Element, Part 1 (2 page)

“Hello, I’m Ryan.” He stuck out his hand but she couldn’t
move. Every muscle in her body tensed, including her eyes. They were fixed on
him, like he had cast a spell upon her unknowingly.

“I’m Lise Turner.” She reached out her hand, nudging Natalie
as she shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you Lise.” He gave her a friendly shake.

Lise turned to the other guy. “And you are?”

“I’m Sal Rodriguez. Nice to meet you.” He had short, dark
hair and an olive skin tone that hinted he must be Hispanic. His style was
slightly more rugged than his friend’s with a five o’clock shadow.

“Ryan? Ryan Garrett? Go Bullfrogs?” Natalie hesitated, not
wanting to be wrong. If her instincts were correct, which they usually were, she
knew who he was. He was the high school football star that every girl drooled
over, including herself.
What was he doing there at UT Austin?
Last she
had heard he went to TCU.

“Yeah, I thought I knew you from somewhere.” He held up his
finger, pointing at her. “I’m sorry, I forgot your name.”

“Natalie. Natalie Vega.” She stuttered the words out,
feeling like a complete idiot.

“Nice to meet ya.” His Texas drawl, coupled with his one
dimpled smile, made her want to melt into the floor. He held his hand out again
in front of her. She reached for his hand and the moment her skin touched his,
a surge of energy penetrated her.  A wave of dizziness flowed through her body.
She stumbled backward trying to keep her balance.

“Hey, are you okay?” Ryan reached forward and caught her in
his arms, before she fell back. When she felt the warmth of his embrace,
everything went limp and she struggled to gain focus. A flush of heat flowed up
her body, numbing her and seizing her breath. He scooped her up with little
effort. Her face rested perfectly in the curve of his neck, allowing his manly scent
to infiltrate her airways. It stirred up emotions she’d never felt before.

“Nat? Are you alright? Do I need to call 911?” Lise spat off
a thousand questions. She tried to speak, but couldn’t get her throat to
unclench. She shook her head.

She heard Sal take charge. “Come on everyone, give her some
room. Can somebody get some cold water for her, please?”

Ryan lay her down gently on top of one of the tables in the
conference room. He released his arms from around her, allowing his hand to
slide up her back until he cradled her head in the palm of his hand. “Lay back
for a moment. Just relax.”

His voice touched a part of her that made her respond
willingly and freely. “Okay.”  His light brown eyes caught her gaze and at that
moment, something between them exchanged. It was a feeling, a relentless force,
somehow bringing their souls close together. She took a few slow breaths, and with
every inhalation she swore she could feel him, smell him, and literally taste
him. She wondered if he felt that instant connection. By the look in his eyes,
something deep within her told her he did.

“Is she okay?” Ms. Thompson interrupted their moment. When
Ryan didn’t respond, she turned to Natalie. “Are you okay?”

Natalie didn’t answer. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes
off of him. It seemed like a full minute had passed before Ryan broke his gaze
and turned to Ms. Thompson. “I don’t know. I mean, I think she is.”

She blinked a few times and gathered her senses.  “Yeah... I’m
okay. I got a little dizzy.” She rubbed her forehead with her fingers. Then she
realized the small audience gathered around them. She wanted to run out of the
room, but knew that wouldn’t be very smart. She struggled to get up. “I can sit
up now.”

“Are you sure?” He smoothed a few strands of hair away from
her face. 

Her heart wanted to say no, but her head told her to say
yes. She wanted nothing more than to stay right there next to him. Feel the
warmth of his embrace and remain within the security of his hands. Instead she responded,
“Yeah.”

He guided her up slowly.    

“Do you need some water?” Sal handed her an icy cold water
bottle.

“Thank you.” She took the bottle from him, but had trouble
opening it. Her hands felt like JELL-O along with everything else.

“Spoiler alert. She’s fine.” Sal turned around and urged the
crowd to leave. Relief flowed over her. She didn't like to be the center of
attention and by the size of the crowd, she had been.

“Here, allow me.” Ryan took the water bottle from her hands
and opened it with little effort. He handed it back to her.

“Thank you.” She sipped the water slowly.

“Are you okay?” Lise took Natalie’s purse off her shoulder.
Somehow she managed to keep it hanging to her side.

