Romance: The Campus Player: A College Romance

by Caroline Lake

  Janet looked at the man in front of her. He couldn’t be older than 25. He had curly black hair and dimples. His smile was warm.

  “Wine at 9 am?” Janet asked. “Everything alright?” She was taken aback by her own intentions of asking the question. Maybe being with a guy like Ethan had made her bolder.

  The man shrugged. “Life sometimes compels you to have wine at 9 am.”

  Janet nodded.

  “Care to join me?” he asked. Janet looked around. The Four Stars was empty like it usually was on Sunday mornings.

  She took a seat with him at the corner of the table as their conversation began with the normal things two strangers would talk about. She learnt that he was called Sam and he was 24 years old, recently graduated and working for a law firm in Georgia. It seemed to be going well before he popped the question.

  “You’re dating Ethan Reed, aren’t you?”

  Janet stared at him. “How do you know about Ethan?”

  “Um we’re family friends. Well, all the rich families of Georgia sort of know each other. I don’t know him per se. But the whole town had been talking about you when you first got together.”

  “I’m not dating Ethan,” Janet said firmly. “And I never was.”

  Sam sensed that this was a sensitive issue but he didn’t let the topic go.

  “It’s a pity he let you go,” he continued. “A beautiful girl like you.”

  Janet blushed but didn’t reply. They were sitting on the same bench and she suddenly noticed that he was very close to her. Had he leaned forward? Or was he like this all along? Janet could smell mint on his breath now and she couldn’t help noticing that he had very nice lips. Unconsciously (or was it?) she leaned forward to close the distance between them, pressing her lips to him. He responded by tilting her face up and wounding an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Janet clutched the front of his shirt pulling him even closer as their tongues continues to fight for dominance. As she pushed her tongue into his mouth, she let soft moan escape and realized that she was enjoying this. He was a good kisser. Perhaps a little different from Ethan but good. Ethan’s kisses were softer and slower. Sam’s were faster paced. Ethan’s were bolder. Sam’s were hesitant. Or maybe that was because this was their first kiss. When the pulled apart, breathless, Janet knew this was her attempt to distract herself from Ethan but she didn’t care. She wanted to be touched again.

  They exchanged numbers and promised to meet later. Janet tried to feel happy about that but failed.

  Ethan Reed was extremely unhappy, on the other hand. He snapped at his friends when they tried to talk to him and seemed to be in a better mood when they left him alone. But today, Jih was exceptionally annoyed as they sat at Café Rooftop.

  “Ethan, if you’re so hung up on Janet, maybe you should go make up with her instead of snapping at us and taking your anger out at us all the time.”

  “I’m not hung up on anyone,” Ethan replied dully.

  “Then what is this mood you’ve been in since you ended it with her?”

  “Jih, shut up please,” Ethan sighed. “Leave me alone.”

  “If you want to be left alone, leave. But if you show up in public, then don’t expect people to stay away.”

  Jih wasn’t normally outspoken, preferring to keep quiet and so his friends were surprised at his outburst.

  “Go make up with Janet.”

  “Shut up, Jih.”

  “If something makes you so unhappy, you should try to fix it.”

  “Jih, enough.”

  George caught Jih’s eyes and shook his head, compelling his friend to stop talking. Jih opened his mouth to reply but fell silence at George’s silent plea. He exited the café a few moments later and did not return.

  Later in the day, Ethan wandered to The Four Stars. Maybe he wanted to talk to Janet and maybe he simply wanted to see her. Whatever it was, he found himself entering The Four Stars. What he found there, however, made him wish he had never stepped inside. Janet was standing at the bar, her arms wound around a man’s neck as he kissed her. He saw her hands grab his hair, like she used to grab his. He whispered something in her ear which made her giggle. Suddenly, the man noticed Ethan and Ethan noticed who he was. Sam Black. Son of Paula and Samuel Black. Heir to the National Bank of Georgia. Lawyer. Ethan remembered all details about him as anger ran through his body. Then he reminded himself he had no right to be angry. Janet was never his girlfriend.

