“I don’t know,” he admitted.
“Can we really manage a relationship from different states?”
“I don’t know,” he repeated.
“Our goals are so different, Adam. So we keep our relationship up from separate states; to what end?” she demanded.
“Are you saying you want to break up?” Adam’s brown eyes were dark with hurt.
“No! But I’m trying to be realistic here and ask the hard questions,” she responded around tears.
“I guess this is where I admit that I knew from the moment that I met you were out of my league and that it was pure insanity to let myself get close to you,” Adam pulled her back into his arms.
“I am not out of your league,” she argued.
“Yes, you are sweetheart; you are way out of my league. You’re a sweet little church girl with a loving Mom and Dad and a promising future. Me, I’m the illegitimate son of a player and have no future.”
“Do not insult yourself that way!” Katherine’s eyes were dark with anger and her eyes full of tears. “You are so smart, Adam and you have a future; you just haven’t found it yet,” she assured him.
Katherine kissed him again; he pulled her closer.
“Let’s write and call, Kaitlyn. We can call it friendship or we can call it a relationship but I cannot leave here today and never see you or communicate with you again; I can’t,” he told her.
“Me either, but as much as I hate to, I think we should leave it at friends. Who knows if we’ll even see each other again, Adam. I don’t want you feeling like you owe me an apology if you meet someone,” she informed him.
“If that’s the way you want it,” his voice was low.
“No, if I had my way you would head off to college with me in the fall,” she admitted with a shrug.
“You know, I almost wish I could, but I don’t know how I would ever pay for it,” he shared.
“I am going to miss you so much,” she snuggled back close to him.
“I don’t want to, but I have to go.”
“Me too, we leave for Florida in the morning and I haven’t packed,” she admitted. Adam kissed her again and released her only to snatch her back to kiss her one last time.
“Bye, Adam,” Katherine tried to smile before turning to walk into the rain.
She arrived home to find her mom in the kitchen packing medicines into a toiletry bag.
“Kattie, are you okay?” Julia crossed the room and pulled her daughter into her embrace.
“No,” Katherine sobbed. “Adam is leaving for Detroit where his uncle has a job waiting.”
“Oh, Kattie,” her mother sighed and rubbed her back. “Did he break up with you?”
“No, we’re going to write and call but we both know it’s crazy to try a long distance relationship when we’re going in such different directions in life so we’re going to be friends.”
“Kattie, friendship that survives distance and time can become something really awesome,” her mother informed her.
“It hurts, Mom,” Katherine admitted.
“I know, sweetheart; I know.” Julia held her daughter and let her cry.
***
Katherine set her now empty suitcase in the closet and shut the door. She was unpacked and ready to start college; it still seemed surreal to her. She snatched a shoebox off her bed and opened it. Inside laid all the letters that Adam had sent her since leaving for Detroit. She set the lid back on and tucked them away in the back of the closet. She turned back to the room and surveyed it. The doorway entered between the two closets; beyond the closets, beds sat against either wall. Beyond each bed, were two dressers and two desks. Several large windows lined the opposite wall of the room. She turned toward the door when it opened; a pile of boxes with long, slender legs entered the room.
“Let me help,” Katherine hurried to relieve her new roommate of a few boxes; she found herself staring into a pair of grey eyes.
“Hi, I’m Amy,” the tall brunette smiled at her.
“Kattie,” Katherine returned.
“Nice to meet you, Kattie; thanks for the help.”
“Welcome.”
“Where are you from, Kattie?” Amy planted her hands on her hips and studied Katherine.
“Jackson in West Tennessee. Where are you from?”
“Petersburg, Virginia.”
“Nice of you to wait for us,” an older woman griped as she and what Katherine assumed was her husband entered.
“Sorry. I’m excited,” Amy was grinning without repentance. “Kattie this is my mom and dad,” Amy started and made introductions.
“I know you said you can unpack on your own but I really don’t mind staying to help,” Amy’s mom offered after the last of her boxes were up.
“Thanks Mom but you two have a long drive home and I’m not even sure where I want everything yet,” Amy smiled at her mom.
“I can help her if she needs help; I’m already settled.”
“You’re the always on time type aren’t you?” Amy demanded.
“I am,” Katherine smiled and nodded.
“This is either going to go really well or really badly,” Amy predicted. “I’m usually late,” she shared before she turned to her mom and dad, hugged them, and encouraged them on their way.
“I love them but I am ready to spread my wings,” Amy announced as she leaned against the door to their dorm. “Mind if I turn on some music?” Amy nodded to Katherine’s stereo.
“Help yourself,” Katherine invited.
Amy settled on a rock station and Aerosmith’s Amazing poured into the room.
“Need some help?” Katherine offered as Amy started unpacking.
“Sure. So, Kattie, tell me more about yourself. What year are you?”
“Freshman. You?”
“Freshman. Did you leave anyone behind, a guy I mean,” Amy clarified with a smile.
“I knew what you meant. Not exactly,” Katherine sighed.
“Okay, did you or didn’t you?”
