Hannah wasn’t really paying attention at all. In fact she rarely listened in this class. Instead, she drew atomic structures of various chemical compounds in her notebook. The scratch of pencil on paper was a far more interesting sound than the lecture being presented. Professor Ong droned on and on in a deep baritone that could put the most attention deficit student to sleep. She wondered if he was even listening to himself.

Just then the door to the classroom opened, causing Ong to pause for a moment and all the students in class to turn and look at the latecomer coming in from the back.

It was the assistant professor that had helped her lab group. Hannah couldn’t bring herself to make the effort to remember names. He was the one with the goofy grin and the sideways humor. Ever since the beginning of the semester, Hannah had stared at him during the lecture, whenever she thought he wouldn’t notice. He was always so focused on the task at hand, and bit his bottom lip when concentrating.

He had assisted her study group during their recent sessions and his accent, combined with his rugged looks and bright blue eyes, had left a lasting impression on her.

The papers he carried in his arms towered to the middle of his face, slightly obstructing his view. He stumbled into the classroom and headed down the aisle towards the front of the room where his small desk waited for him. He was probably going to grade while Professor Ong lectured. Watching him grade would be much more interesting than drawing atomic structures in her notebook. At least she would have something to pass the time.

Hannah sat on an aisle seat not far from the front of the class. As he pushed past her, he tripped over her bag that happened to be sticking out in the narrow aisle. She saw him falling before she comprehended what happened. The stack of papers tumbled like a giant tower of Jenga blocks and his bag flew straight up in the air. Hannah ducked and threw her hands over her head.

With her cheek pressed against the cool wood of the desk, she froze, waiting for the tornado of papers to settle. But something trickled down her back, launching her from her desk, her books clattering to the floor. Her foot caught on something lumpy, and the next thing she knew, she was plummeting down, flailing her arms in a desperate attempt to catch herself. She landed with a whoosh of air from her lungs, her face inches away from a pair of wide blue eyes.

In a desperate attempt to relieve the awkwardness, she scrambled for a snappy comment, but the only word her lips could form was, “Hi.”

He was even more handsome close up. She hoped that he couldn’t feel her heart thrumming like the wings of a hummingbird. The fact that she was on top of him did little to hinder the blush that she felt creep up her face. Desperate to escape, she clambered to her feet, gathering her scattered books. Only when a strand of sopping hair slapped against her cheek did she notice her sodden clothes and realize his flying water bottle had drenched her.

With the laughter of her classmates pelting her ears, she ran for the exit. But the door stuck, stubbornly resisting her tugs, while cheers and catcalls added to her humiliation. Wishing she could melt away and join the water puddling at her feet, she jerked with all her might, and the door flew open.

Since it was the middle of the hour, there was nobody in the hall to witness her crying. She wanted to take a moment and compose herself, but she knew that class would be over soon enough, and then she would have to face the rest of her classmates. She needed to get home.

“Wait.”

She spun around to see the assistant professor from class chasing after her, a textbook in hand. His muscle bulged enticingly as he hefted the weight. She felt her mind reeling back to the moment she had fallen on top of him and felt the blood rushing to her face.

“You forgot your book,” he said to her.

“Thank you,” she sniffed, accepting the waterlogged book.

“I’m so sorry for my unintentional clumsiness. That must be terribly embarrassing for you.” His British accent was slight, but noticeable enough.

“It was. I’ll survive, I think. I am pretty sure everyone noticed me.”

“Well, they certainly did,” he said. “But I think they must have noticed you before I dumped a bottle of water on you and scattered your books.”

She sensed a compliment in there somewhere.

“Can I buy you a cup of coffee? You know, to make up for the public humiliation.”

She found herself nodding. “Sure.” She surprised herself with the response. She didn’t usually agree to go out with strangers. Especially strangers that embarrassed her in a very public way.

He handed her his phone and waited for her to put her number in it.

“Thanks, love,” he said casually.

She tried to convince herself that the flutter her heart felt was still a side effect of being embarrassed.

“Uh-huh,” she said lamely. She could hardly get a word out.

“I’ll text you then and let you know when to meet up. It will be nice to see you outside of class.”

“Okay, bye,” she said. As she walked away she cursed herself for her awkward behavior. Just because Assistant Professor Dreamy asked her out on a date didn’t mean she had to act like a complete moron. Oh well, a date with a handsome man in the first semester of her master’s degree wasn’t exactly what she needed. She wanted to keep distractions to a minimum.

