Torn (3 page)

After reading the same paragraph three
times, Katie gave up. Between trying to pretend that she wasn’t
ogling Branson and trying to convince herself to walk over and say
hello, she couldn’t concentrate. Katie slammed her book
shut.

“
Whoa, didn’t like that
chapter?”

Katie’s breath hitched as
she looked up to see Branson standing there. She knew he had said
something.
What did he say? Who cares, say
something! Anything!

Instead, she laughed nervously in
agreement.

“
What are you
reading?”

For the life of her, she couldn’t
remember what she was reading. Katie cleared her throat and looked
down at the front of her book.

“
Synthesis of Nursing
Care.”

“
Sounds riveting,” he said
sarcastically. “Hi, I’m Branson.” He smiled and offered his
hand.

“
Um, hi . . . I’m Katie.”
She stood and took his hand with a confidence that surprised
her.

They stood there for an
awkward moment, neither of them knowing what to say to the other.
Branson slid his hands into his blue jeans, while Katie searched
for something intelligent to say. She managed to maintain a 3.8
grade point average, but suddenly her brain felt like it had turned
to mush. She could feel the warmth creeping up her neck and cheeks
and could tell he noticed it.
Deep
breaths, Katie. Think of something to say. What’s your major? No,
that’s the typical line. Are you in a fraternity? Um, yeah, hence
the Sigma Alpha sweatshirt. Jeez, Katie—this isn’t your first
conversation with a guy, think! God, those blue eyes . . .
She finally came up with, “I’ve seen you on the
tennis court.”

“
Yeah, I’ve seen you
play—you’re really good. Why aren’t you on the team?”

Katie was mortified that
he had been watching her without her knowledge. She hoped he hadn’t
seen her miss the shot that sent her twirling like a ballerina a
few days ago. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want it to be
something I
had
to do. I just like to play for fun.”

“
I understand. The coach
is brutal. We practice every day. I wish he’d lay off a little, let
us actually enjoy our college years.”

When Branson laughed his whole face
lit up. His eyes reminded Katie of a refreshing swimming pool
during the hot summer months and she couldn’t believe how attracted
she was to him. Her eyes followed the bridge of his nose down
toward his mouth, and by the time her eyes made their way to his
soft lips, her insides melted.

Gram had convinced her to save herself
for marriage, and she had managed to obey that rule for twenty-two
years. However, there was no doubt in her mind that she would give
herself to him right now if he wanted her.

“
Would you like to grab a
coffee?” Branson asked.

“
I’d love to,” Katie
answered, suddenly remembering her plans with Maggie. “Do you mind
if I text my roommate first?”

Branson waited while Katie typed a
quick text:

Rain check on coffee. Explain
later.

They talked for hours over coffee
before their long walk back to Katie’s dorm. “So, you’re in the
Nursing program?” Branson asked as he zipped up his
coat.

“
No, basket-weaving,
actually. The Nursing book is my fun, on-the-side reading.” Katie
laughed. “Sorry, you left that one wide open! Yeah, I’m finishing
my last year in the Nursing program, how about you?”

“
Now I wish I had a
smart-ass answer.” He smiled. “Business. My father wants me to take
over his company, so he can retire.”

“
What kind of
company?”

“
It’s a document
management system company, but we plan to diversify and include
computer storage products as well.”

“
So, you’re a techy?”
Katie teased. “Quick—favorite line from Star Wars!”

“
Do . . . or do not . . .
there is no try.” Branson gave his best Yoda impression, making
Katie giggle. “Wait, how did you know about my obsession with Star
Wars?”

“
The force is strong with
this one.” Katie grinned.
Oh God, that was
cheesy!

Branson stopped and turned to face
Katie. Her cheeks were rosy from the crisp air, making her
mischievous green eyes stand out. “Hmm, should I be worried that
you chose to quote Darth Vader, or completely impressed that you
can quote it at all?”

“
I hope you’re impressed.”
Katie lowered her head, feeling the rush of heat to her cheeks. She
desperately wanted him to kiss her, but her lips were frozen and
she was sure her nose would run as soon as his lips touched hers,
instantly thawing her out. She shivered. “Ooh, I can’t wait to get
inside where it’s warm.”

Branson held the door open. “Isn’t
your coat warm enough?”

“
Nothing is warm enough. I
don’t think I’ll ever get used to cold weather. I need to be on a
hot beach.”

The lobby was crowded with
a group watching
Paranormal
Activity.
Katie covered her eyes as they
walked through the room. “Agh! The preview for that movie scared me
for weeks!”

“
Really?” He laughed.
“What kinds of movies
do
you like?”

“
All kinds—even some scary
ones like
Friday the
13
^th
and
Halloween
.”

“
Those aren’t
scary!”

“
I know, I’m a wuss. I
just don’t like things with demons or spiritual conflict. However,
I do like
Star Wars
and
Lord of the Rings
which are spiritual conflicts—but it’s more a
battle between good and evil, and evil never wins, of
course.”
Quit rambling, you sound like a
dork!

“
Would it be too soon to
invite you over for a movie? I have the boxed set of both of
those.”

“
It probably
is
too soon, but yes,
I’d like that.” Katie smiled.

After a short drive they arrived at
Branson’s apartment. She didn’t know what to expect—did he have
three beer-drinking roommates inside, or would she enter the
typical bachelor’s sex pad. She imagined walking into his apartment
and sitting on a black leather couch, while with a click of a
remote, he filled the room with R&B music.

A giggle escaped Katie’s
lips.

“
What’s so
funny?”

