Deleted Scene 3: College Life

“It’s way too early in the morning.”

I glanced over at Cassidy and laughed.  She let her head fall back, grumbling about how God should never have created this unholy time of morning and how if she had any choice, school would not be allowed to have its doors open.  She’d make sure that all the classes were after nine, she told me.  Never would we have to get up early again.

“Bri,” Cassidy drawled, her head coming back up and her eyes flicking in my direction, “don’t you agree that it’s too early in the morning?”

I laughed.  “Yeah.  Definitely.”

“Beautiful,” came a voice from behind us.  “Stop complaining about sunshine.  People will mistake you for a vampire.”

We both turned, our eyes locking on Sean as he strutted toward us, an amused smirk on his face.  I let out a laugh as Cassidy glared at him, pursing her lips and bringing her hands to her hips.  Cassidy and Sean constantly reminded me of Shelley and Garner.  Always bantering, always teasing each other, but still in love with each other.

“You’re so pale that anyone could mistake you for a vampire,” Cassidy retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

I snorted along with Sean at that one.  He was anything but pale.  He was tan, actually.  Really tan.  His complexion went along perfectly with his dark locks of hair and his electric blue eyes.  He and Dannon had almost the same color eyes.  Except, to me, Dannon’s eyes were a much deeper, warmer blue.

Dannon.  I missed him so much.  The last time I’d talked to him was a couple days ago, on the phone.  We hadn’t seen each other in over two weeks.  I couldn’t wait until this weekend!  I could finally see him, even if it was for only a day or two.

Yeah.  I’d become dependent on Dannon’s presence.  Sue me.

“As good as that retort is,” Sean drawled, his smirk growing, “we both know I have a sexy tan.”

I watched as Cassidy involuntarily scanned him from head to toe.  She, in contrast to Sean, was on the pale side.  She had a darker shade of brunette hair than him with flashing brown eyes.  The first time I’d seen her, I’d been sort of intimidated.  She was an upperclassmen, I was a freshman.  I’d been afraid to walk up to her and ask for directions to my dorm.  I’d been terrified she’d yell at me.

But she didn’t.  And now she was one of my first college friends.

I didn’t have many college friends.  Most of my friends were introduced to me by Cassidy.  There was Sean, Cassidy’s boyfriend.  And then there was Mira, her best friend.  And then there was Faith, her roommate.  Oh, and Skylar, Sean’s roommate.  There were a couple of girls I’d become acquainted with in class, but we didn’t really hang out outside of the classroom.  For the most part I just hung out with Cassidy.

“Sexy?” Cassidy cocked an eyebrow.  “You call that sexy?”

“Uh, yeah.”  Sean rolled his eyes.  “Just admit it.  You love my tan.”

“Yeah, ‘kay.”  Cassidy shook her head.  She shot an amused look in my direction, “I so don’t,” she stage whispered to me.

“We both know you’re lying, Beautiful,” Sean teased.

Cassidy rolled her eyes again.  I couldn’t help but smile at them.  Their banters were so much like that of a married couple’s it was hilarious.  I glanced down at my hand and smiled larger.  My engagement ring sparkled in the sun, almost hurting my eyes.  It was almost time for the wedding.  I was so excited.  Soon, I’d no longer be Brianne Nichols.  I’d be Brianne Barone, Dannon’s wife.

I still couldn’t get used to my last name changing.

“Brianne,” Cassidy said, cutting me out of my reverie.  “Please tell this rude pervert that not everyone finds his tan incredibly sexy.”

I looked Sean in the eye, a mischievous glint in my eye.  “Sean,” I began, “not everyone finds your tan sexy.”  I paused for a moment before laughing.  “But Cassidy does.”

Sean guffawed, holding his hand out.  I slapped it, a grin curling up on my lips.  Cassidy glared at us both, her hands going down to her hips.  “You guys are so mean to me!” she hissed, shaking her head.  “Why do I associate myself with you?”

“Well, you love me,” Sean mused.  He pointed at me.  “And she’s so much like you that you want a little Mini Me.”

Cassidy and I both scowled at him.  “We’re not alike!” we both snapped at the same time.  We glanced at each other.  Well, that didn’t help our case.

Sean cocked an eyebrow at us.  “Yeah, not at all.”

