Monday, February 7, 200; 11:52am – The University of Hawaii; Hilo, Hawaii

"Did you make it on time?" Travis jested as he slid into line next to Ana. She just rolled her eyes and ignored him. "You didn't? Even with your driving?"

She flicked his arm, and he grinned in response instead of wincing, his green-hazel eyes twinkling as they peeked out from under untrimmed, light brown bangs, highlighted from the Hawaiian sun. If they'd been someplace other than the campus center, she would've flat out smacked him upside the head.

"So what are we having today? The usual, 'I'm going to pretend I'm not hungry and just get a soda?'"

"I don't pretend that I'm not hungry, Travis," she replied absently, pretending to focus on the menu over Travis's head from her lofty height of a whole two inches taller than him. The simple menu hung over the cashier, who was three people away. It was a sub sandwich joint, one of the other small food places located inside the food court of the center. And though it had been ages since she'd eaten any kind of sandwich, as she rebelled against bread for the good of both her figure and her digestive tract, this place had fresh fruit. And soda.

"Uhuh, right. Whatever you say, anela." She opened her mouth to protest against what he had just called her, but he continued with a sly grin. "So, we still up for tonight?"

"Travis, I'll be going with or without you," she replied as she ignored his earlier remark.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell me, why don't we run together more often?"

"Because you usually want to stop and get something to eat halfway through the run?" she suggested. She was partially joking, and it was also partially true. But honestly, between their work and class schedules, and their workouts at the fire station, they rarely had enough time to go running together outside of work. Why? Because they both took it as a competition. They both ran until they dropped, and sometimes that would take hours.

"No! Because…" He kept his mouth open, attempting to dig some excuse from the many he had stock piled, but one glance in front of him saved him from saying anything else. Finding himself at the front of the line, he quickly stepped forward to flash a dashing smile to the girl behind the cash register. It took Travis longer to place his order than it took Ana to just request a soda. She'd grown used to his flirtatious nature, and she was more than happy when he applied it to other women and not to her—so long as it didn't slow them down.

Once they had gotten out of line, Travis with his receipt in his hand instead of in the garbage, Ana quickly decided she would be the one to find a table today. Travis was busy eyeing a girl while she was filling her coffee cup only a few feet away. Without any warning at all, she slipped away to find an empty table along the far wall. If he couldn't find her because he was too busy ogling someone, it was his own fault.

Fake plants lined the large cafeteria-like room, and windows lined the very wall their table was against. Outside the windows, students passed by on foot, skate boards, or bikes with a luscious green background and several other brick buildings behind them. She slipped into one of the chairs, letting her backpack hit the ground next to her with a thud. Taking a small sip from the rim of the Mountain Dew-filled cup, she winced as the carbonation reached her throat. She tried not to have soda. Years of swimming had made her quit drinking the carbonated drinks. But she only swam recreationally now, and on the days that she simply wasn't hungry, a few calories from a soda were enough to keep bother her body and her stomach happy. But now Mountain Dew, ironically, was the only soda she could stomach.

"You won't believe this!" a girl suddenly gushed as she skidded into one of the chairs at the table behind Ana. Joining the other two girls that sat at the table, the third woman rushed on as she dumped her bag on the chair next to her. Ana did her best to tune her out while gazing out the window and sipping her soda, but it was difficult not to hear someone squeal right behind you. "You'll never believe who my sister just checked in at her hotel!"

The other two girls didn't answer.

"Bruce Wayne!"

"No way!" one of the others yelped as a cup slammed against the table. The other must have either been too shocked to speak or indifferent, because Ana didn't hear a word from her.

"Yes way! He just checked in this morning. My sister just sent me the text, and she says that he's totally hot…" Giving up, Ana dug through her bag to retrieve her CD player. She was barely in the mood to deal with Travis, she definitely didn't want to listen to that.

What seemed like mere seconds instead of minutes passed and Travis suddenly slid into the seat across from her, slamming his tray down in front of him. He didn't seem to notice the wrapped up sub slide across the tray or the large drink lean dangerously to the side. He, instead, was busy lip singing the song she was listening to. Her eyes narrowed as her finger rolled along the volume button to turn it down to a volume only she could hear. He simply grinned as he unwrapped his sandwich.

Monday, February 7, 2000; 2:13pm – The University of Hawaii; Hilo, Hawaii

Her last class of the day had been anatomy and physiology, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the building along with dozens of other students. Their professor had pushed their next exam back to the following Monday instead of having it in two days. Ana had yet to even think about studying, and she had to work tomorrow night at the fire station, which made that delay a lifesaver. Now she had all weekend to study.

But her relief quickly evaporated when she spotted who was leaning against the peeling sky blue paint of her 1974 Ford F-250 Ranger.

"Travis, I thought you had to work this afternoon."

He shrugged, his eyes hidden beneath the large and unnecessary aviators darting away from a passing brunette to meet hers. "I have to work tomorrow afternoon. Besides, won't you just be wasting gas coming to pick me up later?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line. He smiled, his obnoxiously white teeth standing out against his dark tan skin. Without another word, she dumped her backpack into the back of the truck and got into the driver's seat. Before she had the ancient truck started, he was already in the passenger seat, seat belt on.

"So, Ana, while I figured we were out and about…" Travis began once they had reached the main road, leaving the university buildings to grow smaller in her rearview mirror, "…we could, you know, stop by Reuben's?" And there it was. As soon as she opened her mouth, he continued on like a child desperately trying to reason with his mother. "It's on the way back to your apartment, and you were the one complaining earlier that I always stop for food when we run, so why not eat now and I won't be hungry later?"

"We're running four hours from now."

He smiled sheepishly. "I'll eat a big meal."

She shook her head with a sigh. "You're hopeless Travis, do you know that?"

He nodded like it was a compliment.

A/N: 'Anela' means 'angel' in Hawaiian.