AN: As always thanks so much for the reviews on last chapter. Also it means the world that a lot of you guys came back to review for the second chapter and I really appreciated that. With everything that's going on with the show I know that some people might not be interested in reading jate, or even writing it anymore. Shakes head I thought about giving up this story, but I really do enjoy writing it so I changed my mind. I just hope that ya'll will stick with me, because if the readers lose interest there's not really any point in continuing this, but I hope that's not the case. Anyways I added something extra in this chapter for you guys, a little 'close jate interaction' I hope you enjoy! And thanks again for being such awesome readers and reviewers:)
Chapter 3- Vanilla & Cologne
. Sometimes Jack wondered if he was invisible to her. She seemed to be everywhere he was. When he washed his laundry she ran into him crying, and he wanted to comfort her. God, he wanted so badly to reach out and wrap her in his arms. Wrap her up in his arms and promise her that everything would be okay. Jack wanted to protect her. He wanted to keep her safe in his arms but before he could do that she had to let him in.
Kate Austen was a beautiful girl and she was mysterious as well. A smile formed on his face at the mere thought about Kate. Although, they hadn't spoken before today he always saw her. On Tuesdays and Thursdays she had an afternoon class, so she always got back to Amherst Hall at five. During that time Jack was usually playing Frisbee with Mark, obviously not for the Frisbee but for the chance to get a glimpse of Kate.
The way she made him feel made Jack feel uneasy at times. He had often thought about falling in love with some girl, getting married, and having kids, but that wasn't until he was like 30 or something. Then he comes to Haven and all of a sudden is thinking about a girl that he wouldn't mind settling down with. That scared him. Kate had so much power over him but she was still a stranger. Jack wondered if he could blame this on Christian to. Blaming didn't make him feel better about himself but it did help give reason to why he was this way. Jack buried his face deeper into his pillow. It was unusually thin.
Jack hated thin pillows so he never brought them. Maybe his hangover was just keeping him from getting comfortable. Jack winced through closed eyes. Now he really did need some advil. Jack opened his eyes. Something smelled really good. A scent that he could only describe as girl in his current state. Jack remembered drinking at least six beers at Haven point. Now that he wasn't feeling as low he regretted drinking six beers. There was better ways to deal with his father, and drinking only made him feel like Christian's son more than ever. From now on Jack was going to have to be more cautious about solving his problems.
He inhaled the sweet scent once more. Jack pressed his nose deeper into the pillow. It smelled like vanilla. He smiled to himself. Jack had always imagined that Kate would smell like vanilla, at least her hair would. Here he was going on a 'Kate tangent' again. Jack looked around his room. After a couple seconds his eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room and he sat up surprised. This was not his dorm room.
Jack swallowed. If he slept with someone last night this was probably her room. Jack checked to see if his pants were still on. They were. He didn't have sex then. Jack swung his legs over the bed. He paused for a second because of the intense throbbing in his head. Jack stood up. Whoever the bed belonged to wasn't in the room with him. Jack decided that it would probably be best if he didn't stick around. His shirt was missing. Where was it?
Thinking he was alone Jack searched around for a light switch. He trudged t towards the door and flipped on the switch. Bright fluorescent light suddenly filled the room. Jack placed his hands over his eyes. The light was way too bright. He massaged his temples hoping to ease the pain, but of course that didn't do the effect. That was what he deserved for drinking alone so pathetically. Jack dropped his hand down to his side as he searched around for his button down shirt. As he walked across the room he noticed a sleeping bag camped next to the other twin bed in the room. He suddenly felt guilty. Jack couldn't remember much of what happened before winding up in the bed of 'the good smelling girl.' But he couldn't help but to wonder if that was her. Jack clenched his jaw in difficulty. Why would someone give up there bed and sleep on the floor for him.
Oh god was he in Amber's room. Jack looked around with wide eyes, he was relieved to see posters of Justin Timberlake, and John Legend on the opposite side of the room. Amber's room was covered with shirtless guys. This was not her room. Jack spotted his shirt resting next to the vent. He picked it up and then put it on. The shirt reeked of alcohol mixed in with cologne. Jack wrinkled his nose as he buttoned the shirt. He glanced at the sleeping bag once more. Whoever was in there probably deserved a thank you from him. Jack frowned. Or maybe it was better this way that he just left without saying anything in order to avoid possible humiliation.