“I’m fine. I got dizzy for a second, that’s all.” She took
another sip of water.

“Do you need us to call a doctor for you?” Ms. Thompson removed
her cell phone from her belt clip.

“No. I’m fine… really, I am.” Natalie insisted.

“Okay. Take it easy. We will see you in two weeks. Let me
know if anything changes. You have my number and email in your folder.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Natalie smiled at Ms. Thompson, giving
her that extra reassurance. She smiled back and then walked away along with
everyone else still watching.

Natalie’s heart beat rapidly and her mouth was dry as cotton,
despite the cold water she continued to sip.  Ryan stood right next to her,
which made her feel even more nervous. What had gotten in to her? Why was she
feeling this way about him? She took another sip of water and kept her head
down. It really sucked feeling this way around guys. For once, she wished she
could be more like Lise: outgoing, fun and not afraid to make friends.

“Are you okay now?” Ryan asked hesitantly, patting her
shoulder.

“Yes… yes I am.” She nodded and then swiveled around until
her legs dangled off the table.

“I hope you are, because I still want to go out tonight.”
Lise reached down to pick up the VIP passes she dropped on the floor.

Sal reached down at the same time she did and they bumped
heads.

“Owww.” Lise grabbed her head.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you reach down.” Sal rubbed the top
of his head. His cheeks reddened.

“It’s okay.” Lise shook it off and gave him a big smile.

She turned to Natalie. “Come on. Everyone will be there.”
Lise glanced over at Ryan and Sal. “Are you two planning on going?”

Ryan shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. What about y'all?"

Natalie peeked out from behind her glasses, trying to gauge
his interest. Gathering her courage, she lifted her head. “Ummm… maybe.”

“Okay. Hopefully we will see ya'll out there tonight.” He said
with a smile and a wink.

Her mouth fell open.
Did Ryan Garrett just wink at me?
She
couldn’t say anything, so she nodded.

“See you guys later tonight.” Lise jumped up and down on the
balls of her feet. She held onto the passes like they were the winning ticket
to the Texas lotto.

“See you later.” Sal shot Lise a half-smile. Lise fluttered
her long faux eye lashes at him. She was hooked. Natalie shook her head,
wondering why her roommate fell for guys so easily.

The moment the guys left the room Lise screamed, “OMG, how
lucky can we get? Those are the two hottest guys I have ever seen. They have to
be from that spirit club, what are they called,” Lise motioned with her hands.

“Texas Cowboys?”  Natalie stood up slowly; making sure the
dizziness had subsided. Still feeling a little woozy, she held onto the table,
since her friend was too busy reminiscing about the hotties.

“Yeah, or maybe they’re football players. Did you see the
muscles on them?” Lise continued to rattle on about them. “Oh, sorry. Did you
need help?” Lise held out her hand.

“No. I’ve got it.”

“What happened?” Lise picked up Natalie's backpack and purse.

“I don’t know. I got dizzy all of a sudden.” Natalie tried
to take her purse from Lise but she pushed Natalie’s hand away.

“I got it. Let’s get back to the dorm, grab a bite to eat,
and get ready for tonight.” They made their way out of the room.

“Maybe I should stay in and rest.” Natalie walked close to
Lise, just in case she got dizzy again.

“What? No. You’re going out. You're not staying home another
night.”

Natalie let out a sigh. “Lise I really don't want to talk
about this right now. I want to go and lie down for a while.”

Lise's shoulders sank and her backpack along with her and Lise's
purse slid off both her arms. “Oh, alright. Let's get you back to the dorm.”

***

Natalie sat up on her elbows when she heard the door open.
She shielded her eyes with her hand when the light from the hallway shined onto
her face.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.” Lise shut the door
softly.

“That's okay. I need to get up.” Natalie flipped her bedside
lamp on. “What time is it anyways?”

“Seven, I think.” Lise flipped on the main light in the dorm
room.

“Already?” She threw back the covers and sat on the side of
her bed.

“Yeah, already. I did bring you something back from
Texadelphia.” She sat down a brown paper bag on Natalie's desk.

“Thanks Lise. Why didn't you wake me up? I would have gone
with you.”

“You were sleeping so good, I didn't want to bother you. So
I went with Shannon and Macie.” She turned on the TV and then went to her
closet and started going through her clothes.

“Oh good, you didn't have to eat alone.”