Okay, I would admit, there were some things about Cassidy that I saw in myself.  We both had the ability not to be attracted to the most popular guy at school, despite everyone’s obvious infatuation with him.  We both fell for the most popular guy at school.  We were both sarcastic, witty, down-right-hilarious, and stubborn.

But nope.  Not completely alike at all.

As Sean and Cassidy began to bicker, I pulled out my cell phone.  I flipped it open, my eyes widening when I saw that I had a missed phone call.

“Oh, Brianne’s socializing.”  Cassidy snickered at me.  She watched as I pressed the Send button and brought my phone to my ear.  “Who are you calling?”

“Dannon,” I answered immediately.  “He called earlier and I missed it.”

Cassidy nudged Sean playfully. “Oh, she’s calling the fiancé,” she drawled.  “We’d better back away, now.”

Sean nodded solemnly.  “We have to give the lovely couple alone time.”

I rolled my eyes.  “You guys are so stupid,” I informed them.

“Coming from the freshman,” Sean said with a snort.

I rolled my eyes at him again.  Sean had been non-stop making fun of me for being a freshman since he first met me.  Cassidy had explained to me beforehand that he liked to be rude and make fun of people.  Apparently, they hated each other’s guts in the beginning of their relationship.  It was kind of like with Dannon and me.  Except Sean hated Cassidy too.  Dannon never hated me.

“Hey, Nichols!” came Dannon’s voice through the receiver.

“Hey, Barone,” I replied.  I couldn’t help but smile.  “You called?”

“That I did.” 

I glanced at Cassidy and Sean.  They were still bickering.  I struggled not to laugh as Cassidy slapped him on the shoulder, a scowl at the ready.  When she called him a horse-flied leprechaun that ate honey nut cheerios, I decided to turn my attention back to the phone call.  “What did you call for?” I inquired, an eyebrow rising.

“Do I need a reason?” Dannon mused.  I could just imagine that warm smile on his face.  I wondered where he was right now.  Today was a free day for him.  He didn’t have any classes.  Why he was up this early on a free day, I did not know.  I, for one, would be sleeping in until ten-thirty.  Not up at seven o’clock.

“No,” I said, bringing a hand through my hair.  “How are classes going?”

Dannon chuckled.  “They’re going good.”  He paused.  “I have a surprise for you.”

“And that surprise is?” I cocked an eyebrow.  What surprise could he possibly have for me that he planned on giving to me before I saw him this weekend?

“It’s a surprise, Bri.”  Dannon laughed.  “Why would I tell you?”

I scowled.  Seriously, Dannon?  Seriously?  “You don’t say you have a surprise for me and then not tell me!” I hissed.  “That’s so incredibly rude.”

“It really is!” Cassidy exclaimed.  I glanced at her and smiled, giving her a thumbs-up.  She returned the gesture.

“I suppose I could tell you,” Dannon drawled, pulling me back to the conversation on the phone.

I cocked an eyebrow, looking up at the sky.  I wondered what it could be.  Did he buy me a pony?  If so, I’d have to slap him.  I, unlike many girls, did not want a pony when I was a child, nor would I ever want one.  Ever since I fell into a pile of horse crap when I was four, I’d hated any farm animal.  Yup.  True story.

“You gonna tell me or what?” I demanded after a few minutes.

Dannon chuckled.  “Turn around.”

Confused, I spun around.  My eyes locked on the parking lot, scanning the cars parked there.

And then I saw him.

My mouth dropped as I slammed my phone shut and shoved it into my pocket.  And then I was running.  Running toward him, a huge smile on my face.  How—how was this even possible?  He’d driven all the way over here just to be with me?  I smiled wider.  I just couldn’t believe it.  Dannon.  Here.  At my college.  And it wasn’t a weekend.

I reached him, throwing my arms around him.  Dannon laughed, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me up, spinning me around.  I paused, only for a moment, to smile before crashing my lips to his.

Dannon set me back on the ground, kissing me back.  I smiled largely as he kissed me, pulling him as close as I possibly could.  Not seeing him for two weeks had definitely taken its toll on me.  It seemed to have taken a toll on Dannon, too, for he held me tightly, his hand going from my cheeks to my hair, bringing his hands through it.

“Hi,” I whispered, breathless as we pulled away.

