5 star recruit

Chapter 4: settling in

Early the next morning Zach decides to jog down to the local bakery to place an order for his lunch date with Rebecca. He walks inside and enthusiastically greets the woman behind the counter.

Good morning!

Good morning, what can I get you?

I have a lunch date planned and I was hoping that you could recommend me something.

If you want, I can make you a basket with sandwiches that have a variety of toppings?

That sounds great, do you deliver?

Sure, where to?

ECU room 106, somebody at the reception might also be willing to accept it.

No problem, can I get your name?

Of course, Zachary Gray.

The woman looks at him in a slightly startled way.

So you're the guy my husband wont shut up about.

Sorry about that, so he's an ECU fan huh?

You can say that again. He still goes to every game, despite all the losses over the years.

Awesome, love a loyal supporter like that. Makes me even more motivated.

He'll probably insist on making the delivery himself, and probably bring a jersey to sign... just so you can mentally prepare yourself.

I don't mind, I'll happily sign it.

Thanks, he'll be in a good mood for at least a week.

Happy to be of service. Thank you again for the help, you can keep the change!

Good luck on your date!

As Zach starts jogging back the California sun starts becoming a bit much and he decides to take off his shirt. Miss Meyers is just getting out of her car as he arrives back at campus.

Good morning miss Meyers, how is your morning going?

She turns around and notices that he's shirtless. It takes her a couple seconds to regain her composure and she mumbles under her breath.

My morning just got a lot better...

Sorry? I didn't catch that.

My morning is going great! Did you go for a run?

Yup, I'm not used to the weather yet though.

I can see that... good thing that most of the female students are still in bed, if they saw you like that they might have fainted.

Zach laughs, albeit a bit awkwardly.

I think you're exaggerating.

I can't speak for every woman on campus, but I'm a lot hotter than I was five minutes ago. And it's not a menopause hot flash.

Don't be silly, you're much too young for menopause. Anyways, I'm going to hop in the shower before its time to go to class. See you later!

Miss Meyers lets out a sigh as Zach jogs away to his dorm.

The idea of you in the shower is not going to help me cool down... get a hold of yourself Claudia, you're acting like a teenage girl who can't control her hormones!

Class is uneventful until it's time for Lunch.

Lisa, I'm having lunch with Rebecca. Are you going to be alright without me?

Of course, I'll go sit with Elle and the rest of the girls.

Great, see you later.

He makes his way to the reception desk to see if the basket was delivered there. When he arrives, he sees a middle aged man with a huge smile on his face.

Hi, I assume that you're my superfan?

I love my wife, but she talks to much.

You don't have to be embarrassed, loyal fans keep players motivated.

I'll be there every game, you can count on that! And I know that you have a date, so I won't keep you any longer.

Are you sure that you don't want me to sign your jersey? I'm happy to do it.

You're busy, some other time. Maybe at the first game of the season.

Alright, I'll hold you to that.

Zach takes the basket and goes to the bench to wait for Rebecca. Less than a minute later she arrives wearing a flowy knee length sundress and Zach spends a couple second taking in the sights.

Is it too much? I overdid it, didn't I?

No, you look beautiful. I just need a couple seconds to recover.

Rebecca blushes and sits down next to Zach while he grabs the basket.

Tadaa!

Wow, where did you get that?

I jogged down to the bakery this morning, I had to make sure that I impressed you.

You don't have to go through all that trouble for me...

Yes I do, you deserve nothing less.

You're acting as if I'm something special...

Is it really that strange that I like you?

A bit, I'm just an ordinary girl.

I think you're being way to hard on yourself. You're smart, otherwise they wouldn't give you all those responsibilities. That obviously means that you're hard working as well. On top of that you have a great personality and are just fun to be around. And let's not forget that your very pretty. How could I not like you?

Rebecca blushes and tries to hide that she's smiling from ear to ear.

Thanks, I guess I'm just not used to getting attention like this.

Well, you better get used to it quickly then.

I don't mind if it's coming from you.

Good... but enough flirting for now, let's eat.

They manage to finish their lunch with some time to spare and enjoy the peace and quiet at the more secluded part of the campus.

Tell me a bit more about yourself Rebecca, any brother or sisters?

No, it's just me and my parents. They saved up their entire life so I could go to college and become a doctor.

Sounds like you have great parents.

I really do. Being away from them was hard during my first year here, I've gotten used to it more over time.

That's understandable, but graduating as a doctor will make it all worth it.

True, it's a lot of pressure though. I don't want to let them down and have all of their hard work be for nothing.

You won't. If you're struggling with the pressure and it starts becoming to much, just come to me and we'll get through it together.

Thanks, I will.

Zach puts his hand on hers and looks into her eyes. He leans in and gives a short but passionate kiss. Suddenly the bell rings indicating that its time to go back to class. Zach playfully winks at her.

That's a shame, it was just getting interesting.

Rebecca regains her composure and acts coy.

I'm not the kind of girl who gives it up so quickly. you're going to have to work for it, mister superstar quarterback.

He can't help be laugh a bit.

Good, I like a woman how knows how valuable she is. I only have one request.

Which is?

A good luck kiss before every game.

You can have as many of those as you like.