Ten Years Ago…
University of Georgia
Sarah Buckley was late for her first day of class in her last semester. Why had she put this class off for so long? A simple graduation requirement was all she had left, but public speaking was never her forte. Sarah juggled her messenger bag, coffee and pocketbook as she tried to make a silent entry into the classroom. Unfortunately, just as she closed the door and turned around her foot caught on a chair propelling her forward and into the lap of undoubtedly the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Unfortunately, even though he saved her from a face plant, her coffee couldn’t defy the laws of gravity and it spilled all over her handsome savior.
Somehow still holding onto her, he managed to jump out of his seat and avoid most of the coffee. Sarah turned fifty shades of red as all eyes in the class turned to her. Even though Sarah was extremely smart, she was painfully shy in social settings. She found herself often shrinking into the background, so she could watch people and observe without having to participate. It mollified her to be the center of attention, and right now that was exactly where she was. Sarah was blushing from the tips of her French manicured toes to the top of her head. She wanted nothing more than to break free from this gorgeous stranger and bolt from the room, but at the same time she was intoxicated by his clean woodsy scent. With all eyes on her, she finally broke away and slinked into the only open empty desk which happened to be right beside her Mr. Muscles.
As class went on, Sarah tried to pay attention to the teaching assistant who droned on and on about the syllabus and the required speeches each person would give. Sarah was unnerved by the amount of time she would have to stand in front of these strangers and give a speech. Put her in front of a microscope or even dealing with the patients, as she had as a volunteer, and she was great, but speaking in a public forum like this scared her to death. Her savior must have noticed her discomfort as he reached over and gave her shoulder a re-assuring squeeze. Sarah felt a bolt of electricity shoot through her at his touch, and was momentarily stunned by the warm feeling she got all over her body, especially between her virgin thighs. Never had she felt like this from a simple touch. Sarah found it difficult to concentrate for the remainder of class as she continuously caught sideways glances of this man.
Mercifully the class finally ended and Sarah tried to make a quick get away, but luck was not with her today as the man she couldn’t shake from her thought caught up to her right outside of the door. As she turned toward his gentle grasp on her shoulder, she was stunned by the brightness of his blue eyes and the shaggy blonde hair which artfully fell over his right eye. Even though she wanted to get away from him and back to her world of science, she found that she was rooted to the same spot in the hallway of Peabody Hall. Other students brushed past them, and a few girls lingered to get a good look at this man, but his attention never wavered from her eyes.
“Seems I owe you a coffee since my chair caused you to spill yours this morning. How about we head over to Tate and I’ll buy you a new one?”
Sarah found herself more tongue tied than usual. Finally, able to grit out a response she spoke barely above a whisper, “We…well I usually don’t make it a habit of letting strange men buy me beverages.”
“Well let’s fix that then.” Extending his hand, he said, “Harrison Cooper, very nice to meet you, and anyway, it’s the least you can do for spilling hot coffee on me in class.”
“Okay,” was the only response her suddenly hormone addled brain could muster.
Taking his large hand in hers and feeling the worn callouses of his fingers and palm sent shivers through her body. “Sarah Buckley, thanks for saving me from a world of hurt and further embarrassment this morning. I hate being late and I couldn’t find a parking place in the North Campus Deck. I mean, why do I pay to park there if I can’t find a space?” Shit, Sarah thought I’m rambling. What was the question again she thought…oh yeah coffee? “Sure, I have a couple of hours before my next class, but only if you let me buy.”
As they walked across the street towards the student center, Sarah wondered why this man would want to spend time with her. She saw the looks he got from every girl in their class, and he could have his pick of any of them. She was really nothing special, mousy brown hair, brown eyes, definitely on the too thin side since all she ever did was study and work in the lab. Heck she often got so involved in her work that she forgot to eat. Maybe it was take a plain looking girl to get coffee day. Honestly though she missed the flyers, and there were flyers for everything around here.
At the Tate Center, he ordered a coffee for himself and a latte for Sarah. He paid for their coffee, despite her earlier insistence that she pay. Harrison chuckled to himself, maybe she wasn’t as timid as he thought.
“Hey, I told you I was going to buy.”
“My momma would slap me upside the head if she thought she didn’t raise me right and I let a woman pay for my coffee. So, don’t blame me. Blame my momma for how she raised me.”