  “Ethan!” Sam called.

  Janet turned around slowly to face him. Her heart broke as she saw him standing there and she hoped her brokenness won’t show in her expression.

  Sam was now striding towards him, pulling Janet along who was holding his hand.

  “How nice to see you!” Sam enthusiastically shook his hand.

  “Nice to see you too,” Ethan said stiffly.

  He nodded at Janet who mumbled a greeting.

  “Were you coming into the café? You probably want to order something. I shouldn’t keep your waitress busy. I just get so caught up sometimes.” Sam looked at Janet adoringly and pecked her on the cheek. Janet seemed to recoil a little but smiled nonetheless. A forced smile but no one noticed that.

  “No, I was just passing,” Ethan said, digging his hands into his pockets. “Don’t let me disturb you guys.” He nodded and exited the café.

  Janet forced a smile as Sam shrugged at her. When he bent down to kiss her again, Janet quickly ended it and told him she had to work. Seeing Ethan had thrown her off guard and she felt shaky and sad. She needed time alone. Sam complied and left her alone. When his car pulled away, Janet sat down behind the bar and willed herself not to cry. Ethan had seen her kissing Sam. This should be victorious for her, shouldn’t it? Girls were supposed to be happy when their ex saw them with another man. But Janet only felt empty and sad. She couldn’t understand why. Her relation with Sam didn’t have to be a secret. He could kiss her in public without fear of his parents finding out. He could introduce her as his girlfriend. But Janet hadn’t let them label their relationship. This time she was the one who didn’t want to be called Sam’s girlfriend. She was the Ethan in their “relationship”, she realized. Disgusted she picked up her phone and told Sam she didn’t want to see him anymore and she was still in love with Ethan. And just like that, over a text message, she ended whatever she had started with Sam.

  Chapter 14 – Forced Interactions

  No matter how much either of them tried not to come face to face with one another, Ethan and Janet somehow kept ending up in each other’s presence. Perhaps it was because of their mutual friends or because of fate; whatever it was, they seemed to attract one another like magnets.

  Janet came face to face with Ethan three times in the course of the next week. Once when she was forced to tutor him on Professor Papkin’s insistence. Once when she was invited to George’s brothers’ engagement. And once when she was met with an unfortunate incident.

  “Janet, Ethan!” Professor Papkin called after class. “I want Ethan’s progress report, Janet.”

  Janet and Ethan approached him warily.

  “I presume tutoring has been going well.”

  Ethan glanced at Janet. “Fantastic,” he replied.

  “Well done, Janet. And well done, Ethan. How about you have your last tutoring session today before the semester’s exam?”

  “Um-” Janet began but Professor Papkin was adamant.

  “Come now,” he said. “I was heading to the library myself to fetch a book. You two come along and start your studying.”

  Janet and Ethan accompanied him reluctantly. Janet wanted to find a spot surrounded by people so she and Ethan would not be able to talk. Ethan wanted a secluded spot because he didn’t want to be around people. In the end, they settled for somewhere in the middle. It was a secluded corner but there were a few people around.

  They had never actually had a real tutoring session. The first time they had tried, Ethan had kissed her and they had ended up in his room.
They had made love for the first time that day. Janet tried not to think about it.

  “So what do you want to study?” Janet asked awkwardly.

  “Nothing.”

  “But we have to…”

  “We don’t, really.”

  “Okay…”

  Pause.

  “So how have you been?” Ethan spoke up.

  Janet looked at him long and hard before answering. She wanted to tell him the truth. Of how broken she felt without him. Of how much she missed him. Of how badly she wanted to kiss him again. Of how much she longed for the pleasure only he could give her.

  “Good,” she replied simply. “How have you been?”

  Janet did not know this but if one could multiply what Janet felt by tenfold, it would not come close to what Ethan felt. You see, while Janet could somehow survive on her own, Ethan needed her in his life.

  “Good,” Ethan said.

  Janet nodded slowly. “I saw your father’s campaign on TV. He seems to be doing really well.”

