r/HeartAndInkStories • u/Just-existing221 • 1d ago
I found you in a dream
Chapter 1: First Sight
I saw him on my first day of college, walking alone in a white shirt, black pants, and a beige cardigan. The fall breeze suddenly felt warmer as he passed right by me. I couldn’t help but turn. I saw him heading towards the club building. Someone screamed behind me, jolting me back to reality. I had almost forgotten about my appointment with the dean. The admissions office had messed up my paperwork and needed additional documentation.
The hallway was unusually busy. New students were walking around in groups, introducing themselves to one another. I couldn’t help but smile. It had been a long journey to this day of finally returning to college for my master’s.
As I was daydreaming about all the things I would be learning—there he was again! I couldn’t help looking at him. His face was calm and friendly, and his eyes hid behind black-rimmed glasses. A lingering scent of sandalwood followed him as he passed.
My eyes kept following him as if they had a mind of their own. The dean’s assistant had to call my name twice before I realized someone was calling me. Great going, Katie! You have embarrassed yourself on the first day!
As I rushed in for my meeting, I glanced in his direction and didn’t see him. The admissions assistant took an hour to sort through my documents. Endless demands for documents that had already been submitted during enrolment were getting on my nerves, and my stomach growled. Skipping breakfast wasn’t a good idea, Katie. The assistant finally finished the paperwork and seemed to notice that I was holding my stomach.
“There is a cafeteria in the club activities building if you want to eat something. All new students should also be there for orientation.”
I thanked him and started walking towards the building. Will he be there? The thought popped into my head before I could stop it. What am I thinking? I hurried towards the building. A few students were hanging out at the entrance. My stomach had given up. I walked towards the group and asked them,
“Which floor is the cafeteria?”
“Are you here for orientation?”
another person asked as I turned towards him. He gestured towards the group, and I nodded.
“Welcome to Laurel University.”
“Thanks! Which department are you from?”
The question slipped out.
“Engineering,” he replied pointing towards the rest of the group.
“That’s great.
I’m Luke, by the way. This is Jake, and the others are not worth remembering.”
The other two started teasing him for not telling me their names. I laughed so hard that the documents in my hand fell to the ground.
“Sorry, but could you tell me which floor the cafeteria is on?”
I asked as I picked up the folder.
“Fifth floor. The smell of Ms. Chen’s cooking will guide you.”
“Thanks. I am Katie, by the way. Nice meeting you guys.”
After running up five flights of stairs, I was completely out of breath. Katie, all that time in the gym was a waste!
The cafeteria felt like a whole new world: constant chatter, students eating lunch, and the clatter of plates being carried. It almost felt like a dream. The year I had waited to enrol suddenly didn’t seem so bad. I finally had a future to look forward to.
I quickly grabbed a sandwich and a coffee and looked through my bag for the orientation schedule. Good, I still have fifteen minutes. I inhaled the sandwich and walked down the stairs to the third floor, where orientation for pathology sciences was being held. One step closer towards my dream. I entered the hall.
Orientation activities took up most of the afternoon. All the icebreaker games were mediocre at best, but they led me to meet Rose. We were paired together, and the first game required us to dodge the ball while helping our partners dodge it.
The girl beside me turned to talk to me. From the corner of my eye, I saw the ball coming straight at her. Before she could get a word out, I pushed her out of the way, and the ball flew right between us.
My brain went into overdrive. Maybe I had pushed her too hard. Maybe she wouldn’t like me. Instead, she smiled, introduced herself, and told me we were going to be friends. Although I was a bit startled by her honesty and a little skeptical, I nodded and introduced myself. It wasn’t until years later that I realized how true and genuine her words were!
The activities wrapped up with the distribution of various club flyers and class schedules for the semester. Rose and I sat in the corner, exhausted and excited for classes.
“So what’s your story?”
she asked.
“What do you mean?”
I asked as I leaned my head against the wall with my eyes closed.
“Come on, you know what I am asking.”
“Nothing much to tell,” I said, suddenly feeling anxious.
She must have seen my face and started telling her story. She came from a well-known family that owned pathology labs all over the city. She wanted to study pathology and join the family business. She kept rambling.
“Lucky!” I whispered.
“What?”
Suddenly realizing what I had said, I opened my eyes and looked at her.
“Nothing. Are you hungry? Want to grab something from the cafeteria before heading out?” I asked.
“Yes! I am starving. But before that, let’s exchange phone numbers so that we can chat.”
We headed towards the cafeteria.
“The stairs will be the death of me by the end of the semester.” I gasped when we reached the top.
“Stop being dramatic,” Rose said as she patted my back.
I smiled at her as we headed inside. The cafeteria was less noisy. Fewer tables were occupied. We found one in the corner. Rose got the same tuna melt I had ordered before, and I decided I needed a little pick-me-up, so I ordered hot cocoa. As I grabbed my drink, Rose texted me,
“Is this Katie? Making sure you are not catfishing me!”
I let out a laugh, and as I turned, I bumped into someone, spilling my perfect hot cocoa on his shirt. I looked down at my drink in disappointment. A deep, slightly hoarse voice asked,
“Not even a sorry?”
I looked up. It was him!
I glanced at Rose, who was sitting at the table. She looked equally embarrassed for me! I let out a little scream in my head! I heard a loud laugh from a nearby table. It was Jake and Luke. Just when I thought this can’t get any more embarrassing!
“Hello?” his voice again.
I looked at him. The calm face I saw twice this morning was replaced by annoyance and irritation. Suddenly, someone loudly called out—
“James.”
He turned and waved at his friend. It gave me time to string two words together.
“I-I’m sorry!”
He turned back. I couldn’t read his expression.
“I-I could dry-clean it for you, or I could pay for it to be cleaned.”
I managed to say it. This was not going the way I had imagined, and I was screaming internally again.
“No need!”
“Oh! I could pay for your order if you want.”
“I lost my appetite,” he muttered walking away. I stood there with 1000 thoughts going through my mind as he went and sat with Luke and Jake.
I hurried back to Rose, who was dying laughing.
“Stop it! I am so done! Why? Why does it happen to me?” I mumbled in frustration.
Rose immediately put her hand on mine. I looked at her, and she laughed again!
“That is not funny!” I spat in a sharper tone than I intended.
“I would have died! At least you came back alive!” she managed to say between her laughs.
I smiled.
I fumbled with my bag, pretending to find something, and looked at the table where James was sitting. Luke’s face was blocking him. Move, damn it. My mind went into overdrive. Luke moved in his seat, and I saw James’s face. He still looked annoyed.
“Katie?”
Busted! Rose was staring at me.
“What was that?”
“What was what?” I asked in a high-pitched voice.
“Why are you looking at their table?” she asked suspiciously.
“Nothing. I know two of the guys. I met them just before orientation. The leaner one is Jake, and the guy sitting next to James is Luke.”
“He is handsome,” Rose whispered.
“Who?” I asked, suddenly feeling uneasy.
“Luke.”
“Oh, yeah. He is okay.” I replied with relief.
“Let’s head back. We have classes tomorrow morning. Which dorm are you in?”
“Building A,” Rose replied.
“I am in B.”
Rose, sensing the disappointment in my voice, said, “We will reunite once again!”
I let out a laugh as we walked towards the dorms.
I had specifically asked for a two-person dorm. The only thing I knew was that my dorm mate was named Star and, as a PhD student, rarely left the lab. That was perfect.
As I lay in bed, all the thoughts from the previous year started to flood in. I kept thinking about my dad’s condition and my mom. It hasn’t been easy. I will get through this. My eyes could no longer remain open, and I drifted into a deep sleep.