“So, do you think you feel like going out tonight?” She
looked over her shoulder at Natalie, giving her a
please say yes
look.

“Oh, Lise, I don't think I'm up to it. Ask Shannon and Macie
to go with you.”

Lise stomped her feet on the ground. “What? Come on Nat, you
know I don't like going out to bars with our suite mates. They are so lame.
Besides, you haven't been out since Spring break.”

“I'm sorry. I'm not ready to go out.” Natalie lay back down
on her bed. She didn’t want to admit that seeing her old high school crush had
definitely stirred up some buried feelings.

“Not ready? What you need to do is forget about Tony and go
have some fun for crying out loud. Our freshman year is ending.”

“I don’t care, Lise.” Natalie grabbed her pillow and covered
her head. Even though Lise was a great friend, she really didn’t want to listen
to her lecture about what she needed to do. She knew how to handle her split
with Tony and she didn’t need Lise telling her how to do it. More than anything
she was afraid that if she went out she’d run into him or maybe even Ryan.

“Come on, Nat. You can't stop living your life because of
him.” She tugged on the pillow, trying to uncover her face.

She shoved the pillow to the side of the bed and sat up. “I
am living. He hasn't ruined my life.”

“Well, you haven’t been yourself since you broke up with
him. All you do is workout, go to class, study and sleep.” Lise put her hands
on her hips.

When Natalie tried to get up, she moved side to side
blocking her. She sat on the edge of the bed waiting patiently for her to move.
Lise continued to babble words of encouragement but she ignored her. 
Frustrated, she pushed Lise out of the way and got up from her bed.

“Where are you going?” Lise stumbled to the side.

Natalie didn’t answer. She walked over to her dresser and
pulled out some shorts and a tank top. She changed her clothes and put on her
running shoes. When she stood up, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her
hair was a stringy mess and she barely had any makeup on. She told herself she didn’t
care, but decided to redo her ponytail anyway.

“I’ll be back later. I’m going to workout.” Natalie grabbed
her gym bag and headed for the door.

“Wait. I ummmm…wanna go.” Lise stumbled around the room
trying to find her running shoes.

She stopped and turned around. “Lise, you hate to workout.
Besides, you have a great body.”

“Uhhh, no I don’t. I’ve gained at least ten pounds this
semester. So I could really use your help.”

“If you say so.” Natalie raised her brows and shook her
head. If only she could be as lucky as her blonde, green-eyed friend. Who
happened to be naturally gifted with big boobs, a small waist and a firm butt
that any girl would envy, despite her disillusionment of being overweight. The
fact that Lise was almost a whole year older than her gave her a glimmer of
hope.

Lise looked up from tying her shoe. “I think that class
you’re taking is really making a difference. Have you checked out your legs lately?”

Natalie glanced down at her legs, flexing them and turning
them from side to side. The definition in her quadriceps and calves had
definitely changed. Either the working out or the supplements she had been
taking was making a difference. Maybe both.

“Okay, let’s go.” Lise seemed overly enthusiastic.

They left the dorm room and walked down the hall. “I hope
you can keep up with me.” Natalie let out a slight smile, looking over her
shoulder. Lise trailed behind, dodging a slew of oncoming female students in
the long corridor of the dorm.

By the time they made it to the common area, Lise’s
enthusiasm had dwindled away and a worried look formed on her face. “I’ve done
Zumba before. I think I can keep up.”

“If you say so.” Natalie said holding the door open for her.

The moment they stepped outside, Lise’s attention shifted. “OMG
it’s feels hotter out here than it did thirty minutes ago.” She pulled up her
hair and clipped it to the side. 

Natalie wiped the sweat forming along her hairline on her
forehead. “I can't imagine what this summer is going to be like.” She led the
way across the campus lawn.

“Brutal.  That's what it will feel like. Hey, let’s take the
shuttle.” Lise pointed to the bus stop.

“No, it’s a short walk.” Natalie kept going toward the gym.

“What? It’s too hot to walk.” Lise whined. Natalie turned
around, grabbed her arm, and pulled her in the opposite direction. Poor Lise, she
was always complaining and whining about something. Even though they were in
central Texas, it was hard not to complain about the near hundred degree
temperatures this late in the afternoon for the middle of May. No doubt, this
would be a hot summer.