* * *

“So how is the new puppy? Does she help you study? What did you decide to name her?” Hannah adjusted the ear piece she wore so she could talk on the phone and still do chores. Hannah’s mother, Paige, loved to interrogate her every time she called. Hannah tried to make sure she called her at least a couple times a week. She didn’t get to go see her mother very often during the school year, so phone calls were the best way to keep in touch.

“She’s a puppy, that’s for sure,” Hannah said with excitement. “A giant, massive puppy. She’s already bigger than a Lab, without the same energy level. I had to get her an antler to chew on, because she is still teething a bit. She lies next to me when I study and she only distracts me a little.” The pup nosed her leg while she talked. She reached over and absently stroked her head while trying to wash a dish at the same time. It didn’t really work, so she put the dish down for a moment, scratched the spot behind her floppy ears, and then resumed her chore.

“Well, what’s her name?” her mother prompted again.

“You’re going to love it.” Hannah paused slightly for dramatic effect. “Her name is Ginny.”

“Oh, I love it, pumpkin! Very good,” she said, her voice bright and excited. “Now all you need is a little boy dog to name Ron and you will have the perfect match. I think a tiny red dachshund would be perfect. Maybe you can convince Annie to change Einstein’s name to Ronald.”

“Yeah, I can see that going over well. Considering that her and Josh neither like nor care for Harry Potter, I think I’ll pass. But that would be kind of cute. A giant Great Dane with a tiny dachshund. I would have to drop out of school just to take care of them,” Hannah teased.

Ginny started to sniff the floor, in search of scraps that her human had dropped. Her nose could already reach the counter without the need to stand on her hind legs, but she knew better than to try to steal something off the counter.

“That’ll be the day! I can’t even imagine you not keeping yourself constantly busy. As soon as you are done with school, I have no doubt you will be off to find a job you will do amazingly well at. Now why don’t you head out and go do something fun! You need fun, dear. You have been stuck inside for a while now. Go get some fresh air and socialize.”

“Mom, I didn’t just sit at home today. I was working on my thesis and going to classes. I have to get that done before the end of the year.” A dish clattered out of her hand and onto the floor. Ginny sprinted for the fallen dish, hoping to lick up the leftovers, but Hannah was able to snatch it up off the floor before anything happened.

“Well, honey, I know that. I’ve never doubted your work integrity. The problem isn’t that you don’t work hard enough; the problem is that you work too hard. You need to get out, make some friends.”

“I have friends, Mom,” Hannah replied. She added all the cups on the counter to the dish water and started to clean each one. Hannah could see Ginny out of the corner of her eye. She sniffed under a blanket in the living room with intense curiosity. Hannah didn’t like the look of that. She wondered if her roommate had left some food under the blanket. She dropped the dish she was working on back in the water and ran to the front room. Sure enough, under the blanket lay a half-eaten sandwich. Ginny was too quick that time. She lunged for the sandwich and had swallowed the whole meal before her human could react.

Hannah glared at the dog, then rolled her eyes and went back to the dishes.

“Hannah, your roommate doesn’t count as a friend. You two barely see each other.”

“I see her enough.”

“I mean someone outside of your house.”

“Look, I know you worry, but I’ll be okay,” Hannah said. She had to suppress a sigh. Her mother always told her not to work too much and that she needed to take breaks from work. Hannah had to admit to herself that her only real friend was her roommate and that she didn’t get out half as much as her roommate did. It wasn’t that she didn’t want a social life, she didn’t have the time.

“I just don’t want you to be alone,” Paige said quietly in her ear. “I want you to be loved by everyone because you are amazing. You deserve to be happy.”

Hannah tried to keep the catch out of her voice, but failed. “I am happy, Mom. And if it makes you feel any better, I have a date.” She knew that would keep her mother excited for a while.

“A date?” her mother exclaimed.

Hannah heard a slight hint of hysteria in her voice.

“Yes mother, a date. It’s just coffee though, so don’t get too excited.” Although she wanted to appease her mother, she didn’t want her to get her hopes up too high. She tended to overreact to news like this, in Hannah's experience.

“Is he handsome?” she asked.

“Yes, I think so. I met him in class. He was in charge of my study group the first week of school. Then he dumped a bottle of water on me and asked me to coffee.”

Her mother laughed. “Naturally.” Then in the next breath, “Sounds like love.”

The literal being that she was, Hannah almost missed the sarcasm in her mother’s voice. “I actually forgot his name, so I really don’t think it’s love.”

“Oh you just wait, sweetie, you will find the right man and he will just sweep you off your feet. Now make sure you get out at least once more this month. And a study group doesn’t count as getting out, okay?”