  “Yeah, he is.”

  Silence.

  “How’s Sam?” Ethan said.

  “Good, I suppose.”

  “When did you start seeing him?”

  “I’m not seeing him.” Janet said wearily.

  “You’re not?”

  “Nah.”

  “He’s not your boyfriend?”

  “Nah. I don’t label my relationships. It’s the Ethan affect. I’m the Ethan in the relationship.”

  Ethan rolled his eyes.

  “Except,” Janet continued. “My reason for not labeling my relationship isn’t some class or money difference.”

  “Janet-” Ethan said. His voice was strained and he felt a pang of guilt. He wanted to reach out to her, to tell her that he didn’t care about her money or status and he didn’t have a choice.

  “We’re supposed to be studying Ethan. I don’t want to talk to you.”

  Ethan’s jaw tightened but he didn’t respond as Janet pulled out her books. She flipped through pages idly. Professor Papkin was chatting with the librarian. Once he had procured his book, he waved them goodbye and exited the library.

  “And that’s my cue,” Janet said. She shut her book, grabbed her bag and exited the library too.

  Ethan sighed.

  That night, Janet had a surprise visitor. George came into her apartment to invite her to his brothers’ engagement which was to take place the next morning. Janet accepted the invitation with no intentions of going. She had nothing to wear and there was no time to buy anything. She could have gone to buy a dress but anything up to the level of the other attendees would cost her a fortune and she wasn’t willing to spend that much on a stupid dress.

  As if reading her thoughts, George asked her if she had anything to wear. When she responded in the negative, he dragged her to the mall.

  “You don’t have to worry about the cost,” he told her.

  “I’m not letting you pay for me, George.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Well, I can’t afford these dresses.”

  “Relax, babe,” George rolled his eyes. “This mall is owned by my sister. So it’s free for you.”

  “Your sister owns The Dolphin Mall?”

  “Yes.”

  Janet wasn’t even surprised. These rich kids owned everything in this town.

  When they had picked the perfect dress for her (a maroon poof dress), the sales woman paired it with a beautiful pair of heels. All the workers at the mall seemed to know George, Janet noted.

  And so, the next day, she donned the dress reluctantly. Kan had taken her to his house so the Kale’s personal stylist could help her get dressed. She arrived at the engagement with Kan in some big car whose name she didn’t know; Janet was never much into cars. She was forced to meet Ethan since he was standing at the doorstep. Ethan didn’t fail to notice that she was arm in arm with Kan. He knew it didn’t mean anything. They were just very good friends. But it reminded him of all the time she had held him like that. He tried not to watch as she danced and laughed with Kan and George. They didn’t have to hide their friendship with her because they weren’t in love with her.

  Ethan stopped his thoughts there and backtracked. This was the first time he had admitted, even to himself, that he was, in fact, in love with Janet Price. He didn’t know how or when it had happened but it did.

  Janet felt hot from all the dancing; George and Kan were tireless. She stepped outside onto the balcony which was donned with lights and beautiful decorations. When she stepped outside, she noticed that she wasn’t alone. A figure (which she recognized as Ethan from the back) stood at the railing, staring off into the air. He held a cigarette in his hand and was smoking at distant intervals.

  She didn’t know if he didn’t hear her come up behind him or if he chose to ignore her, but he didn’t turn around. Janet stood beside him, staring into the night sky as well. The view was beautiful.

  Ethan glanced at her in acknowledgement but didn’t say anything.

  “I didn’t know you smoke,” Janet commented. It was an important fact that any girlfriend should have known. But wait, Janet was never his girlfriend.

  Ethan shrugged. “I quit for a bit.”

  “Why?”

  Ethan turned to look at her. “Because I wanted to be good enough for you.”

  Janet was taken aback by the response.

  “You could have been good enough for me in other ways, Ethan,” she said softly.

  “I know,” Ethan replied.

  They stared ahead for a while before Ethan spoke up again.

  “I miss you, Janet.”

  Janet didn’t respond.

