The one problem with college, unlike high school, is that all of your friends have different class schedules than you. This is especially dreadful during lunchtime when you get to experience the joys of sitting by yourself. I've gotten lucky most days, eating with Blake or getting a quick bite with Reina, but they both had other things to do today, so I was all by lonesome self as I pushed open the heavy cafeteria doors. Yay.
I walked up to Subway's corner of the cafeteria and ordered a meatball sandwich, making small talk with the girl behind the corner. I handed over a ten dollar, waited for my change, and then grabbed my sandwich and headed to a table in the back of the room.
The cafeterias at UCLA are huge. There is one near every big dormitory, so that students don't have to walk all over campus to grab a quick bite before their classes. No matter what time you enter the cafeterias, there never fail to be at least a handful of students shoving food down their throats and quizzing themselves with flashcards.
Sitting down in a hard red plastic chair, I pulled my sandwich out of the Subway embossed plastic bag. I grabbed a napkin and made a makeshift place setting. I took the first bite and savored the taste of the tomato sauce mixing with the juicy meatballs. I looked around and got lost in the energy of the room.
Sitting by myself is something I've grown accustomed to over the years. It's the same thing every time. You pick a chair in the corner or the back of the room and try and disappear into the wallpaper. The last thing you want to do is pick a seat in the middle of the room if you're by yourself. I mean, I've had to do it before and it's just every shade of awkward. Everyone around you is laughing and talking to their friends, and you're just sitting there pretending to send a text. It's weird. But hey, whatever works for you. It just doesn't work for me.
A loud giggle to my left made me turn my head and I spotted a couple a few tables away, giggling into each other as if they were the only two people in the entire world. They had moved their chairs closer, so that they were only sitting a few inches apart and every few seconds one of them would lean over and give the other one a kiss.
It made me think of Dominic and I, and the thousands of reasons why we would never be able to do what they were doing. It was such a simple thing. They were only sitting at the same table, feeding each other bites of their food, sharing the details of their day. It was such a stupid, simple thing, and yet I would never be able to do that with Dominic.
I was jealous of them because if Dominic and I did that he would lose his job and I would lose my integrity and my reputation. But even more than I was jealous of the two lovebirds, I was mad at myself for wanting to continue things with Dominic, even though I knew that we couldn't do anything normal. I was mad that I couldn't walk away from him and date someone who could be seen with me in public.
There was only thing one thing right now that would make me feel any better.
Me: Hey
I took another bite of my sandwich, chewing extra slowly, and waited for him to respond.
Dominic: Hi. What's up?
Me: Just having lunch. U?
Dominic: Same. Just grading some pop quizzes.
Me: I wish you could be having lunch with me right now. I hate eating alone. Haha
Dominic: Yeah, sorry. If I didn't have the pop quizzes to grade I definitely would.
Me: No, I get it.
Dominic: Do you want to hang out tonight? :) I have a quick faculty thing for all the math professors that I have to attend, but after that I'm free.
YOU ARE READING
While You Were Teaching
Romance#37 ON CHICKLIT 3/9/15 Avery Winters still isn't over her college love, Dominic Brown. It may be over three years since she last saw him, but she still remembers it like it was yesterday. In an attempt to move on with her life, Avery decides to writ...