“All right, Mom. I love you.”

Her mother hung up without further ado and Hannah finished the dishes while she considered the things her mother had said. More than anything her mom just wanted her to be happy. She pictured her married with children and thought that would make her the most happy. It wasn’t that Hannah didn’t want kids, she just didn’t know if she would be a good mom. Plus things were so busy and chaotic. She hardly had time to sleep or eat, let alone seriously date someone.

She finished the last dish in the sink and started to put them away. Ginny had taken up her favorite spot—the entire couch. She sprawled on her back, her legs hanging over the edge of the couch.

Hannah was lost in thought while she worked on picking up around the house. She couldn’t stand disappointing her mom. Thanksgiving dinner would be awkward with her sister this year, if she didn’t have a date. Annie was married to a sweet husband. Her little sister had forgone an advanced degree and had instead settled down with her husband last year. The news that they were getting married wasn’t a surprise to Hannah. Annie had always done the right thing. Annie had graduated high school early and finished her first degree in half the time it took everyone else. Annie was her mother’s pride and joy.

Hannah knew her mother loved her, but she also knew Paige had very specific plans for her that Hannah had no desire to fulfill. Annie on the other hand was following her mother’s plans to a T and doing really well at all of them.

Compared to Annie, she was the black sheep, the ugly duckling. Her plans had nothing to do with getting married and nothing to do with starting a family. She wanted to finish her master’s and then move on to her doctorate. She had worked too hard in school to put that on hold for some guy. She was a career woman. Nothing would hold her back from her goals.

Just then her phone tweeted. Probably a text from her mom regarding something she had forgotten to say in the conversation.

Let’s meet up at the Tipsy Bean at 11 tomorrow.

Who was this from? She didn’t recognize the number.

Who is this?

The response didn’t come immediately. Just before her phone tweeted again she realized who must be texting her.

Simon Lot

So that was his name! She recalled she had learned his name during their group study a couple weeks back, but she didn’t retain names for long. The professor had introduced him during class. Eleven o'clock just happened to be an off hour for her and she could meet up with him for about an hour as long as she sacrificed her study time.

That ought to pacify her mother for a month or two. She could draw out this one date for at least four weeks of excuses not to date. Maybe she could even pretend she liked him so her mother would feel sorry for her and not bug her about dating for a while. It wouldn’t be hard to pretend liking him.

Sure, see you there.

Her heart palpitated and she felt a curious warming sensation spread throughout her body. A date with Assistant Professor Dreamy would be a decent diversion from her studies.

She put the meeting in her calendar so she wouldn’t forget and moved on with the rest of her day, cramming in as much study time as possible. Ginny lay next to her for the rest of the day, occasionally wanting to venture outside for a few minutes here and there.

The warmth of her sweet puppy and the kisses she gave soothed Hannah, and she soon forgot about her worries over her mother and how she would ever appease the woman’s desire to see her paired off and wedded.

* * *

Simon pulled at his collar to make a bit of space between his neck and the stiff fabric. She was going to think the suit was to impress her, but it was unavoidable. He had a meeting for his doctoral dissertation today that required him to dress nice. He would never dream of getting dressed up for a coffee shop date.

He needed the scholarships that he received for his doctoral program and this meeting was to ensure that he continued to receive the funding required. The associate professor job on the side went a long way to help him pay for his living expenses, but didn’t help much in the way of tuition.

His mother always tried to send him money and wanted to help out, but he knew that she was tight on her budget, as well. She needed to retire soon and would need care from him. She was all alone and her illness was progressing at a steady rate.

He had shown up to the coffee shop fifteen minutes early, worried that he might miss Hannah or be late. Knowing that he might end up waiting a while, he decided to get a coffee and have a seat. This coffee shop was eclectic in its design. He had chosen a wooden study table and chairs instead of the more relaxed couches in the corner.

The latte in his hands was almost gone, so he got up to order one more. Coffee jitters on a first date… classic. “One small latte breve, please,” he told the barista.

“Do you know how many calories are in that?” a voice said from behind him. He jolted a bit and turned. The owner of the accusing comment was a petite woman with red hair and mesmerizing green eyes. Hannah had a look on her face that told him she didn’t approve, but all it did was make him smile.

“Nice to see you, Hannah,” he said politely, moving aside as she placed her order.

“I want a large coffee, black,” she said curtly.

“Well, that sounds delicious,” Simon intoned.

She smiled and nodded, “Best way to drink coffee.”

