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Boston University 

2004

“So are you a sailor or something?”

The girl’s voice in his ear startled Daniel from his daydreaming. He looked over at her. “What?”

“Or are you training for the Olympics, maybe? Oh, are you some sort of treasure hunter?” She kept her voice down so she wouldn’t disturb the lecture taking place at the front of the room. Not that the professor would have noticed them—there were over 200 students in this class, and the room was more of a stadium than a classroom. 

Daniel must have been staring at her like she was crazy because she smiled at him and gave him a playful push on his arm. 

“I’m just teasing you. And wondering what that’s all about.” She gestured down at his notebook. The page contained no actual notes but was instead covered in blue waves, drawn repeatedly until they imprinted on the pages beneath it. 

Daniel slapped a hand over the paper. He must look like a lunatic. “Just doodling.” He turned the page and pretended to return his attention to the lesson, but he had no idea what the professor was talking about. The girl was still watching him; he could feel her eyes on him. 

“You doodle those waves every class.” He could hear the laughter in her voice; she was teasing him. Flirting, maybe? Daniel glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was cute, from what he could tell, she was female, and she was talking to him. He could imagine what Cal would say if he were here: get a fucking grip and talk to her!

“Treasure hunter, actually.” He turned to face her. “Pirate, really, if you want to get technical. I was planning my next voyage. Missing the sea and all…you know how pirates get.”

The girl was giggling now, trying to keep quiet, but people around them were looking irritated. She leaned in closer and whispered, “I’m Alexis, by the way.”

“Daniel,” he whispered back. She was close enough now he could see the freckles sprinkled across her nose. Her mouth turned up in a grin.

“Strange name for a pirate.” She took a sip of her coffee and the sweet vanilla scent filled Daniel’s senses.

“Well, that’s my landlubber name.” 

At the word landlubber, the coffee sprayed from her mouth and rained down on the back of the head of the man in front of them. She clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. Daniel nearly choked to death on his own laughter. 

The man turned around and glared at them, running a hand over his now damp head. Alexis whispered apologies as Daniel grabbed her hand and dragged her from the lecture hall. As soon as they were out the door the laughter erupted from them.

“That was totally your fault!” She gasped for breath in between giggles. 

“No one has ever found me this funny before. I had no way of knowing!” He was grinning like an idiot, his back up against the wall, catching his breath. She was grinning back at him, so he took a chance. 

“Do you want to grab a coffee with me?” 

She glanced down at the coffee in her hand and he realized his error too late.

She smiled and tossed her cup in the trash can by the door. “I would love that.”

For the first time in a long time, Daniel thought he could forget about the real reason his notes were covered in waves and his dreams were full of the sea. Deep down, he knew it wouldn’t last.

Featured image by Jeremy Bishop via Unsplash