Just as Jack was about to head out he heard what sounded like a scream. Jack turned around suddenly scared to death. There was silence and the sleeping bag remained still. The scream had been so sudden that Jack had unknowingly placed his hand to his heart. Was he hearing things now? Jack reached for the doorknob, his back was still turned towards the door as he watched the sleeping bag.
She screamed again.
What the hell was going on? Jack watched in horror as she started to struggle. Jack wasn't sure what to do but he ran over to the sleeping bag anyways. Maybe she couldn't breathe, or was having some kind of attack. Without thinking twice Jack unzipped the sleeping bag. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins just because he didn't know what the heck was going on. He just kept telling himself that he had to help her even if she was just dreaming. Jack couldn't leave her like this.
Jack looked back at the face in front of him in shock. She was obviously dreaming. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and the most pained look was stretched across her face. Her lips quivered. Jack wasn't sure what to do, or what to think. Kate Austen slept in front of him. Well she wasn't sleeping now, but he guessed having a horrible nightmare. Jack reached out to touch her shoulder to wake her and then he stopped.
He didn't want to scare her. After all he wasn't even positive if she knew that he was in the room. Jack's eyebrows furrowed low over his eyes as he looked at her. Her wild chocolate curls covered her face and her mouth was partially parted showcasing her adorable set of teeth. Jack was ashamed how lovesick he sounded even in his own thoughts.
Kate suddenly started to scream again.
Jack snapped out of it. He had to wake her up. Just as he placed his hand on her shoulder she smacked it away. Her arms were moving around wildly now and she was desperately fighting with the air. Jack had to try to hold her arms in order to keep her from hitting him. For some reason he felt guilty about being the one to wake her. Jack didn't want to force himself on her and he felt like he was. Waking up in her room, and now waking her up from some horrible dream.
She stopped struggling after a while.
Jack was holding her wrists. Her hand was pressed up against his chest in a balled fist. "You were just dreaming," He whispered. Jack couldn't help but to wonder what she was dreaming about. He figured that it was best to leave now. By some miracle Kate hadn't waken up after all that. She was still asleep. Jack smiled down at her. "It's okay,"
He hoped that when he left she wouldn't have that nightmare anymore. Jack made a move to stand up but Kate reached out. He took in a deep breath when she linked her hands in his. Once again he was caught off guard. Jack glanced at Kate to see if she was awake now but her eyes were still closed. He couldn't pull his hand out of hers, because he wanted to stay for at least one minute to make sure she was okay.
"Stay," She murmured.
Her hand crawled up his arm sending shivers through his body. Jack's eyes widened as Kate placed her hand underneath his chin. She obviously thought he was someone else. Or at least that's what he assumed. Jack couldn't understand why Kate was so calm now after being so worked up earlier. Kate was bringing his face closer. Jack placed his right hand on the carpet in order to keep himself from falling onto her. What was she doing? Jack looked around in surprise.
He felt wrong for letting her touch him like this. Kate obviously wasn't completely in control. Jack opened his mouth to say her name once more but before he could speak his lips grazed hers.
This was so wrong.
Jack was about to pull away but before he could Kate placed her hands on his face. His mouth opened but before any words could come out Kate kissed him. All reason went out the window at that moment. Whether she was dreaming or not Jack suddenly didn't care. Kate stroked his face with her fingers as she pressed her mouth harder against his. Jack was starting to believe that he was the one dreaming.
He was now convinced. This wasn't real. It was all a dream.
Kate placed her hand behind his head keeping him from breaking their lip lock. Jack slowly closed his eyes. If this was a dream then he didn't want to wake up. Kate's lips were soft and welcoming. His nose was pressed against her skin, she smelled like vanilla.
Their lips danced a forbidden dance.
Jack couldn't break away. Even in his own dream he couldn't touch her. Not Kate. Kissing her made him feel weak and senseless. Kate had some kind of spell on him. Whenever he looked at her the world stopped and only for her he would ignore all reason. If only she let him get to know her.
Jack feared that he sounded obsessed.
Kate stopped kissing him and her hands dropped back down to her sides.
Jack lingered over her angelic face. She was breathing in and out slowly and he was close enough that his lips still touched hers. Jack wanted to steal a thousand more kisses but he reminded himself that he couldn't. He leaned away and pinched his arm.
Jack blinked. He was awake.