Dannon broke into a huge smile.  “Hey.”

My arms, which had just found their way toward my sides, wound around Dannon’s neck, pulling him closer to me.  Dannon chuckled, hugging me back.  “Missed me?” he mused into my ear.

“More than you know,” I said, digging my head into his shoulder blade. 

“Aaaaaaw!”

I turned, my arms still wrapped around Dannon’s neck, trying to find the source of the noise.  I spotted Cassidy, waving her arms like a maniac, a crazed smile on her face.  I shook my head, letting a small grin break on my lips.  She was so crazy.

“Come on,” I whispered, pulling away, and grabbing Dannon’s hand within mine.  “I want you to meet my friends.”

Dannon smiled, nodding as I pulled him toward where Cassidy and Sean were standing.  He didn’t say anything as we walked—but he didn’t need to.  The fact that he was here—here—was good enough for me.

“So this is the fiancé we’ve been hearing about?” Cassidy drawled as Dannon and I reached her.  She held out one of her hands, smiling brightly at Dannon.  “I’m Cassidy.”

Dannon held out his free hand and shook Cassidy’s.  “Dannon,” he said with a smile.  He glanced at me, and his smile grew.  I smiled back.  I was so happy right now—like, you don’t even know.

“And this is Sean,” Cassidy said, her hand sweeping over Sean.  “A guy with an ego too big for his own good.”

“But she loves it.”  Sean grinned.  “Even if she doesn’t admit it.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes before placing her hands on her hips.  “So!” she exclaimed, looking between Dannon and I.  “Where are we going?”

I blinked at her.  “What?”

“Well, we have to go somewhere,” Cassidy mused.  “I mean, the fiancé is visiting!”

Sean snickered.  I watched with amused eyes as he reached down, grabbing his hand in hers.  She curled he fingers within his, and for a moment I could see the expression that I’d worn when I was talking about Dannon in the video for history.  “Just don’t roast marshmallows,” Sean said teasingly.  “Cass tends to catch them on fire and thrash them around whilst screaming like a girl.”

“That was one time!” Cassidy exclaimed with a huff.  “And I can’t believe you ate it.”

I cocked an eyebrow.  “You ate a marshmallow that was on fire?  That’s rather daring.”

At this the three of them laughed.  “Of course not, my dear little freshman,” Sean mused, smirking, “I made sure to blow it out first.  Cass seemed to be having some trouble.”

Cassidy snorted.  “That’s because I didn’t want to burn myself.”  She sighed exasperatedly, begging me with her eyes for me to help her out.  “It was on fire, Bri!  Fire!”

“That’s what she kept repeating while it was on fire,” Sean mused with a grin.  “Without even attempting to put it out, by the way.”

They were so cute.

After a few minutes of them bantering about fiery marshmallows, ballerinas, and singing yaks (I didn’t even know), it was finally decided that we would go to a small café a block away from campus to learn about each other.  I’d been to the café a couple times before with Cassidy and Mira.  Apparently it was the common hangout for my friends.  It was the place where a lot of shit went down (Mira’s words, not mine). 

Sean pulled the door of the café open, gesturing for us all to pile in.  My hand still intertwined with Dannon’s, I followed Cassidy in, a small smile on my face.  We sat at Cassidy’s usual booth, the first one from the door.  I pushed toward the window, smiling brightly at Dannon as he sat beside me.  I never imagined that he would be sitting in this café with me.  Never.  It was amazing.

“What do you guys want?” Sean asked, standing in front of the table.  “I’ll go order it, being the generous man I am.”

“Man, what man?” Cassidy teased, amusement twinkling in her eyes.  Despite their banters I could see how much she loved him.  Someone would have to be really stupid not to see it.  And, with one look at Sean, I knew that he felt the same exact way—and even met the same intensity.  I knew from the moment I first saw Sean walk up to her that they were together.  I know, right?  I was getting so good at couple-calling.

“Very funny, Cass,” Sean said with an amused smile.  “I know you want a hot chocolate—since, you know, you’re very uncreative.  Bri probably wants a hot chocolate too.  Dannon?”

Dannon smiled.  “A hot chocolate would be fine, thanks.”

Sean snickered, stepping away from the table and moving toward the counter.  Cassidy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend’s retreating back before smiling at us.  “How’s college life, Dannon?” she asked kindly, her smile turning in Dannon’s direction.