“I like a little coffee with my cream,” he said. Small talk wasn’t his forte, and he could sense it wasn’t hers either.

They grabbed their drinks and sat down. Hannah was wearing a button-up shirt and a pair of slacks. The top two buttons on the shirt were undone and she had her hair loose and curled around her face. Simon couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of her.

“I don’t normally go out on dates,” Hannah led as she sipped her coffee.

Yep, definitely not good with small talk. That took a bit of pressure off of Simon. She couldn’t expect a conversational wizard if she wasn’t one herself.

Thinking back to the past year he couldn’t remember the last date he had been on.

“Well, I don’t either,” he replied. He saw a look of doubt flash across her face.

“What? You don’t believe me?”

Her face turned pink and she stared down into her coffee. “I mean, look at you.”

Smugness and a bit of elation soared through him. At least he knew that she found him attractive. That was a good sign. He didn’t know what to say next. He was embarrassed a bit by her compliment, even though it made him happy.

Sipping his coffee gave him a moment to think. She was still staring into her mug. “So what do you do for fun?” he asked her, changing the subject entirely.

“Oh you know… this and that.”

“That’s a bit vague,” he noted.

“Yeah, it’s hard to say really. I mostly just do my school work. I don’t have a lot of time for anything else.”

Maybe she wasn’t as interesting as he had first thought. In the study group, she had been passionate, interesting, and seemed to have a vast knowledge base. Her piercing green eyes and wavy red hair were just a breathtaking bonus. He realized that this date could be a total dud and was already feeling a bit awkward. He had asked her out on a whim.

“What are you going into?” he asked.

At this question, it was like a light switched on. Her bleak disposition changed to one of light and exuberance. Her eyes almost glowed in excitement. “Biological sciences, with an emphasis in microbiological pathogens. It is fascinating. I had originally gone into this program as a precursor to med school, but honestly it piqued my interest, and now I’m seriously considering a career in microbiology research. It’s crazy the kind of things that you learn about the human body and its natural resilience to diseases. But the most fascinating thing is how such a tiny microscopic organism can affect a full size mammal like a human being.”

“That’s wonderful you found your passion,” Simon replied with a smile. She did have interests. He gave a deep sigh of relief. At least they had something to talk about, finally.

“It’s true, I did. I’m one of the lucky ones I guess,” she said.

Simon doubted that luck had much to do with it. She seemed like a very motivated soul. A real go getter.

“What about you? What is your field of study?”

“Well, I’m actually going into Psychology. Once I am done with my doctorate I will hopefully be a licensed psychologist. ” He smiled at her over his breve. When he did, she began to twirl a tendril of hair around her finger.

“I don’t think I could do that. All those people with so many issues. It would be stressful. Put me in a lab any day. I get to be alone with my microscope and my petri dishes. Not a soul to bother me all day long.” She looked a bit wistful.

“I don’t mind it that much. People tend to tell me their problems anyhow. I might as well make money figuring out why they have the problems they do. But actually it’s about helping people. I had family with mental health issues who were unable to get help when they needed it. I want to make sure other people get the help they need in time.”

She didn’t talk for a moment. “That’s really sweet. I think that might be why I initially wanted to be a doctor. I wanted research cures for various types of cancer. My mother has a very aggressive form of cancer, and she’s been fighting it for a long time.” Her voice caught in her throat and a tear slipped from her eye. She looked so vulnerable and young in that moment. “I hope for a cure some day. I thought that perhaps I could be the one to help her.”

Her vulnerability and the love she had for her mother caused an ache in Simon’s heart. He wanted to soothe her, fix everything that hurt her. He knew too well the fear that came when you were unsure how long a parent would live. The helplessness and pain he had felt when his own mother was given her diagnosis briefly assaulted him.

A small piece of her hair had fallen into her face and Simon casually reached across the table and moved it. He realized too late the intimacy of that small gesture would probably make her uncomfortable. She leaned away from him, coffee in hand and took in a quick breath.

“I actually have to get going. I have a class soon,” she said quickly, jumping up from the table.

Simon followed suit. He bumped the table as he stood, which caused it to rock a bit. “Oh, okay. I had fun,” he blurted out.

She had already turned around and headed towards the exit, setting her half-finished coffee on an empty table on the way out the door.

Well, I blew it. Simon straightened his bow tie, took his coffee to the rubbish bin near the door and began to prepare himself for his meeting. He had to present his proposal for his dissertation. The nervousness that ensued put Hannah out of his mind, and soon all he could think about was the meeting.