“It wasn’t, but I knew it was the only way things would work for us.” She took a final sip of her wine and set aside the empty glass.
“That’s how you can give such great advice on the long distance thing. You’ve been there yourself.”
“Exactly.”
The waitress came over with the bill, and Rachel snatched it. “My treat.”
“We can split.”
“Nope. I remember what it was like as a college student. I’m employed.”
“I probably should be. I need something to do with my extra time.”
“Enjoy it. You’ll never get that time back.”
My mother had reinforced that point at least a half dozen times since the breakup. “I know. I know.”
“But if you want a job because you need money, that’s a different story.”
“I may need to. I guess I got used to Aaron paying for everything when we went out.”
“I can probably get you something where I work. Just let me know if you want me to.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know.” I needed time to think about it. A job sounded great, but I couldn’t let my grades slip.
“Good, but give it some time if you’re not desperate for the cash. College seems to last forever, but it actually goes fast. You have the rest of your life to work.”
I was all about living in the moment during college as long as the next four months could speed past. I was ready to have Aaron out of my sight, and out of my life.
Chapter Ten
If I steered clear of the sidewalk in front of the Kappa house, I could almost pretend that things were normal at school. Almost. The problem was nearly every memory I had at Harrison involved Aaron. We’d started dating as soon as I’d arrived freshman year, and I was only now beginning to understand how much our relationship had shaped my college experience.
The memories weren’t all bad. Most of them were good. Stolen kisses in the shadows of buildings, holding hands on the quad, flowers being delivered to me from him by some of his pledges, but looking at the memories without Aaron at my side made me question them—and made me question my happiness. Had I really loved him? Had I really enjoyed our time together as much as I thought I had?
I moved through the first few weeks of school in a fog, constantly looking over my shoulder to see if Aaron was there. My friends were supportive, but seeing them more often than not meant seeing their boyfriends. If it were up to me, I’d never see a Kappa again.
“Cara, hey!”
I turned to see Jade hurrying toward me. “Hey.”
“What are you doing tonight?”
“Do I have perpetually sitting at home tattooed on my forehead?”
Jade laughed. “No, but now that I know you have a thing for new music, I thought you might be up for another show.”
“Hopefully, I haven’t slept with this lead singer.”
“How many random hook ups have you had lately?”
“Just the one.”
“All right, just checking.”
“I have tentative plans with Lacy, but if she’s up for it, we’re in.” My sorority big sister was also recovering from a breakup, and we’d been searching for something non frat guy related to do.
“Okay, that would be great.” Jade seemed very excited about my response.
“Is this at the same venue as last time?”
“Yes…” She looked away slightly.
“You want to see the ticket guy. Admit it.”
She bit back a smile. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Are you into him?” There was something about girl talk that always put me in a good mood. It was easier to forget about my own life when I was getting the details on someone else’s.
“No. I need to use him though.”
“Jade Cambridge. You wouldn’t.”
She held up a hand defensively. “Not in a bad way. I just need to get him to hang out with us for a while.”
“And why is that?”
“It’s for my show. My boss thinks my show needs something different. I really want to move to a better time slot, so I’m hoping Teddy can give me some inside information so I can try to get some bands to interview.”
“Your boss wants you to interview people?”
“Or something else to go with the music. It’s a local hour, but he says it needs more. I think he’s expecting me to use my whole sorority girl image to help, but that actually hurts.”
“So, you want me to help you flirt with this guy to get you backstage and inside details?”
“Sort of, kind of. And you know Lacy won’t mind.”
I laughed. Lacy was a big flirt, but it was really an act. She was one of the few girls in the house who was still a virgin.
“I’ll talk to her, but why didn’t you ask Len for an interview? Or Chase?” I assumed he’d count even though the focus was local.
“Well, Chase was preoccupied.” She arched an eyebrow.
“I’m sure he’d do it when he’s back in town.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be good at this. I love music, and I’m all about talking about it on the air, but interviewing isn’t my thing.”
“Really? You seemed so comfortable the other night.”
“Because you were there.”
“Well, who says I can’t be there for your interviews? We both know I don’t have much else to be doing.” Maybe this would provide a nice distraction from the monotony of studying all the time.
“Sure you do. You’re dating a musician. That should keep you busy.”
“Maybe when he’s in town.”
“Embrace that you don’t have a boyfriend breathing over your shoulder all the time. I’m tired of being single, but there are some nice things about it.”
“You’re right. I’ll do it.” I couldn’t believe I’d just agreed to do something else crazy. What was going on with me?
“Okay, I’ll see you later.” Jade hurried off.
My cell vibrated in my pocket, and I didn’t have to look to know who it was. Chase always seemed to send me random texts in the middle of the afternoon. I guess that was his down time.
Hi. How are you enjoying this beautiful Friday? Or maybe it’s not beautiful there. I haven’t checked your weather yet.
Uh. If that sounded creepy, sorry. I just sometimes check it. Multiple times a day.
I texted back. You always sound creepy.