  “And I’m sorry about all the hurt I caused you.”

  Janet nodded. They both faced each other now. She reached up to touch his cheek. He caught her hand and kissed her palm. She still felt tingles run down her arms at his touch. Will he ever stop making her feel this way?

  Janet pulled her arm away gently. “I’ll be seeing you.” And then she was gone, leaving Ethan alone on the balcony. He longed to kiss her more, to kiss every inch of her body. But he had lost that privilege.

  The last interaction they had was the defining point for their relationship. There was a lot to learn from this interaction about loyalty, love and strong will.

  It began when Jih lost his temper over Ethan’s infuriating attitude.

  Chapter 15 – The Last Interaction

  “Snap out of it already, Ethan. You honestly expect us to believe you’re in love with such an ordinary girl? You’re only pursuing this because it’s the best way to get back at your parents for what they did to your previous relationship.”

  Jih and Ethan were in the middle of a heated argument again, this time in a street in front of the pub. George and Kan watched on but did not intervene.

  “A few months ago, the two of us would be laughing over the thought of one of us being in love with such a plain girl. Where’s your sense of humor gone? You’ve been wallowing over her for ages now.”

  “Shut up, Jih,” Ethan said, his voice deadly. “Janet isn’t ordinary. And one of us is in love with her.”

  “Oh, yes she is. And you know it wouldn’t last with her. Instead of taking your anger out at us all the time, please go get laid and get the hell over it. I’m done with you and that pathetic girl till you stop this act.”

  “Pathetic?” Ethan’s voice was even more deadly this time. “If you ever talk about her like that again, I’ll destroy you.”

  Jih knew Ethan was capable of the threat and more.

  With a last contemptuous look, Jih turned away just as Ethan lunged at him. George and Kan watched with amusement as the two of the wrestled. Ethan managed to get in three heavy blows before Jih threw him back.

  “Really, Ethan? Is she really worth all this?” Jih asked, his voice rough. Ethan stared at him, his expression so intense that Jih seemed to draw back slightly.

  Janet, who was on her way back fr
om work, heard the commotion. When she heard Ethan’s name, she was drawn to the voices. She observed the scene as the two brawled violently again.

  Janet turned to George and Kan. “What are you two idiots doing just standing there? Why aren’t you stopping them?” She was enraged. Janet threw herself between Ethan and Jih, pushing them away from each other. It wasn’t much work since Jih, who had been on the losing side of the battle, already lay in a hump on the floor. Ethan turned to look at her, confused at her sudden appearance. His face was bloody but nothing compared to what Jih looked like. Janet cradled his face in her hands.

  “Look at your face!” she cried. “Just look at the state of you!”

  “And why should you care what state I’m in?” Ethan shot back.

  “I don’t particularly enjoy people injured because of their own stupidity. I’m sure your fight with Jih could have been solved without violence.”

  Ethan didn’t respond.

  “Are you even capable of thinking ahead of your actions?”

  She held his face tighter. “Fix this. Fix him and yourself. You can’t get away with everything you do, Ethan. I hate seeing you like this.”

  She pressed a kiss to his forehead, the only part of his face that wasn’t bloody. With a last exasperated look at him, and the two onlookers, she left.

  Chapter 16 – Making Amends

  Janet shifted in her bed, unable to find a comfortable spot, ready to cry from frustration and exhaustion. She wanted to fall into a deep sleep but her body wouldn’t let her.

  A gentle knock sounded on her door. She sat up warily, wondering who would be knocking at her door at 1 am. Cautiously, she peered out of the peeping hole to find Ethan standing there. She threw open the door. Ethan looked a lot better since the fight that evening. His face wasn’t bloody anymore except for a few wounds here and there. There was a bandage on his cheek.

  “Polite gentle knock?” she asked him. “Jih must have hit you harder than it seemed.”

  It was then that she realized she was standing in front of Ethan wearing an oversized T shirt and nothing else. Her hair was in disarray and she must look terrible. He didn’t seem to care as he stared at her with his deep, penetrating eyes.