She stood there for another second taking in his flawless appearance. He wore dark snug-fit jeans with a black button-up that he'd rolled the sleeves up to three-quarter length and worn navy Chuck Taylor's. He was taller than her by half a dozen inches with a well-toned muscular physique. She figured she wouldn't be able to reach his lips if she stood on her tip-toes, but he was strong enough to pick her up to them. Quickly pushing the idea out of her mind, she snapped herself back to reality. "Guess I'll see you there."

"Sounds good," he said as she turned and began to walk down the alleyway. After a moment's hesitation, he called out to her, "Hey, Lexi." He jogged down the street after her. She turned on her green high heels to find him standing directly in front of her again. "I know you have to study tomorrow, but what are you doing Friday?" he asked hesitantly.

She paused giving enough time to make it seem like she was considering her schedule. "I don't have any plans," she finally said fighting the uncontrollable silly grin contorting her face.

"Did you want to hang out?"

She nodded. "I'd like that."

Friday night Lexi found herself pacing her tiny dorm room twining her dark curls around her fingers. Two beds were lofted on opposite sides of the room. A black futon rested under Lexi's bed; two mini fridges and a tiny tube television sat under her roommate's bed. A red and black print rug covered the tile floor and red curtains blocked out the view of the other high-rise dorms surrounding them. Lexi's side of the wrap-around metal desk held her black laptop and a selection of her favorite books and textbooks. The wall adjacent her desk held a collage of photographs neatly arranged, showcasing her college career thus far. Her roommate's desk was a mess of multi-colored papers clips, geometrically shaped Post-It notes, and furry-topped pens. The walls were lined with sorority initiation paraphernalia including a water bottle, five pictures frames with her letters scribbled all over them, and of most importantly, her Big Sis paddle.

"Jen, do you think I look okay?" she asked of her roommate.

Jennifer gave her a once-over. Lexi wore black slightly-worn skinny jeans, a pale green camisole with lace-trim and black thong sandals that strapped around her ankle. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with the dark bouncing curls streaming out of the rubber band. A light coat of black mascara brushed her eyelashes and a hint of shimmer lip gloss adorned her lips. "Mmm," Jennifer said tilting her head to the side briefly before turning back to her Latin homework spread out across the futon.

Lexi rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her hip. "What does that mean?"

"You should probably pull your hair down and run a straightener through it and put on a cute dress," she said as a matter-of-fact. She hadn't even glanced up from her five-subject notebook to say this. "I have this perfect purple ensemble that will do wonders to detract from your brown eyes."

Lexi was starting to get used to this behavior. Jennifer was remarkably honest which was generally valued in a person. But on someone as incredibly judgmental as Jennifer, not as flattering. "I think we're going to be outside though," Lexi told her, turning to face the full-length mirror hanging on the back of their door.

"It's like seventy degrees outside," Jennifer said. Her gum smacked against the roof of her mouth as she spoke. "You can still wear a dress."

Jennifer was one of those girls who thought everyone should wear a dress...for every occasion possible. Lexi was pretty certain that the only time Jennifer went without a dress was when she showered. Both her parents came from old southern money dating back farther than the Civil War. The Atlanta Country Club where they resided played host to stars such as Usher and half of the Atlanta Braves baseball team, among numerous others. She had once complained about missing Halloween away from home, because that year Usher had actually answered the door to pass out candy.

"Well it could be colder tonight," Lexi snapped snatching her new cell phone off her desk and cramming it into her plum Coach purse. "I'm going to see Olivia. Good luck studying." Lexi twisted the doorknob to pull it open.

"Oh, Lexi," Jennifer called, stopping her exit. "I probably won't be in tonight. There's a Da-Dee-Da fraternity party tonight, which you are more than welcome to come to if you get done with your little thing in time. I'm sure I'll end up passing out there," she confided in Lexi, smiling as her loose curling-iron curls swished around her face.

Lexi nodded scarcely able to contain her disbelief. How skanky can you get? Wasn't there some rule about having some semblance of class and didn't spending the night at a fraternity house destroy that? "Call me if you need a ride. I don't want you to get gang raped or anything tonight, okay?"

Jennifer giggled convulsively. "Those guys aren't like that Lexi. That would never happen."

"Riiiiiight," Lexi said letting the word drag. "Either way."

"Suit yourself," Jennifer murmured dismissing her with a wave of her acrylic French manicured hand.

Lexi darted down the hall just as her phone trilled from her purse. Opening the cold metal clasp, she retrieved the cell and answered. "Hey, do you want me to come up?" Jack asked from the other line.