“He is Michigan and I am in Tennessee. We write, we call, but we left it at friends. He’s a gorgeous guy and has a way of attracting female attention; I didn’t want to set both of us up for trouble.”
“That sucks. I left someone behind. He’s older than me and through school so he’s back home and I’m here. His name’s Clark and he’s…just about perfect. Not too perfect though, that would be annoying,” Amy grinned.
“Adam and I are an unlikely pair,” Katherine admitted. “At first glance you wouldn’t expect us to be together. In fact, I am not certain either of us ever set out to be a couple. I offered friendship and somehow we ended up more.”
“Chemistry?” Amy wiggled her brows.
“Loads but we haven’t slept together if that is what you meant,” Katherine returned. “I was raised rather conservatively and I just can’t take it lightly. As much as I love him we are still so young and so much can change. I just didn’t want to be hurt,” Katherine shared.
“Hey, I respect that. Clark is the only man I’ve been with and I plan to keep it that way. It kind of scares me being apart as we are but…” Amy shrugged. “So you plan to wait for marriage?”
“Maybe. I at least plan for it to mean something and not be some spur of the moment decision made under duress because my date has a hard on,” Katherine was smiling now.
“Don’t blame you. I’m glad I didn’t let my ex talk me into it. I would be living with a world of regret right now. Wait until it matters,” Amy advised. .
“Exactly,” Katherine nodded.
“So Kattie, what kind of movies and music do you like?”
With that they were off, talking and laughing as they worked before they went to buy a border to tack up on the walls. They settled on one that was lined with rows of books broken by globes. They had agreed that it suited their purpose for being there. Neither knew that they would be sick of it before the year was half over.
***
Katherine utt
ered a curse under her breath as she chased her escaped homework. If she didn’t catch it she would take a zero and she had no intention of doing that. With her attention on the paper she didn’t see the man approaching her until she had slammed into him taking them both to the ground.
“Sorry!” Katherine tried and failed to get up. “I’m after my homework.”
“You mean this?” the man’s brown eyes were twinkling as he held up her homework.
“Yes! Thank you,” she snatched the paper and then realized she was still sprawled across him. “Um, sorry,” her cheeks heated.
“I don’t mind,” he grinned.
Katherine scrambled to her feet and tucked her homework back in her book.
“I am so sorry I knocked you over. I just couldn’t stand the thought of taking a zero and was more focused on my paper than I was where I was going,” she offered as he stood. He was tall; that was her first impression as he stood. The next that was he had to be an athlete; he was lithe and she knew from lying across him well toned. His face was tanned and his hair blonde. He was, as Tessa liked to say, very easy on the eyes. But she had a boyfriend, well technically she didn’t, but her heart was still involved.
“I’m okay; I promise,” his smile was charming.
“Thanks again for saving my homework.”
“You’re welcome. You must be a freshman,” he noted.
“I am,” she nodded.
“I thought so; I would recall seeing you around.”
Katherine felt her cheeks flush. She knew it was a clichéd line but it was standard for a reason, it made interest clear.
“I’m Kevin,” he extended a hand.
“Kattie,” she returned.
“Could I take you out this Friday night?” he asked.
Katherine caught her lip between her teeth. He seemed nice and she kind of owed him but she knew she’d feel like she was betraying Adam.
“You have a boyfriend,” he guessed.
“Yes, I mean no, we are now in two different states and agreed to leave it at friends…”
“Words and feelings are two different things; I get that. Friends then,” he smiled at her.
“I could use a friend,” she smiled back.
“Do you like poetry and literature by chance?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I am going to a club meeting, if you will, of poetry and literature fans. We read and discuss different selections each week. Would you be interested in coming? It’s a group thing, not a date; I just thought you might enjoy it and it might help you meet new people.”
“I think that sounds nice,” she nodded.
“Great,” he smiled down at her.
He gave her information on time and place before they parted ways, each to their own class. Katherine felt torn about the coming evening, as anxious as she was to make friends, she was not looking for a boyfriend, regardless of how she and Adam had agreed to leave things. She wasn’t stupid, Kevin had invited her as a friend but his interest hadn’t abated. When she told Amy about the meeting she quickly volunteered to go as well and Katherine felt herself relax. The evening proved to be very fun and she and Amy made several new friends, Kevin among them.
Katherine had steeled herself, promised herself she was ready for it but when Adam’s calls and letters began to taper off, it hurt. When he apologized, explaining how busy he had been, her heart broke a little more. It was clear that they were drifting apart and she couldn’t help but wonder if part if his business involved a woman or women. When Kevin asked again for a date, she agreed; she couldn’t pretend that she and Adam were going to have a future when he was clearly pulling away.
She enjoyed dating Kevin. He was charming and funny and always made her feel special. Katherine didn’t really think she could see them lasting for the long haul but she was content to have them accepted as a couple and to enjoy spending time with him. They continued to date through the holidays and into the spring. He had been understanding when she had gently informed him she wasn’t ready for sex. She couldn’t help but feel, however, that it played a role in him informing her that his ex-fiancée was in town and that he wanted to see her.