Kate still slept in front of him. Shit he was really in her room. The reality of what had just happened hit him like a train. It was probably best that he left now. Kate had just kissed him, and he was positive that she thought he was someone else. Jack quickly stood up he wanted to stay with her all night just to make sure that she was okay. But he couldn't. Jack practically ran to the door. On his way out he turned around and glanced at Kate. He felt weird. Happy that Kate had kissed him, but at the same time he regretted allowing it to go that far.
If Kate didn't like him now then Jack feared that she would avoid him like the plague if she remembered kissing him. For his sake Jack hoped that Kate would continue to think that he was whoever she imagined in her dream. As Jack walked unsteadily back to his room he reflected on the kiss.
He had been kissed plenty of times but no kiss was like that. Jack was surprised to see that his room door was open. He could still taste Kate's lips. She was wearing some kind of lip gloss that tasted like watermelon. Jack placed his hand against the wall because he needed a couple of second to take recoup. It was still a mystery to him how he ended up in Kate's room.
Jack took his shirt off once again and draped it on the back of his computer chair. Remembering that his door was open Jack went to close the door. Why was the door open in the first place? He looked around for Mark. Jack smiled at the sight of Mark passed out on his bed with his shoes on and a trashcan next to his face.
"Thursdays," Jack muttered to himself.
Loud rock music filtered through the thin walls. Someone was getting lucky Jack thought to himself with a smirk. Once he was stripped down to his boxers Jack crawled into the safety of his own bed. Being in his own bed made him want to go back to Kate's dorm and make sure she got into her own bed. But he couldn't do that. Jack couldn't go back.
When he closed his eyes he saw her. Jack's cheeks flushed with warmth. He would make sense of tonight in the morning but right now he was throwing all sense out of the window. Circumstances aside he kissed Kate. For now he would focus on that and sort through everything else in the morning. Jack couldn't help but to smile foolishly. He was certain that he had officially gone crazy. The men in white suits would be coming any day to take him away to a padded room, because he was in love.
15 minutes before
Kate's eyes opened in horror when she saw Wayne standing over her.
"You thought coming here would erase everything didn't you?" He barked.
Kate tried to run but Wayne was too fast. He lunged forward with both hands and pinned Kate against the bed with his knee. Wayne glared back at her as he wrapped his hands around her neck. Kate tried to scream but she couldn't.
He tightened his grip. "You're a selfish little bitch you know that…"
Kate kneed him in the stomach but it had little effect. A tear slid down her cheek as she struggled to pry Wayne's hands from around her neck. She felt sickened just by looking at him. He snickered sinisterly and then brought his face closer.
"You think you're so tough huh, well who has the upper hand now little girl. You can't run from me…because whether you like it or not, I'm you."
A chocked sob escaped Kate's mouth as she felt herself start to grow light headed. She struggled some more with Wayne, but she was too weak. He was stronger than her, Kate couldn't fight him.
"Whether you like it or not Sam ain't your daddy, I am."
She was now fading in and out of consciousness. Death was so close. Wayne was slipping away with all of her pain. Kate stopped fighting and allowed herself to succumb into death's grasp. At least in death she could escape this life. This shame filled life where her real father was an abusive drunk that abused both her and her mother. Wayne was right she couldn't run away. Even in Massachusetts he would always be there haunting all of her thoughts.
His blood was in her, his filthy, disgusting blood.
"Kate,"
She was suddenly somewhere else. Her dorm room had disappeared and now she was in a barn. It was raining outside so her clothes were soaked and her hair hung in dripping ringlets in her face. She was still crying and shaking violently. Her name was called again and then Kate felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.
She screamed and tried to fight back but he turned her around. It was Tom. Kate collapsed into his arms. She was sobbing hysterically and he was trying to calm her. But she couldn't be called. Tom wrapped her tightly in his arms and rested his cheek against hers.
He said things to make her feel better but of course nothing helped. As Kate leaned away she could see the tears in his eyes. She didn't want Tom to go through all of this because of her. Kate tried to leave but Tom grabbed her wrist gently.
"You're not going back there tonight,"
Kate's lips quivered as she looked at Tom. She wanted to feel safe, she needed to. Or else she was going to go crazy. "Let me go Tom…just…"
"I'm going to call the cops, he is not going to do this to you anymore."
"Tom!" Kate screamed. She grabbed onto his shoulder and pulled him back towards her. Kate squeezed her eyes shut. "You can't do that,"
"Look at you Kate! Look at you," Tom cupped Kate's chin in his hand. "I refuse to just stand by and let him do this to you. Someone has to do something and I'm going to…"
"He'll kill her!" Kate cried clutching onto Tom's shirt.