“It’s good!”  Dannon met her smile with one of his own.  “It’s tough being away from family and friends, though.”

“Yeah, I bet.”  Cassidy nodded knowingly.  “It was hard to leave my brother at first.  But he made me.”  She sighed, shaking her head.  “You get used to it after a while.”  She grinned.  “Though, I bet it’s tough being away from your fiancé.”

Dannon glanced at me, his smile growing.  “Yeah, definitely.”  He laughed.  “We saw each other, like, every day in high school, so this is a huge change.”

I’d say.

I was about to say something, but suddenly Sean was waggling a hot chocolate in my face.  I rolled my eyes, taking it from his hands and sipping at it.  Sean snorted, handing Dannon his hot chocolate and Cassidy hers.  He plopped beside Cassidy, setting his own hot chocolate in front of him.  Apparently we were all having hot chocolates today. 

“I need a straw,” Sean grumbled.  “This will not do.”

“You’re so odd,” Cassidy informed him.  She glanced around at the table before grabbing a straw from the small cup holding a few inside it here.  “Here, Seany-poo.”

“Thank you, Beautiful.”  Sean grinned, ripping off the top of the straw wrapping.  I watched with amused eyes as he brought his lips to the straw and blew the paper off of it, right into Cassidy’s face.  She let out a noise of shock before scowling in Sean’s direction.  And then she reached for the wrapper, crumbled it in a ball, and threw it at Sean’s face.  However, she had my luck.  It fluttered to the table, not even an inch away from where she picked it up.  Poor girl.

“Dammit,” she muttered.  “So not cool.”

“Yeah, definitely not cool.”  Sean sipped at his hot chocolate before sliding his gaze over to Dannon and me.  “So, how long have you been with freshman here?”

Dannon smiled.  “Over a year.” 

I grinned at Cassidy as she grabbed the coffee creamer from the table and poured some into her hot chocolate.  There wasn’t a single time where she didn’t do that.  I always joked around with her saying that she was going to put too much in, but she swore that she’d learned her lesson from when she did it a while back.  Apparently that hot chocolate had gone to good use.  It’s been thrown right in Sean’s face.

I wish I’d been there to see that.

Cassidy set the coffee creamer down and grabbed a straw from the straw holder.  She twirled it around in the hot chocolate before holding it out to Sean.  “Hey, Seany-poo, would you like another straw?  Maybe you can look like a walrus and listen to them sing.”

“Yeah, no,” Sean said, not impressed.

I glanced at Dannon and smiled.  He smiled back.  I hadn’t realized how much I missed that smile until now.  It was quite alarming just how dependent I’d become on seeing him ever since we left the hospital after we found out his cancer was gone.  Seeing him or talking to him every day had become vital.  And Dannon was the same way.  You could call me clingy, corny, whatever.  I didn’t care.  That coma almost destroyed me.  And I wasn’t going to miss the life with Dannon I could have lost in that hospital room.

“Do you have one of those cliché romances?” Cassidy asked suddenly, turning her attention away from Sean.  “You know, the ones that make the girls go, ‘Awwwww!’”

“My brother goes, ‘Awwwww!’” I mused.  “Does that count?”

Cassidy snorted but nodded.  “I suppose.  Is he a chick flick fanatic?”

I nodded vigorously.  “Yes.  Oh my gosh.”

Cassidy blinked.  “So you do have a cliché romance then?”

I shrugged.  “I guess?”

Cassidy snorted.  “You can’t guess what kind of romance you have, Bri.  Mira says Sean and I have a ‘cliché kind of love’ if it makes you feel better.”

Sean cocked an eyebrow.  “When did she say that?”

“The day we went camping,” Cassidy said without a pause to think about it.  “While we were on the bus.”

A look struck Sean’s face and for a moment I thought something was wrong.  I knew immediately that something important had happened on that day.  Something very, very important.  “Oh,” he said blankly.  He glanced away, sipping at his hot chocolate.  Cassidy smiled slightly, and I instantly knew that she knew exactly what Sean was thinking.

What the hell had happened?

“Anyway,” Cassidy drawled, her eyes flicking back to me.  “I’m not one for the icky romance stories, but I would love to hear yours.  Since it’s so awesome that you’re engaged already.”  She grinned.  “Story time?”