Sarah smiled at his comment. It was so rare these days to find a man who was raised to treat a woman right. If she ever met his mother she would have to thank her. Wait a minute. Meet his mother. Why would I ever meet his mother this is just coffee. Quickly shaking her head to clear her wayward thoughts, Sarah followed him to a quiet corner where they could talk.
“So, Sarah Buckley, where are you from?”
“Alpharetta. You?”
“Lawrenceville.”
“Small world. So, what are studying?”
“That seems to be the million-dollar question and it depends who you ask. For the record, I’m a poli-sci major, but if you ask my momma, she would tell you I am studying baseball. What about you?”
“Definitely not baseball.” Sarah said with a smirk. “I’m a microbiology major. Hopefully I’ll be heading to medical school in the fall.”
“Wow. Gorgeous and smart. You don’t find that combination very much.”
Sarah blushed at his comment. Of all the ways, she’d ever been described, gorgeous was not one of them. Smart, check; nerdy, check; plain, most definitely; but never beautiful or gorgeous. Momentarily taken aback, Sarah regrouped before she continued their conversation.
Somehow tall dark and handsome had managed to get past her social awkwardness and they fell into a wonderful conversation getting to know each other. The time passed so quickly that Sarah glanced down at her watch and realized she had to be in class in fifteen minutes. “Crap” she said. “I lost track of time and I really have to go. I can’t be late for my senior seminar in virology. Thank you for this. I had a wonderful time.”
“Vir…what? You know, I’ll let you explain it to me when we have more time. I’d really like to see you again.”
Really not what Sarah was expecting as she gathered her bag and stood to run out of the student center. As she walked away, she did her best hair flip over her shoulder and said, “Sure, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next fifteen weeks.” Sarah couldn’t help but giggle as she sprinted away. She risked one last look over her shoulder and smiled again as Harrison stood there looking dumbfounded by her response. Oh well. Not that I ever stood a chance, but hey it was fun for a couple of hours. Who knows maybe he’ll need a study buddy for the class. Sarah enjoyed her walk up the hill to the biology department. She kept thinking how strange the entire morning had been for her. She was late and she never ran late, she couldn’t find a parking space where she should have, and she never ever went off with strange men to have coffee or really anything.
Throughout her entire college experience, she was what some would call socially challenged, because she knew her end goal was medical school and that was all that mattered. So, she sacrificed the here and now for the future, but after her run in with Harrison this morning she seriously thought she should reconsider her last semester here and have a little fun. Sarah decided, if he asked her out again, she would say yes and see where it led. What harm could a little fun with Mr. Cooper be?
Sarah spent the better part the last day and a half thinking about Harrison. Maybe it was time for a change. She stood in front of her closet and studied the wardrobe selection she had to choose from. Sarah wanted to try to be that person that Harrison saw but she didn’t. Finally, deciding on a short plaid wool skirt, with matching sweater, tights, and a pair of wedge boots, she decided to fix up the rest of the package as well. After styling her hair, and applying a little makeup, she headed to class, but was stopped by a loud catcall from her roommate. Sarah blushed at the whistle, and turned to face her roommate Bianca.
“Wow, Chicca. You look hot today. What’s the occasion?”
Not really knowing how to express her feelings, she thought about her answer, deciding the simple truth was probably the best, Sarah said, “I met this guy in class, and we had coffee afterwards. He told me that I was a rare combination of beauty and brains, but I’ve never seen it because I’ve been so focused on my studies that I haven’t looked at myself or really cared what guys thought. I mean, we’ve lived together for four years, and in that time how many dates have I been on? I just wanted to try something different and see if I could see what he sees.”
“Well, let me tell you. I’ve always thought you were beautiful, especially given the fact that you didn’t have to try to be. You’ve always had that girl next door look that I envied so much. Go, knock’em dead. So, does this guy have a name?”
“Harrison. Harrison Cooper.”
“Oh my God.” Bianca squealed. “The Harrison Cooper?”
“I guess. I don’t see what the big deal is. Should I know him?”
“He’s the biggest baseball star here. He got drafted a couple of years ago, but opted to stay and finish his degree because he promised his mom, but oh my he is so hot. Every girl I know fantasizes about him and he picked you. I knew you had it in you.”
“Well, hell.” Sarah said as she thought about her roommate’s comments. “Well, the fantasy was fun while it lasted. I think I’ll just go change, because there is no way in hell I can compete with sorority Barbie.”
“Bullshit. You get your gorgeous ass out that door and go get a man.”