"He won't."
Kate stared at Tom with tear filled eyes. Wayne had threatened to kill her mom if she so much as dared to go to the cops. Kate would rather him hurt her. She wanted to protect her mom but it was becoming painfully obvious that she couldn't. Kate could see the concern in Tom's eyes. It sickened her to do this, but she had too.
She had to.
Kate placed her hands on Tom's face. It broke her heart to look into his sad eyes. She loved him, god, did she love him. He was the most caring guy that she had ever met. In order to silence him Kate brought her lips closer.
She kissed Tom for safety. She needed him to keep him quiet until she figured out what to do about Wayne. If Tom called the cops then Wayne would get off, he always did, because her mom lied.
Tom didn't pull away as Kate placed her hand behind Tom's head.
"You were just dreaming," he said.
Kate's eyes slowly opened. The barn was gone and she was back in her room. Someone was kissing her. It wasn't Tom. She was startled to see Jack. His eyes were closed and he was kissing her. Kate dropped her hands from behind his head. She didn't want to be too obvious because there was no way she was going to explain anything to him. Within seconds Kate had put two and two together. She had an episode and Jack just so happened to be there when she did. As convincingly as she could Kate pretended to fall back into a deep sleep. Jack's soft lips still lingered on hers, and his stubble tickled her skin.
She was ashamed. Actually beyond ashamed. She was mortified.
Kate wanted to crawl up in a ball and just cry. How could she kiss Jack? Now he definitely had to think that she was crazy. He didn't leave right away for some odd reason he stayed. Kate wasn't sure why. After what seemed like thirty minutes Jack got up, the door opened, there was a pause, and then he closed the door.
Kate remained in the same position for three minutes and then she sat up. She shook her head. She kissed Jack. Kate felt as if she should go over to his dorm and offer him an apology, but she couldn't, and she wouldn't. If Kate apologized to him then she would have to explain what happened.
No one knew about her life back home and she preferred to keep it that way. Kate shamefully brought the sleeping bag underneath her bed. Right now she wanted to leave Haven. Take the bus to some new place, so she could start over again. Kate tucked her thick hair behind her ears as she sat back down on her bed.
If only she could wake up and this would all go away. The imprint of Jack's body still remained on her sheets. Kate swallowed. She needed to go back to sleep so for at least three hours she could forget about this. Kate knew that she was fooling herself, but right now any reality other than the truth sounded welcoming.
Kate laid down on her bed without bothering to change the sheets. At this point she didn't care. Jack's cologne lingered. Kate closed her eyes. She doubted that she would be able to fall asleep because Wayne might invade her dreams again or Tom. Kate didn't want to dream anymore, she just wanted to sleep.
As she closed her eyes tears started to fall again.
Jack had stayed with her.
Kate opened her eyes. She didn't want to be this lonely. If only Tom hadn't broken things off with her the she could still have her dreams. Those far away fairytales that allowed her to successfully escape Iowa, and start over.
Kate wished that she hadn't kissed Jack because he made her feel safe. Even though she didn't know him she trusted him. It was his eyes. Those big caring hazel eyes.
Realizing that she was pathetic enough to seek comfort in the first guy that showed some interest in her Kate got up. She wasn't going to allow herself to be this sad. Kate stripped the bed. She was going to change the sheets.
"Kate, you have class in an hour,"
"What Jack?" Kate murmured sleepily.
"Jack? Kate hon, it's me Lauren. You're roommate remember,"
Kate opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. Light filtered in through the window. "Oh god, what time is it!" She shot out of bed and made a dash towards her closet.
"It's seven Kate, calm down you still have time before your eight o' clock," Lauren sat at her desk with a book in front of her. "You called me Jack,"
"Did I?" Kate asked. She scowled at the thought of what happened last night. It had seemed so far away until now. Kate grabbed a sweater. She still felt miserable. "Did you have fun last night?"
Lauren nodded. She trailed her hands through her jet black hair and then occupied her attention with searching for spilt ends. "Jamie, Jordan and I went to Boston so we could party at Fantasy."
"Sounds fun," Kate said absently. She glanced at the clock debating if she had enough time for a shower. Kate pulled on the sweater. She would just take a shower after class. As of now she was in a rush to get out of the room because Kate knew that Lauren would ask about Tom.
"Did your boyfriend bring his cologne and just spray it all over the room. Kate he smells good." Lauren laughed. "You're going to have to forgive me I'm working on an hour of sleep here. So how was he?"