"Nah. No point in making you try to get past the hand scanner," Lexi replied commenting on the dorm security. "I'll be right down." Lexi scrambled down the four flights of stairs as fast as she could, making it to the landing before the elevator dinged. Racing down the steep hill that led to the street below, Lexi recognized his silver Mazda 3 waiting with the hazard lights blinking. She slipped her hand under the handle to pop the door open and slid smoothly onto the black leather seat. He let off the clutch and slung the car into gear as soon as he heard the latch click. "So, where are we going?" she asked relaxing back into the soft material.

"It's a surprise," he said shifting gear as they picked up speed.

"Hmm...I like surprises."

"I thought you might." He glanced at her briefly before turning left onto the main street.

Lexi hadn't been sure whether or not to treat this as if it were a date. He had asked her out, but when they talked on the phone, he had acted as if it was no big deal. She didn't care to agonize over it though. She didn't know him yet, so as far as she was concerned the status of their relationship, if you could even call it that, was hardly relevant. One step at a time.

John Mayer's Free Fallin' filled the silence as Jack drove them away from the center of town. Jack tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in time with the guitar chords. "Do you play," she asked watching how well his fingers moved.

"Just guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and some drums, but I'm really rusty."

"Jesus! All I can do is sing."

"Oh yea and I sing," he smirked as he hit the break at a red light.

"Well don't you seem to be good at everything," Lexi said leaning in closer towards his side of the car her eyes closing slightly. The taste of her lip gloss coated her tongue as she licked her lips biting down ever so gently as she gazed at him.

She could tell that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. "You just wait and see."

"I look forward to it." She giggled turning back to the road. Something about Jack seemed to just fit. The flirting, the borderline desirous looks, the uncomplicated conversation all was so easy between them.

Lexi's eyes widened as they turned onto university property that was normally empty fields. Instead, a bright twirling Ferris wheel had been erected in the center of the field with an array of other carnival rides and booths displayed around the centerpiece. "Oh, I didn't know a carnival was coming through town," she commented enthusiastically.

"One night only," he said wiggling his eyebrows up and down. "The university sometimes has these types of things every once and awhile. Since you're new I thought you'd enjoy the first one of the year." A plump older man in an orange vest holding a light stick directed them into a makeshift parking spot on the lawn.

The couple trekked across the muddy terrain towards the vinyl ticket booth. Handing over their student identification cards, the student association representative slid the cards through a reader. The machine dinged each time authorizing their authenticity. "Have a good time and don't forget to grab a complimentary t-shirt on your way out," the woman said handing them back their cards with one hand and gesturing to a display of boxes containing hundreds of bright green tees with the other.

"Thanks," Jack said winking at the associate before grabbing Lexi's arm and racing through the entrance.

They made it a dozen feet before unexpectedly running into Jack's roommates, Seth, Luke, and Michael who were with two of their other friends, Clark and Hunter. Each looked more excited than the next. Between them they were counting out what looked like several hundred orange paper tickets like little kids in Chuck E. Cheese. Clark snatched up a handful out of Seth's palm and deposited them in his pocket. "Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" Seth swore under his breath and launched himself onto Clark.

Clark chuckled as he sidestepped Seth's advances. "You don't need all of those," he said tauntingly.

"You took all my goddamn tickets, jackass," Seth yelled grabbing at Clark's pocket.

Clark threw his hands up. "Geez, Seth, you're very forward. I feel like we've just met. At least take me to dinner first."

"Ha. Ha," Seth said sarcastically placing his tickets firmly back into his own pocket.

"Hey guys," Jack said laughing at the guy's behavior. "Not sure if you met already, but this is Lexi."

The guys gave their names and nodded hellos. That was all the introduction they afforded her before they were ready to attack the rides. "Let's hit the Bumper Cars before the line wraps around the park," Seth said edging towards the far side of the field.

"Bumper Cars? No way. I'm never riding Bumper Cars with you assholes again. You guys all gang up on me, every time," Luke complained. "Can we just do something like the Scrambler?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a fag Luke. We would never pick on you. How old do you think we are?"

After finally convincing Luke to join them, the group moved over to get into line for the Bumper Cars. Jack sidled up to Lexi. "We actually do gang up on Luke," he told her, laughing. "Better make sure you join in on the fun," he whispered into her ear. "His reaction will be well worth it."

Of course, he was right. Luke became infuriated when he realized that he had been duped. He smashed his fists against anything he could get his hands on even knocking over a tiny blonde in his angst. His friends' laughter only egged him on further.

Jack slung his arm across Lexi's shoulders as they doubled over in a fit of giggles. "I cannot believe him," she said swiping her hand across her face wiping away tears of joy.

"He is a riot," Jack confirmed watching Luke try to take a swing at Seth who ducked under his half-hearted blow easily. "Why don't we get you something to rot your teeth," Jack suggested pulling her away from his friends who had begun to brawl outside of the Bumper Cars. "So tell me Lex," he began directing them towards the cotton candy machine, "what do you normally do on Friday nights?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes I hang out with my roommate or Olivia. We do lots of different things: go downtown, see movies, game nights, floor-wide dinners, fraternity parties," she added at last.