Katherine entered her room and tossed her books onto her bed in irritation before she plopped down with a sigh.
“What happened?” Amy looked up from where she was sprawled out and studying on her bed.
“I told Kevin all about me and Adam and how confused I was. He finally convinces me to go out with him, we date for weeks and then today, I find out his former fiancée is back in town and wants to see him. He wants to see her too. He could have mentioned the fact that he was engaged until a few weeks before I met him,” she vented.
“Yes, he could have,” Amy agreed. “You seem more angry than hurt.”
“I suppose I am. I can’t help but feel that this comes right back around to sex. I turned him down and now I am dumped. It is Nathan all over again.”
“If that’s why he dumped you are better off and he did you a favor. I slept with Clark because I wanted to. He never put any pressure on me, in fact, intended to wait because I’m younger than him and still had school. I didn’t want to wait any longer,” Amy shrugged.
“Yeah, I know. I want a man who will be that understanding,” Katherine sighed.
“Hey, Kattie, these came for you,” Emily announced as she came into the room with balloons attached to a porcelain teddy bear. Emily was in a couple of classes with Katherine and was a dorm mate from a few doors down.
Katherine sat up and frowned at the gift.
“Who’s it from?” Amy asked.
“’Happy birthday, Kaitlyn. I hope everything is going well for you. Love, Adam,’” she read to her friends.
“That’s sweet, when is your birthday?” Emily asked.
“Tomorrow,” she said as she set the bear on her desk.
“Too bad he’s in another state,” Amy sighed for her.
“Yes, it is. I still miss him, Amy.”
“You know, you and Kevin may have been going out, Kattie; but he never really had more than a corner of your heart did he?” Amy was studying her closely.
“Barely that,” she admitted.
***
Katherine was happy to return home for the summer. She visited with her friends, got a job, and enjoyed seeing her mom and dad each evening. It was both welcome and odd to be home after living on her own for a year. She wasn’t accustomed to answering for where she was any longer.
Over the summer she received several more letters from Adam and one from Kevin apologizing for his behavior, and asking to see her again. She politely declined. She wasn’t going to waste her time on him or any other man until she was through with her education. It would make her life a lot less complicated.
When fall arrived and a new school year with it, Katherine was happy to pack her things and head to college. Now that she knew the lay of the land and what to expect, she intended to use it to her advantage. She left the elevators to those who didn’t mind the wait and started climbing the stairs. She and Amy would be roommates this year and sharing a suite with Kim and Faith; four women to one bath was very preferable to a community bath. She peered at the floor number over her pile of boxes; one more to go.
“The stairs seem steeper this year,” her father joked.
“I think they are in this building,” she acknowledged.
She emerged onto her floor to find the hall teaming with students.
“Kattie!” Kim came rushing up and took a box from Katherine as she led the way to their room. “I saw Theo earlier; you are not going to believe what he did with his hair. He shaved it completely off; he’s bald!” Kim shared.
“Look out inside!” Amy called over her boxes. “I think everything I own is soaked!” she groused.
“Amy!” Katherine rushed to hug her as soon as she had set her things on the bed.
“Of course you beat me here,” Amy laughed as she returned her hug.
“You know me; I�
�m always early,” Katherine laughed.
“As opposed to being late everywhere like me?” Amy smiled.
“Hello, Mr. Mayfield, Mrs. Mayfield,” Amy greeted.
“Hello, Amy.”
“Well, hello, Kattie.” Amy’s mom greeted. “Just set that box over there, Brian,” she instructed her son.
“Brian, this is my roomie, Kattie. Kattie, this is my brother Brian. He graduated from here the year before we came. He is the one who taught me how to play basketball.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Katherine smiled.
Brian looked like a male version of Amy, only taller.
“The pleasure’s mine. You guys be careful and watch out for these college guys,” he gave them brotherly advice.
“We will,” Amy assured him. “Shouldn’t someone have warned Lisa about you?”
“I was a perfect gentleman,” he defended himself.
“Right, I’m sure you were,” Amy rolled her eyes.
“I guess we should be going,” Katherine’s parents announced. Amy’s parents left behind them.
“I am sooooo happy to see you,” Amy hugged Katherine close.
“It’s good to see you too. I missed you over the summer.”
“I know, weird huh?” Amy joked.
“We should unpack,” Katherine tore open one of her boxes.
“Are these your high school friends?” Amy picked up a photo. Katherine hadn’t brought many pictures the year before for fear it would make her homesick.
“Yeah, I didn’t see much of them over the summer.”
“I’m guessing this is Adam with his arms around you?”
“Yes, it is,” she nodded.
“No wonder you fell for him.”
“He is very nice looking but it was more than his looks, Amy.”
“I know. Did you hear any more from him over summer?”
“I did actually; he wrote quite a bit and we talked on the phone too.”
“So where do things stand between you two?” Amy quirked a brow in inquiry.
“Friends,” she sighed. “Only we don’t talk like friends.”
“Does he know about Kevin?”
“I told him,” Katherine admitted, “Not that there was much to tell.”
Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series) Page 6