"Fine," Kate answered.
Lauren raised an eyebrow. She stared back at Kate curiously but didn't ask any questions. Instead Lauren adjusted the yellow scarf that was tied around her dark hair and then got up. "Did you want to grab some breakfast at the diner before class?"
Kate nodded, "Sure," she smiled encouragingly back at her roommate. Kate grabbed her toothbrush and paste. "Let me just brush my teeth first and then we can go okay,"
"Sure," Lauren spotted something on the floor. She bent down to pick it up and then glanced at it. "Jack Shephard?"
Kate turned around with wide eyes. The morning after kissing Jack she felt guiltier than ever. Up until last night she thought she had did a good job of masking who she really was. Kate glanced at the card in Lauren's hand.
Lauren handed the card to Kate. "No questions asked."
"He was um…helping me edit an English paper." Kate lied. She was a good liar, but Kate was pretty sure that Lauren was unconvinced. Kate closed her eyes. She could tell Lauren something, but she would pick and choose what she divulged. "Okay…Jack slept over here tonight."
Lauren gasped, "Girl, you slep…"
"No, not like that!" Kate exclaimed.
Lauren looked a little let down. "He's cute, but anyways how did he get in here?"
Kate knew that eventually the conversation would get to Tom. "Jack was passed out in the hallway and Hermes was on duty. He would've got in trouble if I didn't bring him in here," Kate looked back at Lauren as she waited for her response.
"That's sweet of you. I honestly would've probably left him there," Lauren made a guilty face. "Where did he go?"
I chased him away. Kate thought.
Kate turned Jack's card over in her hand. Now she had to give this back to him. She was not looking forward to it. How awkward was this going to be. "I guess he woke up in the morning and left."
"Any luck last night Jack?" Mark asked from his bed.
Jack looked up from his sneakers which he was tying. "No, but I wasn't looking for luck," Now that it was morning Jack still wasn't sure what to make of last night. He had almost slipped what happened to Mark five times now. "What about you?"
"The sorority girls left before I got there, so all that was left was uglies."
Jack snickered, "I'm sure that wasn't the case." He was glad that his headache had subdued and the sensitivity to light was starting to wear off. Jack grabbed his book bag and slung it over his shoulder. "You're not going to classes?"
Mark shook his head as he pointed the remote at the television. "Jack could you do me a favor?"
Jack raised an eyebrow, "Sure,"
"Would you mind moving to the side so I could turn to Jerry Springer?"
"Seriously,"
Mark nodded. "Hey, I don't say anything when you watch cartoons."
"Of course you don't because you're watching them with me." Jack stepped to the side so Mark could turn the channel. "Besides cartoons are good for relieving stress," Mark was tuning him out now so Jack decided to leave.
"Bro, what time do your classes finish today?"
"Three, but I might skip the last one, so I could be finished at two, why?"
"Would you mind passing by the diner and getting me a quesadilla with cheese, steak, green peppers…"
"Mark, how about when I come back we both go to the diner,"
"I feel like shit could you please just get me a quesadilla, oh and a drink on your way back, dude I would do it for you."
Jack sighed, "I'm going to class,"
On his way out Mark yelled, "Don't forget the quesadilla and soda!"
Jack closed the door behind him and glanced down the hall towards Kate's room. He wondered if she was awake, and if she was did she remember kissing him. Jack placed his hands to his mouth. He assumed that if she remembered then she would rather forget. Jack couldn't blame her if that turned out to be the case.
But he hoped that she wouldn't forget.
Lauren smothered her bagel with cream cheese and took a bite. Across from her Kate sat with her thumb pressed against her teeth in thought and a far away expression. "What's wrong Kate?"
"Nothing," Kate answered. She picked up her fork and stabbed at a chunk of pineapple and tossed it into her mouth. How the hell was she supposed to avoid Jack when she had his ID card? This really sucked. Kate scowled to herself as she thought about what she would say.
"Yeah Jack, I really didn't mean to kiss you last night, but anyways here's your ID card back,"
That wouldn't work. What could she say to Jack that could justify her actions?
"You can give him his card back now," Lauren suggested.
Kate looked into her roommate's dark brown eyes in horror. Jack was at the diner? She expected to be able to avoid him since next to no one grabbed breakfast before eight o' clocks. Oh mi god. Kate placed her hands to her face and sunk down in her seat. She couldn't face Jack right now.