"Cool. I like to do all of those things"

"Fraternity parties?" she questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Mike's in a fraternity. So, yes, even fraternity parties. Probably not as often as my freshman year though."

Lexi snatched a piece of the sweet pink cloud and stuck it in her mouth as they walked towards the Ferris wheel. The sticky goodness dissolved almost instantly leaving a trail of sugar across her lips. Jack's eyes had zeroed in on her plumped lips. She licked them experimentally tasting a mixture of her lip gloss and pure sugar. "You're such a mess," he said indicating where she had missed a spot. She just giggled.

The Ferris wheel line had already begun to wrap around the edge of the giant machine. The two placed themselves at the back of the line and continued their conversation. "What's your major?" he asked plopping a piece of the cotton candy into his own mouth.

"As of today, I'm undecided," she proclaimed cheerfully.

"An indecisive one. I like it."

"I'm not indecisive. Just open-minded."

"Well, I'm Pre-Business likely going to the accounting route. Not so sure though."

Lexi wrinkled her nose. "Eww."

His laughed boomed out of him. "Yeah. I don't much like it either, but it's what I'm good at."

"At least there are a lot of jobs out there for you. Not much a person can do while being undecided and what I really want to do has only a few more jobs than that," she said shrugging her shoulders helplessly.

"And what is that? What do you really want to do?" he asked giving her a very serious meaningful look.

Lexi considered not telling him for an instant then gave in. "Gymnastics." Her eyes glazed over at the thought of being able to fly through the air; jumping effortlessly from a spring board; weather-worn calluses coating her hands from the uneven bars.

"That's awesome. Have you talked to the Gymnastics Team here? If you like it so much, you should try out," he said enthusiastically.

She shook herself out of her cloudy visions. "No."

"Why not?"

"You don't just try out for the Gymnastics Team here. They are amazing. If they don't recruit you, then you have no chance. No walk-ons. Nothing."

"How do you know that? Were you recruited?"

"No, I wasn't," she said a bit sharper than she had intended, the bitterness sneaking into her voice.

He began speaking as if she hadn't snapped at him for such a simple question, "Oh, well, I know one of the gymnasts. I bet she could talk to the coach. Even if you can't be on the team, you could probably practice with them." The glance she gave to him was as if she were approaching a Martian. "Ok, maybe not," he said raising his eyebrows and taking another bite of the cotton candy to prevent himself from speaking again.

"Even if I could get to talk with the coach, there would be no way she would let me practice with them," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Never know until you try," he said swallowing the remaining bit. "Here we are." Jack handed the lady four orange tickets, and ushered Lexi into a big swinging yellow bucket with the number twenty-five plastered against the back.

Lexi felt weightless as the machine cranked them around in an endless circle. They rotated three or four times, Jack shaking their bucket back and forth until he rattled the whole ride; some large girl with too tight jeans and way too tight shirt threatening him the whole time. "Calm down," she said putting her hand on his knee. "We don't want to get kicked off."

"I know the guy who's running it. No way we'll get kicked off," he said throwing his arm across the back of the bucket seat, but stopping nonetheless.

As they made their final rotation, the ride crawled to a stop leaving Jack and Lexi on the very top of the ride looking out across the open fields. Jack's arm fell from the seat back and landed gingerly across her shoulders. She allowed him to pull her into him, her head falling into place against his chest. She fit perfectly in the place between his shoulder and neck. She sighed contentedly gazing out across the onyx night sky filled with twinkling white stars burning in the distance.

They spent the next several hours perusing the carnival life. He even won her a huge teddy bear from a darts game. She held it tightly as they made their way towards the exit with the rest of the crowd. A plump associate stuffed two t-shirts in their hands as they stepped across the threshold. The distance back to the dorm felt like only seconds compared to earlier in the evening. Jack skidded to a halt in front of the hill that led up to the dorm entrance.

"Do you want me to park and walk you up?" he asked pressing his warning blinkers on again.

"No, not necessary. I'm a big girl." Lexi winked at him playfully. "I think I can handle it," she said grabbing her purse from the floor and raising it to her shoulder. With shirt and bear in hand, she popped the door open and made to leave.

"Hey wait," he said putting the car in park and darting around to the other side.

He reached her; immediately pulling her into him. She slid her arms up around his neck feeling him press her against him. He picked her up letting her legs dangle when he stood up straight. "I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't leave without a hug from you," he said squeezing her a little tighter.

"Oh no," she breathed getting doe-eyed, "I don't mind at all."