Reluctantly, Sarah walked out the door and headed to class. This time she wanted to make sure she had plenty of time to get there and not make an embarrassingly late entry.
As she walked into the classroom, she saw Harrison sitting in the same spot he occupied previously. Sarah decided to try and put a little extra sway in her hips as she glided by him before turning around and talking to him. “Hey stranger. Mind if I sit here?” Sarah said in her best husky, seductress voice. The swift perusal by his eyes emboldened her even more. “Like what you see?” She watched Harrison swallow hard and almost spew his coffee. Mission accomplished she thought.
“Jesus Christ, Sarah. You could kill a guy showing up looking like that. I told you that you were beautiful the other day, but this is every guys’ wet dream. No other girl in here can even hold a candle to your beauty. How about coffee after class?”
The old Sarah would have just tried to slink away, but for some reason he empowered her. So, the new Sarah said, “Sure, I have a couple of hours to kill.” Sarah kept glancing down at her watch counting down the seconds until class was over. Smiling as she got up and left the classroom, she couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. Maybe she did have something to offer Sarah thought as they walked out of the building and across the street to the student center.
This time, she didn’t argue when he paid for their coffee and led them to their spot. Much like last time, they fell into an easy conversation and time passed too quickly for her liking. Sarah didn’t want to leave just yet, but her class was fast approaching and she couldn’t be late. As they said their goodbyes, Sarah hoped this became a regular thing. Before she could get away this time though, Harrison shocked her by asking her out for Saturday night. Sarah didn’t want to sound like a girl who just got asked out for the first time and be too excited, but the truth was, this was the first time a guy had asked her out. Blushing, she finally told Harrison that she would be happy to go out with him.
The rest of the week went by in a flash, and before Sarah knew it, Saturday night was upon her. As she stood in front of her closet pondering her choices, she was dismayed by her utter lack of sexy clothing. Even though she had no idea where they were going, she wanted to look nice. She hoped that everything went well, and maybe just maybe she would finally get that first kiss. Suddenly a knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts. She opened the door to find Bianca standing there with a latte in one hand and a pile of clothes in the other.
“I knew you were going to freeze up, so here I am. It’s also perfect that we’re the same size and my fashion sense is fabulous.”
Sarah smiled as she took the latte, and saw the clothes Bianca had picked out for her. Sarah tried on all the clothes, and after careful considerations she settled on a long sleeve red dress that would pair nicely with her high heeled black boots and black tights. After doing her hair and make-up, she stared at herself in the mirror and was amazed at the girl standing in front of her. Thanking Bianca profusely for her help, she gathered her purse and headed towards the living room to wait for Harrison. Before she could even sit down, there was a knock at the door and Sarah’s heart beat started to thud and her stomach did the little flip flop thing that occurred when she got nervous. Opening the door, her breath was taken away as she eyed Harrison from head to toe. He was dressed in a pair of slacks and a jacket overlying a tight t-shirt. Her mouth started to water and her fingers itched to trace the six pack abs that were outlined by the t-shirt. Fighting to catch her breath and trying not to reach out and touch him, she said, “Hi. You look gorgeous tonight.”
“Funny, I was going to say the same thing.” He said as he smiled and handed her a bunch of flowers.
Sarah smiled. “Thanks. No one has ever brought me flowers before, well, outside of family members.”
“Well, I’m glad that I could be the first. Are you ready to go?”
“Certainly.”
“Really?”
“Yes, why do you ask? Is there something wrong with the way I look?”
“Absolutely not, you are smoking hot, but most girls like to keep guys waiting at least thirty minutes to finish getting ready.”
Sarah chuckled. “Well, I can go read a book or study for thirty minutes if you’d like.”
“Definitely not, silly girl. Now, let’s go.”
As they walked out the door, Harrison placed his hand on her lower back sending shivers up her spine along with a welcome warmth that spread to her thighs. Harrison guided Sarah to his car, a classic ’67 Chevelle that was masterfully restored.
“Nice car.” Sarah said.
“Thanks. My dad and I restored it, and even though it is a classic, it runs like new.”
The night was wonderful, dinner was fantastic, but above all, the conversations they shared and the easy flirting that went on across the table made promises of more to come. After dinner, they walked through downtown, continuing their conversation. Finally, they went to the Georgia Theater for a classic country music show.
