, "Of course. I didn't realize that the library would be so busy, so early in the semester." Elizabeth reached out and pulled a few of the books she'd been referencing to her half of the table, clearing a space for the man.
"I'd guess that it's the first round of papers. Everyone is trying to make a good impression. I'm Henry, by the way. Henry McCord." He extended his hand toward her. She shook it politely, but took note of how his hand seemed to engulf hers.
"Elizabeth Adams."
"Well, Elizabeth, nice to meet you. I'll let you get back to your studies." With that he sat down at the opposite end of the table, reached into his backpack and pulled out a textbook and notebook.
They didn't speak again until the librarian came to make the rounds, letting everyone know that the library would be closing in a few minutes. Henry made small talk with the older woman, and Elizabeth, while packing her belongings, couldn't help but overhear the conversation. They chatted about the woman's diabetic cat. Henry was obviously a frequent visitor to the library and a friend to the librarians if he knew to ask about her cat. She smiled to herself as she pushed in her chair and started toward the stairs.
"Hey, Elizabeth," he called. "Would you like me to walk you back to the dorm? It's pretty late." Henry said, hurrying to sling his backpack over his shoulder, rushing to catch up to her.
"Thanks, but really, it's no big deal. I usually stay until closing. I walk back by myself all of the time," she said. Henry shrugged and followed a pace behind. Elizabeth noticed that on the way out, he addressed the desk clerks by name and quickly moved to push the door open ahead of her. She smiled, murmured her thanks, and continued walking to the right toward the freshman dorms. She had rounded the corner of the building and stopped when she saw three men loitering near the crosswalk where she normally crossed. Suddenly, unease coursed through her. Elizabeth tried to tell herself that she was being silly. They likely were waiting for a ride or for a friend from the dorms. They meant her no harm and she needed to quit being so dramatic.
She forced herself to walk, jaywalking across the street, but as she neared the opposite curb, two of the men began crossing the street as well. Elizabeth was just about to turn around and head back to the library with the hope that she could get back in, when she heard footsteps behind her. She was half a second away from screaming when Henry said, "I didn't realize we were walking the same way. I hope you don't mind walking with me."
Elizabeth nodded, and mumbled a perfunctory, "thank you" and they walked silently, passing the two men without incident. They were a full block away, when Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and confirmed that they weren't being followed. She let out the breath that she was holding.
"Are you alright?' Henry asked.
"I'm fine. I was probably just being stupid. Nothing would've happened," Elizabeth said, to herself as much as to Henry.
"You shouldn't ignore your intuition." Henry walked next to her, their steps matched. Elizabeth expected him to elaborate, but he didn't.
"Yeah," she sighed. "Thank you. Do you really live this way?"
Elizabeth looked up as the streetlight illuminated Henry's blush. "No," he said softly. "I was planning to just follow at a distance until I knew for sure that you made it back okay. Then I saw those guys." He offered a one shoulder shrug. "I hope that doesn't make you think I'm some sort of stalker. I would hope someone would do the same if it were one of my sisters in the same situation."
She smiled and shook her head. "No. I appreciate it. It was unusually kind." They walked in silence until Elizabeth pointed at the approaching building. "This is me."
Henry stopped at the end of the sidewalk. "Good night, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth turned to him. "Good night, Henry." Then she strode up the walk, punched the door code on the panel and slipped behind the door. She peered out the window and watched Henry slip his other arm through his backpack strap, and head back the way they'd just come.
The next evening when Elizabeth made it to the top of the stairs and looked across the room, she saw Henry sitting in the same spot. This time, she asked if she could join him. They studied silently and as the library was getting ready to close, Henry fell in step behind her and walked her back to her dorm. He didn't ask, and she didn't stop him. They chatted about the food in the cafeteria, the unseasonably warm weather they'd been having, an upcoming outdoor concert. He stopped at the end of the sidewalk, and again, he stayed until she slipped behind the door. Then he turned to go.
Two days turned into a week, which turned into a month. They studied at the same table and then talked on the walk back to her dorm. It was never anything more-until the day that she made it something more.
Elizabeth huffed and shoved her book to the opposite side of the table and slouched back in the chair, covering her face with her hands. "Something wrong?" Henry asked.
"I hate philosophy," she muttered, her words muffled by her palms.
"What are you working on? I did pretty well in the intro class." She heard the chair creak as Henry shifted his weight and dragged the book across the table.
Chuckling under his breath, he said, "Ah, Plato's Republic. A classic."
"It's going to be the death of me," Elizabeth said, shoving herself forward in the chair.
Henry pushed his seat back, the legs, scraping the tile floor. Moving around to Elizabeth's side of the table, he pulled the chair close and sat down next to her. "Tell me where you are."
Elizabeth sighed and took the book from him and flipped through to a page. "Here," she huffed. Henry smiled and gently patted her forearm.
"I've got this," he said, launching into a full discourse on justice and the function of people in society and their motives. He spoke passionately and he was eloquent and Elizabeth took in all of his words. As Henry finished, he closed the book and turned to her. Henry was close and as Elizabeth looked up at him, they were only a few inches from each other. Her eyes met his and before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
When Henry tensed, Elizabeth pulled back, panic in her eyes. "I don't—I can't believe—I'm so sor—" and then her jaw rested in his palm, his fingers tangled in her hair.
"Don't be," he whispered, kissing her chastely on the lips. Then he pulled away and kissed her forehead before releasing her. "You want to go out and grab a coffee sometime?"
In the seconds that passed between their kiss and Henry's question, Elizabeth's gaze fell to his hands and she extrapolated an entire sequence of events between them. "I'm not having sex with you," she blurted.
A look crossed Henry's face that she couldn't quite place and then one corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile. "You know one doesn't equate the other, right?"
She dropped her head to hide her blush. "Of course not. I'm not sure why I said that. It was a bit presumptuous.' She shook her head and laughed softly. "Okay, a lot presumptuous."
"So, maybe tomorrow afternoon then?" Henry asked. When Elizabeth's gaze met his, her insides fluttered at the twinkle in his eye.
"Sure, we can study for a bit and then go for coffee." She grinned, "and maybe a muffin?"
"Of course. But, definitely not sex." He leaned in, nudging her gently with his shoulder.
She blushed and offered him a shy smile. "I won't ever be living that down, will I?"
There was a rap at the door and Elizabeth jerked her head toward the sound. The hinges creaked as a tall, thin woman that she immediately recognized, pushed the door open. "Lizzie! It's so good to see you."
It seems that coffee does, indeed, equate sex, because here I am.
