Finding Happily Ever After

“I think that was the hardest test I’ve ever taken,” I say with a hint of disbelief coloring my voice. I’m making my way out of the building with a couple classmates, all of us in a post-exam daze.

“I know. This morning when I was reviewing all of the note cards we made I thought I had everything down, but those questions…” Maggie shakes her head, her scared face I’m sure is a mirror image of my own.

“It’s like Professor Higgins wants us to fail,” Michael groans as he slings his arm around Maggie. “I’ve always wanted to be an anthropologist, but now I’m not sure anymore.”

“Michael, you’ve been amazing all semester, I’m sure you aced that thing,” I roll my eyes at him. We’ve sat next to each other for the past four months and while I’ve had to kill myself taking notes and studying, I’ve watched Michael skate through, only occasionally glancing at his book. “You were meant for this course, even if you did bomb this test like me you’re still going to make one heck of an anthropologist!”

“She’s right, honey, you can’t let this one professor bring you down or keep you from reaching your dream.” Maggie gazes up at her boyfriend, her face radiating adoration.

“Thanks baby,” Michael leans down and starts giving her a bunch of tiny kisses. Maggie reaches her hands up to encase his cheeks. And this is when I stop watching. Normally, the two of them wait for me to make an excuse to leave before they start publicly displaying their affection. I clear my throat, not-so subtly reminding them that they are not alone.

Maggie giggles through her apology, wishes me a great summer and the two of them move away from me. I watch as they walk away, arms around each other and completely in love. As I move in the opposite direction I’m overwhelmed with a sense of pity. Though I’m not sure who I feel pity for, them or me.

I don’t think real love even exists anymore, and anyone who thinks it does is just fooling themselves. Fairy tales are make-believe for a reason. The idea of two people really and truly living happily ever after is ludicrous in the real world. Then again, I’m the one standing here alone while there out there together.

Maybe all I need is someone to prove me wrong, but it’s not likely that some boy to swoop in and knock me off my feet.

“Ungf!” I groan as my body collides with something hard, my balance is skewed and suddenly falling to the hard cement I had previously been walking on.

“Whoa! Sorry about that! Are you okay?” A worried, masculine voice asks as a hand appears in my line of vision. I take a moment to asses myself, nothing feels broken or terribly hurt. So I reach up and take the offered hand.

“Yeah, I’m fine, sorry I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was walking,” I tell him as he pulls me up, and then I dust myself off. Then I finally look up to see who I had crashed into. He was gorgeous. He was perfect. For the second time in minutes my breath is stolen from me. His forehead looks slightly wrinkled as he regards me with concern in his deep chocolate brown eyes.

“It was completely my fault, are you sure you’re okay?” He asks running a hand through his reddish-brown hair.

“Yeah, really I’m good,” I smile at him, hoping to relay that there’s nothing wrong with me.

“All right, if you’re sure,” he starts to nod and then gives me a slight smile back. His eyes squint a bit and his face goes from straight and angular to one with laugh lines on either side of his perfect lips. “I feel like we should exchange licenses and insurance.”

“Nah, that’s only necessary when someone actually gets hurt,” I shake my head with a laugh.

“Well, at least let me buy you a coffee then?” he asks, his brown eyes turning hopeful.