Sarah was amazed, he’d listened to her, and remembered how passionate she was about classic country. As they swayed to the music, Sarah felt his hand reach down and take hers. The searing feel of the electricity that shot through her palm, caused her to melt into him. She was astounded at how well their bodies fit together. Slowly, she turned to face him, she stared into his darkened, lust filled blue eyes. Even though she could anticipate what came next, nothing in her life had prepared her for the earth-shattering force of that first kiss. Sarah trembled as Harrison’s hand came up and cupped her jaw. She watched as his lips slowly descended to hers, and as he gently touched his lips to hers, she sighed and closed her eyes. Her hands came up and encircled Harrison’s neck pulling him closer to her. Fireworks detonated behind her eyelids as he deepened the kiss and his tongue sought entrance to her mouth. Sarah parted her lips and allowed him access. Their tongues tangoed to the slow rhythm of Conway Twitty.
Finally, breaking the kiss, Harrison looked at the swollen, well-kissed lips of Sarah and knew she was the one. He’d wanted to kiss her ever since she had fallen into his lap that first day of class. Never had he experienced a kiss with such passion and power. He just had to figure out a way to not screw this up. Harrison wrapped his arms around Sarah and held her tight, swaying to the beat of the music. After the concert, Harrison led Sarah back to the car and drove her home, never letting go of her hand. As he walked her to the front door, he felt like a high school kid. Even though he had kissed her at the concert, he was still nervous about the goodnight kiss.
When they got to the door, Sarah turned to Harrison. “I have a…a strange question to ask you.” Sarah started to blush as she was stammering through her thoughts. “When…when I kissed you, was it okay?”
“Oh my God, Sarah. It was the best kiss I have ever had. Why do you ask?”
“God this is hard. You were my first kiss. I was scared that I would be really bad at it.”
Harrison stood there stunned. He was unable to respond. “You mean like this year? Or ever?”
“Ever” she whispered.
“Well, you were awesome. However, let’s try it again to make sure it wasn’t beginners luck,” Harrison said.
Sarah felt her head being tilted up and watched as his lips descended to hers. She relished in the exploration of her lips by Harrison. The feeling was just as electric as their first kiss, and he hoped beyond hope that he had experienced his last first kiss.
After saying goodnight a few more times, Sarah let herself into the apartment and slumped against the door using her fingers to feel the tingles in her lips from that last kiss. She couldn’t have imagined her first kiss would’ve been that explosive. Harrison wasn’t some bumbling teenager who didn’t know his way around a female. Harrison definitely knew his way around a kiss. She knew sleep wouldn’t come easily, because it seemed that all her senses had been awakened. She felt things, sensual things that she’d never felt before.
Sarah lay there in her bed thinking about how her desires had changed in a few short days. No longer was she solely focused on medical school and becoming a doctor. She wondered whether or not she could have it all. All her life, she had seen her mother be so strong and independent because she had to be, but did that mean that she had to do it alone as well.”
Harrison laid in bed thinking about his date. Sarah was unlike any girl he had ever been out with. She hadn’t kept him waiting for hours while she finished getting ready. She was fun to talk to also and they actually had so much in common. He was surprised that they clicked as easily as they did. That kiss. Wow. Never had he experienced a kiss like that. Surprisingly, he could still feel the softness of her lips against as his.
After their first date, they became virtually inseparable. They would always get coffee after class, and Harrison made the extra effort to always show up after her classes and walk her to the next class. While Sarah never wavered in her academic commitment, she found herself more content in her personal life than she’d ever been. Even her official acceptance into medical school was somewhat anti-climactic. However, being able to share it with Harrison made it all the more special. Even though she was worried about what would happen after graduation, Sarah tried not to let it affect her current situation. She became Harrison’s biggest fan. Although, she did tire of all the girls throwing themselves at him. She simply sat back and smiled, because she felt that he only had eyes for her, or at least she hoped that was the case.
Even though baseball consumed a lot of time, Sarah made the effort to be there for Harrison. She would go to his games and even to practice. She found it surprisingly easy and enjoyable to sit in the stands and study.
Sarah couldn’t describe what was happening to her. She was constantly afraid that she was going to screw up this relationship because she had no experience with them, and she had a deep feeling of inadequacy about herself. Even though Harrison constantly told her how beautiful she was and how he felt about her she felt like she could not compete with Sorority Barbie.
By the time April rolled around, Sarah had been able to put most of her doubts and fears to rest except for the one that always stayed in the back of her mind, graduation. She knew where she would be in the fall, but given Harrison’s talent, she knew he was going to be a high draft choice and would have no choice in where he ended up. No matter how much she loved Harrison, she had to go to medical school and follow her dreams, and she wouldn’t want him to give up his dreams for her.