I snorted.  “Yeah, no.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes.  “In any other circumstance I would so understand.  Mira used to push me all the time.”  She sighed deeply, flicking a hand through her hand.  “I get you, girl.  I get you.”  She flashed me another grin. “But please?”

Sean and Dannon laughed as I shook my head at Cassidy.  “Oh jeez,” Sean muttered.  “The two stubborn-est women in the world are going at it in a battle.”  He glanced at Dannon.  “We might not survive this.”

Dannon sighed woefully.  “That’s depressing.”

“Or Dannon could just tell me the story and we’d be fine.”  Cassidy smiled mischievously.  “How ‘bout it, Dannon?”

I scowled, leaning back in my seat and crossing my arms over my chest.  I didn’t know why Cassidy was obsessed with my romance story.  Usually she was on my side with the whole anti-romance-movies thing.  But now Dannon comes and suddenly she’s all pro-romance?  She was turning into Mira.  And Kyla.  She was turning into Kyla. 

“Brianne might kill me,” Dannon drew out, amusement in his voice.  “I don’t feel like dying.”

“I’ll put up my shield,” Cassidy assured him.  “Besides, Brianne loves you too much to kill you, right?”

Dannon laughed, snuck a glance my way, and then nodded.  “Maybe.”

“Just tell her the story so she’ll shut her face,” I said sourly.  I shot a pointed look in Cassidy’s direction.  “You better not hold this against me.  And I better get to hear yours.”

I wasn’t going to lie, I was really intrigued by Sean’s and Cassidy’s story.  It seemed so twisted and complicated.  But no matter how twisted and complicated it was, they still ended up together.  And that was what mattered.

Gosh I was such a sap.

Cassidy shot a look at Sean as though asking his permission.  Sean met her gaze and then shrugged, sipping into his hot chocolate.  Wow.  It must have been a really intense if she had to ask permission.  “Okay,” she said, smirking at me.  “Now, let’s hear it!”

All eyes went to Dannon.  Dannon took a sip of his hot chocolate before clearing his throat.  “It all started with an apple,” Dannon began, smiling. 

“An apple?”  Sean cocked an eyebrow.

“Sean, don’t interrupt!” Cassidy rebuked, whacking his arm.

Sean sighed deeply, rolling his eyes and bringing a hand through his hair.  “My apologies,” he drawled, not sounding sorry at all.  “Continue.”

Dannon grinned.  He glanced at me before saying, “I was eating lunch with my friends and suddenly I get hit in the head with an object.  I looked down and saw that it was an apple.”  He paused, his smile growing.  “I picked it up, and looked around, trying to find out who threw it.  And then I see two girls sitting in a booth at the opposite end of the cafeteria with horrified expressions on their faces.”

I mentally face-palmed.  Why was I letting him tell this story?  It was beyond embarrassing. 

“Wait,” Cassidy interjected, holding up a hand.  She cocked an eyebrow in my direction.  “You threw an apple across the cafeteria?  Why?”

“I told you not to judge!” I hissed, scowling.  “And I’m not answering any questions. Dannon’s telling the story.”

Dannon cleared his throat and chuckled, shaking his head.  Apparently telling this story amused him very much.  “So I went over the table and gave the apple back.  I learned that their names were Brianne and Kyla.  I also learned that Kyla was the one who made Brianne throw it—for a reason I would find out later.  Brianne quickly lost her fear and gave me her sarcastic attitude that has come to grow on me.

“Anyway, that night I was looking through year books and found Brianne.  I called up random houses until I found hers.  She was freaked out, but, oh well.” 

“Wouldn’t you be freaked out if a random guy you only talked to once searched you up in the phone book?” I demanded defensively.  “Like, seriously.”

Sean and Cassidy snickered.  “Yeah, I probably would be,” Cassidy confessed.  “But Sean was a lot worse, so I have no sympathy.”

Sean rolled his eyes, but didn’t disagree with her either.  Ha.

“After that, we began hanging out more,” Dannon continued.  He had a distant look on his face, as though he was remembering all of the times we had together.  “I went with her to her family’s barbeque, and we got stranded there.  She, Kyla, and I.”