After Jack placed her back on her feet, she stared dreamily up into his eyes. He bent down planting a light kiss on her cheek before straightening up once again and making his way back to the driver's side. Lexi waved as he barreled down the road leaving her standing there breathless.

The next few weeks went by in a blur. Lexi and Jack were together as much as was humanly possible. When he was working at the coffee shop, she could be found studying across from his counter. When her classes let out, he was waiting for her outside the old brick building with a steaming cup of her favorite brew and a moist slice of pound cake or a blueberry muffin. She became a regular in their household staying up late into the night playing video games. His roommates didn't mind her coming over, mostly because they loved the look on Luke's face what she kicked his ass at Mario Kart. The only time they didn't spend together was football games. Olivia's legacy went back several generations, and Lexi usually followed her to their tailgate spot on North Campus along with the rest of their friends. Jack typically had a space reserved with his buddies on East Campus. He tended to return to Savannah during away games, and Lexi found that she missed him more than she was willing to admit. That's why she had designated Sunday as their movie night where they would watch anything from The Notebook to American Psycho to 300.

On this particular movie night, Lexi accepted his easy hug as she walked through his door. She snuggled up into his sweater inhaling the familiar smell. "This weekend seemed to drag on forever," Lexi whispered into his ear.

"I know. I missed you too," he murmured directing her towards the couch. When he looked at her again, he said, "You're beautiful."

A smile stretched across her face. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself," she said knocking her hip against his before falling against the brown suede couch. He landed next to her. Throwing her dark chocolate Sperry's onto the carpet, she stretched her legs out crossing them on the coffee table. "So, what are we watching tonight?" she asked scanning his impressive collection of movies.

Before he had a chance to answer her, his phone buzzed on the table. Attempting to be courteous, Lexi reached forward to hand it to him, but he was too quick. He eagerly snatched it up off the table and stood to read the name on the caller id. After a brief pause, he clicked a button to silence it.

His eyes turned back to her, and Lexi met his gaze expectantly. "I'll call them back," he said falling back into his place at her side. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap burying his head into her hair. "You smell like Heaven," he said taking a big long whiff.

She giggled smacking his hand playfully. "I showered before I came over."

"Well...that's a nice change."

She smacked him harder this time pushing at one of his arms that was holding her tightly in place. "Stop sniffing me like a dog."

"Then stop smelling so damn good," he said breathing her in several more times. His face was so close to her body that she could almost feel his lips against her bare neck. She stopped struggling and tuned into how her body was reacting to him being so near. Her breathing had quickened and her body felt warm all over. His nose brushed lightly up against her ear. She shivered as goose bumps broke out across her arms and down her back at his touch. He didn't let her go though, and he didn't back off. This was new and she liked it. "God, I want you, Lex," he said running a line of kisses down her exposed jaw line.

Lexi's eyes closed of their own accord. As his kisses intensified moving from her jaw to her ear and then down her neck, she sighed heavily cocking her head back to allow him easier access. He laid her gently back against the couch moving his body so that it was hovering just above her with one leg positioned between hers. Their eyes met briefly before his mouth moved from one cheek to another experimentally. She sighed as he inched closer to her wet, trembling lips. Her hardly contained desire let loose a moan as he pushed himself against her. Lacing her fingers through his hair, she gazed up into his crystal clear blue eyes practically begging him to continue. He leaned forward meet her lips. She sighed happily waiting for that moment, but it never came. Just before his lips touched hers, his phone buzzed noisily in his pocket. His attention wavered and he pulled back from her body.

"Don't stop," she urged him leaning forward and planting a kiss of her own on his cheek. "You can call whoever it is back," she reminded him. The limbo he left her in was like torture. She hadn't said so, but she wanted him so bad, and they hadn't even kissed yet.

He smiled at her lovingly and kissed her cheek before moving from his position on top of her. Fishing the phone out of his pocket, he took a look at the name, and once again silenced it. "You're right. I can just call them back."

He hopped off the couch and quickly scooped her up into his arms. Lexi laughed unexpectedly. He effortlessly carried her into his room kicking the door open with his foot. She fell back against the navy blue comforter her shirt sliding up nearly to her chest. She stretched languidly allowing him a full view of her little body. He crawled from the foot of the bed up to her abdomen and left one lone kiss next to her bellybutton. His hands raked the bare skin as he traveled upwards from there. Sighing contentedly, she felt his lips make their way back to her neck. He darted his tongue against her tender skin making her writhe under his rippling muscles.

"Oh Jack," she breathed. Bringing his head up to look at her, she noticed his breath was coming in short puffs. She teasingly wiggled her hips first from side-to-side and then in small circles watching as he groaned on top of her.

"You're so mean."

"Really? I thought I was being really nice," she replied twirling her hips in a figure eight.