Sarah finally felt secure in their relationship, and gave herself to Harrison. She never knew that the coming together of two people could be so wonderful. That was the night she lost her heart to Harrison forever. Sarah silently cried as she lay in Harrison’s arms afterwards, knowing that in a few weeks she would have to say goodbye.
The night they made love for the first time sealed his heart to her. The love and passion they shared was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Even as his soul felt bonded to Sarah’s for eternity, he still had a niggling feeling in his head that their time was coming to an end. Despite the plans that he wanted to make, Harrison knew he would have to let Sarah follow her dreams while he followed his.
With graduation fast approaching, Sarah grew more melancholy with each passing day. Although she tried to hide it around Harrison, she could sense that he was feeling the uncertainty as well. Wanting to celebrate the end of classes and the week before their final final-exams, they went to a party at Harrison’s fraternity house. Dressed in her sluttiest outfit, Sarah smiled at the way Harrison doted over her and would barely let her out of his reach. He was so affectionate towards her that she almost believed that everything would be okay.
As they stood there, Harrison leaned down and whispered that he was going to get them a drink. No sooner had Harrison left than the queen of the bitchy Barbies moved over beside her. Sarah couldn’t remember her name it was Tracy or Tricia or Trixy.
“You look pretty happy with yourself. You think you won the lottery with him, but you just don’t know the truth yet. He’ll be mine in the end because he’s my baby’s daddy and he wouldn’t abandon his child.”
Sarah nearly collapsed at her statement. She knew in order for that to have happened, he would’ve had to cheat on her, and she refused to be treated like her mother was by her father. Gathering her composure, she watched as Harrison walked back up to them holding a drink for her. Before he could speak, Sarah reared her hand and with all of her might she slapped Harrison across the face before turning and running out of the fraternity house.
Sarah sat on the bus, crying as she had never cried before. How could she have been so foolish to have trusted him like she did. He was just a player like everyone had warned her. She finally stumbled her way back to her apartment and collapsed on the couch, continuing to sob uncontrollably. She stayed like that until her roommate Bianca found her. After explaining what happened, she was able to generate a small smile when Bianca threatened to find him and cut his balls off.
The next few days passed in a haze as Sarah was barely able to get out of bed. She turned her phone off after one hundred plus calls and texts from Harrison. She talked to her mom and roommate and was thankful that Bianca was so strong willed and turned Harrison away every time he showed up. Thankfully, Sarah had completed her speech class and had no final. Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to see Harrison because she just didn’t know if she was strong enough to face him.
With her final completed, Sarah moved out of her apartment and back home. She hated saying goodbye to Bianca, but it was time for her life to move on. As shitty as it was at the moment she still had medical school to look forward to. Sarah felt like a zombie through graduation. It should have been one of the happiest moments of her life, but without Harrison to celebrate with her, it all seemed so empty. Sarah had been so distraught over the past few weeks that she failed to notice the absence of her monthly visitor. It wasn’t until she woke up on Memorial Day sprinting to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach that she realized she was in trouble. She made her way to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test even though she knew in her heart that the answer was going to be positive. After taking the test twelve times, all positive, she simply sat on the floor rocking herself back and forth until her mother found her like that when she got home from the hospital.
Her mother held her as she cried and relayed the story of Harrison Cooper and her love affair. To her credit, her mother never said anything negative and supported her unconditionally especially in her decision not to tell him about the pregnancy.
Sarah decided to postpone medical school for a year and have her baby, and on January 29th, 2003 she welcomed a baby boy of 9lbs 8oz and 22in long. When she held her baby, all she could see was Harrison in her arms so she named him Harrison Cooper Buckley.
“So, there you have it. The long drama filled story of my life and my son. Thanks for listening.”
Lincoln shook his head. He thought his life had been complicated but this seemed to take the award for complicated, and he sensed it was only going to get worse. “Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me. Just remember we’re all here for you and will protect you. If you need me to stay and finish out the night I can.”
Sarah reached out and took Lincoln’s hand. “Thanks, but you need to take Nicole home and keep her happy. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of whatever else comes in. I will however avoid the Akers until in the morning.”
Lincoln got up and hugged Sarah. “Just call me if you need anything.”
Sarah smiled as she watched Lincoln walk away realizing how lucky she was to have a great work family.