Crap!
She thought, trying to think of an answer. “Do you have
roommates?”
Oh God, that sounds like I’m
hoping he doesn’t, so we can have sex.
“Actually, I was just thinking about mine. I was laughing at
something she did this morning. I just can’t quit laughing about
it.”
Great, now he’ll want to know what
she did. Good move, Katie, keep the lies coming—you’re doing
great!
“I should text her and let her know
I’ll be home late.”
And . . . now you’ve
really made it sound like you want to be gone all night. Crap!
Crap! Crap!
“I mean, the movie should take
an hour and a half, right? I’ll probably beat her home, but I’ll
text her anyway.”
Good recovery,
she sighed, and typed a quick text to
Maggie:

Catching a movie. Be home
late.

Katie was surprised there were no
black leather couches or beer cans lying around. Salvador Dali
posters decorating the walls and mismatched furniture confirmed it
was a bachelor pad. A stack of books on Architecture was evidence
that Branson had a roommate, and Katie wondered if he was home. She
walked over to an aquarium and studied the black goldfish with
large eyes. “What kind are these?”

“
They’re Black Moor
goldfish. Their names are Voldemort and Saruman.”

“
Clever.”

“
You know who they
are?”

“
Of course—the evil
wizards from
Harry Potter
and
Lord of the
Rings
.”

“
Are you kidding me right
now?” Branson said as he looked up. “She knows the classics
and
she’s
beautiful?”

Katie’s entire body tensed at his
words. She found a seat on the couch and pretended to fix something
on her shoe, trying to control the urge to smile like a girl with a
mad crush.

Katie had a difficult time
concentrating on the movie. She wanted to know everything about
Branson from his favorite color to how many children he wanted.
Most of all she wanted to know what his lips felt like against
hers.

Branson broke the silence. “What kind
of music do you like?”

“
Hmm?” Katie’s heart raced
as she tried to get her bearings.

“
Sorry, I’ve seen this
movie a hundred times. I asked what kind of music you
liked.”

Katie scooted around to face him.
“That’s a hard one—I have a diverse collection—I like classical,
opera, folk rock, R & B . . . I guess I like it all, except
country. What about you?”

“
I have a wide array of
tastes too, but I do like country music. I mean, you’ve gotta love
Johnny Cash!”

She nodded in agreement. “He’s the
exception.”

Branson wound his finger around a
loose thread from the small pillow next to him. “Where did you grow
up?”

“
I was born in Vermont,
but recently moved to York, Maine. What about you?”

“
Born and raised in
Austin, Texas, ma’am.”

“
I thought I detected a
Southern accent.”

“
Southerners do
not
have accents. I have
a Texas drawl,” he huffed in mock offense.

Katie rolled her eyes. “Okay, Mr.
Texas Drawl, what brought you all the way to
Connecticut?”

“
My father’s business
brought us to New Hampshire just before I started my junior year of
high school, and Yale was the closest and best choice for
college.”

“
That had to be
hard—leaving all of your friends in Texas.”

“
It was at first, but I
played sports, so I met people quickly.”

Katie smiled and
thought,
I could talk to him all
night.

They almost did.

The cessation of music after the movie
credits finished, interrupted their conversation. “It’s late. I
should get you back to your dorm.”

As they pulled up to the front of her
building, she paused before getting out of the car. “Thank you for
the coffee and movie.”

“
Wait.” Branson got out of
the car and jogged around to the passenger side, offering a hand to
help Katie out. “I enjoyed the evening too.” Branson walked her to
the door and softly kissed her cheek. He wanted to pin her against
the wall and smash his lips onto hers, letting his hands roam over
her body, but he restrained himself. Something told him it was
important not to rush her. He watched her reaction, and knew he had
made the right choice in not pushing her.

A jolt of electricity
touched Katie’s cheek and coursed throughout her body. Visions of
being in his embrace flooded her imagination and brought a heat
wave with it. She felt her cheeks begin to warm in reaction and
quickly turned toward the door.
Don’t
crumble yet, at least make it around the corner!

Before Katie could make it into the
elevator, she heard Branson’s voice behind her. “Katie!”

She took a deep breath and turned to
face him. “Yeah?”

“
I forgot to get your
number.” He pulled out his phone and typed as she called each
number. “Maybe we can get in a game of tennis this
weekend?”

“
Yeah, that sounds fun.
Goodnight, Branson.”

“
Goodnight,
Katie.”

Katie smiled and stepped onto the
awaiting elevator. She waited for it to completely close and begin
its ascent before she smiled wildly and danced around the empty
gray box.

When she entered her room, Maggie was
sitting on her bed with her arms crossed. She looked as if someone
had used up all of her shampoo and she was outraged.

“
Where have you been?”
Maggie asked. Her blond curls bouncing across her shoulders as she
stood and tapped her foot. It reminded Katie of a parent waiting on
her teenager after missing curfew.

“
I was out. Why do you
care and what are you doing home so early?”

“
I’ve been calling your
cell phone all night. Why haven’t you answered?”

“
Oh.” Katie pulled out her
phone and looked at it. Seven missed calls. “I had it on vibrate in
my coat pocket, sorry. Is everything okay?”

Maggie’s shoulders slumped. “It’s over
between Ian and me.”

Katie sat next to her friend as Maggie
told her the details of the night’s events. She wrapped an arm
around her shoulder, gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry,
Mags.”

“
I’m surprised at how good
I feel about it, actually. He was all wrong for me.” She grinned,
and her demeanor instantly changed. Katie never would understand
how she could change her feelings so quickly. One minute she was
sobbing, the next she was laughing and ready to move on to the next
thing. “So, where were you tonight?”