Candace hadn't gone twenty feet before she was soaked all the way to her skin. She ducked into an alcove and shook herself, almost like a wet canine.
"Ouch. Watch where you swing that mane of yours."
She froze, having thought she was alone. She didn't realize that someone else was already seeking shelter in the same space. Carefully she pulled her long, raven-colored hair together and squeezed the excess liquid from it before turning around to see who her companion was.
For his luck, he was relatively dry. The young man was slightly taller than she, with a mop of cinnamon-colored curls atop his head. There was a twinkle present in his bright blue eyes, like he was fighting on the inside not to chuckle.
"Sorry about that. My name is Candace. Looks like we're stuck here together for the moment, eh? Bloody weather."
She put out one of her slender hands toward the stranger, catching just a hint of a smile as he took her hand in his before giving it a strong shake.
"Joshua. Nice to meet you. Though it sounds like you're a bit far from your home, just as am I."
Candace cocked her head to one side as she listened carefully to his deep voice, and tried in vain to search out his accent. He curiously had none. His words came out crisp and clear and without giving away his origin. Even with her great sense of hearing, she still couldn't pick one up. But she could smell him. Boy, could she ever. Unfortunately, he noticed her sniffing him out, even before she realized what she was doing.
"Down girl."
It was then that he laughed. Infectious as it was, she smiled in return before shaking herself out of it. He smells sooooo good. Candace turned and looked at the rain, which was not letting up.
"Looks like we will be here a good while, Joshua. I think I'll have a seat."
Joshua watched as Candace lowered herself to the stone floor below. He also caught on to the fact that she was cold, and beginning to shiver. He put out one hand for her to be pulled up again.
"Where's your dorm, Candace?"
She pointed to the far side of the quad.
"Ah, you live in the shoeboxes. Well, I live in the next building over. Would you like to warm up inside with a nice cup of tea?"
She hadn't shared a nice cup of tea with anyone since she'd left England for the States. It made her frown for a moment, as she thought about her mum and dad. And Joshua didn't seem too bad, and he lived less than another twenty feet away from where they were standing. Candace nodded, and rose to accept his outstretched hand.
"That would be most lovely."
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Neither one of them had any more classes for the day, so the next three hours were spent conversing about the differences between Americans and Brits. She found out that Joshua was actually from Wales, but had spent most of his childhood in America. The few times his family actually had gone back to the U.K., he hadn't spent enough time there to pick up an accent.
Candace looked out his window, noticing that the downpour had finally stopped. She placed her empty cup on the top of his desk and turned to bid him goodbye.
"Thank you very much for your tea and your hospitality. I enjoyed it, but I must be getting back. I'm expecting a call from my mum right before dinner. It was nice to meet you."
Joshua showed her to the door, and just as she was getting ready to pass through the ones leading to the outside he yelled in her direction.
"Candace, wait!"
He moved quickly to the end of the hall, attracting a little attention from the passersby.
"I'm sorry, but, do you have any plans for this weekend?"
"No, I don't at this moment."
She looked down at her hands, knowing what would come next.
"Would you like to hang out on Saturday? You don't have to call it a date. We can just get to know each other some more."
So far, he'd been the perfect gentleman. And though she was wary of most people just by how she sensed them, this young man didn't make any of the typical warning bells go off.
"Okay. Saturday it is, then. Goodbye."
He watched the door shut behind her and smiled.