"He keeps looking over here," Lauren pointed out. "He likes you."
"Wh…What?" Kate removed one of her hands from her face and stared back at Lauren as if she was crazy. "He doesn't even know me."
"Just an assumption from observing. Are you sure that Jack was just helping you with an English paper?"
"I have a boyfriend," Kate pointed out. She would allow Lauren to believe that she was still dating Tom just so wouldn't have to talk about it. Now she had to come up with a reason to explain why Tom allowed Jack to sleep over. "He was in a um…accident."
"Oh no, he's okay right." Lauren asked concerned.
Kate looked away. She felt horrible for lying but she wasn't ready to tell anyone that Tom had dumped her. It was best to keep it repressed somewhere deep down. "He couldn't make it so I started working on my paper, the door was open and Jack came in."
For some reason it was hard to lie to Lauren.
"Uh huh." Lauren replied as she took a sip of her iced tea. "You know I had a crush on Jack at the beginning of the semester."
"We're still at the beginning of the semester," Kate pointed out.
"Well I mean like first day. When I was moving in everything with my parents Jack offered to help."
Kate sat up a little in her chair. "Well that's sweet."
"Yeah, and the fact that he's hot doesn't hurt either. What do you think about him?"
Kate couldn't believe that Lauren had just asked her that. She thought about lying again and saying that Jack was okay. After all he had been around to witness all of her lowest moments. Jack was cute, but she wasn't admitting that aloud.
It just felt wrong to even think that way and Kate wasn't sure why.
"He has nice lips too. Imagine how it would be to kiss him." Lauren giggled and then passed Kate a 'what do you think' look.
At this point Kate couldn't tell if Lauren was serious or just fishing for information on her thoughts on Jack. Either way she was keeping her mouth shut. Lauren didn't have to know that she kissed Jack last night by accident.
He did have nice lips.
But that was besides this point because that didn't matter. All that mattered now was giving Jack his ID card back without having to explain a thing. If she was going to do it then now was probably the best time. Kate forced herself up. She couldn't help but to wonder how Jack would react when she went over to him. "I'll be back," Kate directed to Lauren.
She nodded and watched Kate with a smile. "It's okay to like him,"
"I don't like him," That was the truth. Kate didn't know enough about Jack to like him. Kate peered around the sparsely crowded dining room. She bit her lip when she spotted Jack sitting alone by the window. His head was buried in a book and he was furiously scribbling something down. Probably homework for his eight o'clock. Kate took his ID card out of her pocket so there would be no delay when she approached him. She would give him his card and get out of there.
Jack looked up.
Shit. Kate tried to look elsewhere but yet her eyes remained focused on Jack's. He smiled slightly.
She couldn't do this. Not only had she kissed him, but Kate assumed that she had said things to him. Things that no one else knew at Haven University but her. Jack's smile was welcoming. He obviously didn't think she was insane for stealing a kiss the other night. Kate couldn't understand why though. She wanted to run but she didn't.
"You left your card," Kate handed it to him.
"Thanks Kate,"
"You're welcome," There was nothing else to be said so Kate turned around and started to walk back to her table. She wasn't going to apologize, she couldn't.
"By the way…" Jack called out quickly.
Even though she didn't want to stop Kate did anyway.
"I don't remember what happened before I got in your room but I'm assuming that you let me stay there, at least I hope you did."
"It's no problem," Kate said.
Jack nodded because he could see that Kate was in a rush to go back to her table. "Thank you for looking out for me."
You're welcome Jack," Kate glanced over her shoulder at him and then gave him a brief smile. He really was grateful. Kate sat back down across from Lauren again.
"So…" Lauren ushered.
"I gave him back his ID card and nothing happened," Kate shrugged.
"He's looking over here again."
"He is?"
"And he's smiling, how cute." Lauren cooed as she tapped Kate's wrist. "I think Jack likes Kate,"
"He doesn't,"
"Well that's open for discussion," Lauren adjusted her scarf once more and then grabbed her tray. "I have to get to Benjamin Hall all the way across campus so I better start hiking now, see ya later honey."
"Bye Lauren," Kate replied waving at her roommate as she walked away. Jack didn't like her. Kate knew that. After all he just met her, no one falls in love with strangers at least she didn't. Lauren was a romantic, always reading those cheesy Harlequin novels, and writing love stories, so of course she would assume that Jack liked her. The thought was almost laughable. Jack didn't like her, he just didn't.