He conveniently left out the part about me almost drowning.  Thank goodness.  We didn’t need Cassidy flipping out.

Dannon went on to explain about us getting assigned a project and how we became friends and then more.  Cassidy and Sean listened intently, no longer interrupting.  I hadn’t expected Sean to be so interested, but he was.  His eyes even widened at parts, like he could see things happening.

“And then, after a skiing trip with friends,” Dannon said softly, his hand tightening over mine, “Brianne found out something about me that I wasn’t prepared for her to find out yet.”

I swallowed, feeling my stomach drop.  I could still feel the devastation of when I found out about Dannon’s condition.  I didn’t think I’d ever felt more heartbroken than that day.  Except, of course, when Dannon was in a coma.  That had been so heartbreaking that for some periods of time I feared that the depression would take over me completely.

Cassidy’s eyes widened, her eyes shooting to me questioningly.  I shook my head, biting my lip.  I wasn’t going to say it.

“She found out that I had cancer,” Dannon said, answering Sean and Cassidy’s unasked question. 

Cassidy gasped.  “Wh—what?” she exclaimed.

Sean’s eyes widened, his hot chocolate freezing mid-air.  I could see a distant sense of empathy within him, like he could truly understand what Dannon meant by having a secret he hadn’t wanted the one he loved to find out.  Wow.  I was learning a lot about Sean today.

“She was strong through the whole thing.  She supported me when I needed her—even when I had a breakdown.”  He sighed, bringing a hand through his hair.  “Even though she knew that I was supposed to die in three months, she never, not for one second, thought of leaving me.  And I loved her so much for that.

“And then I went into a coma, just like it was predicted.”  He glanced at me.  “I don’t really know how everything went while I was gone, but Bri and my friends gave me a pretty detailed picture.  Everything went to hell, as my friend Garner said.  Brianne fell apart, my friend Oliver had to fight to be strong every day for his girlfriend.  Everyone was trying to get Brianne to smile again.”  He sighed again, like this was beginning to pain him.

My stomach churned.  I hated these memories.  They were so painful.  Waking up every day to a nightmare, wishing that I could go back because at least there Dannon spoke to me.  Begging Dannon to open his eyes for me, to please speak.  Hating God for doing this to Dannon.

They were not memories I preferred to dwell on. 

“And then, a few days before I was supposed to die, I woke up.”  Dannon smiled.  “And Brianne was there, her face the first one that I saw when I opened my eyes.  She was there even when it was so obvious that I wasn’t going to be there much longer.

“She called loved ones, and soon my dad and her brother were there.  We found out from the doctors that my cancer was completely gone—it’d just vanished into thin air.”

Cassidy and Sean were silent as Dannon finished the story.  I squeezed Dannon’s hand comfortingly, knowing that it’d taken a lot to get the cancer part of the story out.  I was proud of him.  So damn proud.

“Wow,” Cassidy murmured finally.  She looked at Dannon, her eyes wide.  “Thank the Lord you didn’t die.”

Her words were said quickly, as though it was an impulse.  For a moment she looked like she regretted her words—like she thought they were rude and inconsiderate.  This happened with her a lot.  She’d say something, realize how it must have sounded, and then felt bad. 

Dannon smiled, and suddenly the expression on Cassidy’s face went away.  “I do,” he said sincerely, his smile growing.  “Every single day.”

Sean smiled in Dannon’s direction, not saying anything.  He seemed lost for words.  Which, I would like to point out, was definitely a first.

“So, basically,” Cassidy drawled after a moment of silence, “you guys have the cliché of all cliché romances?”

Dannon and I laughed.  “Yeah, basically.”

~*~

“Thank you so much for coming,” I said, smiling up at Dannon.  “It meant a lot.”

Dannon held onto my hand tightly, a bright smile on his face.  We were heading toward the parking lot, toward his car.  After the café, we’d gone back to campus and showed him around.  I even showed him my dorm room—which was pretty messy due to the fact that my roommate never cleaned.  He seemed to enjoy himself, but when didn’t he?  Dannon always went through everything with a smile on his face.

“I’m glad I did,” he replied.  “Sean and Cassidy seem cool.”

“They are.”  I grinned.  “Sorry they made you spill your life story.  Cassidy seemed more interested in romance than usual.”

“You two are alike,” Dannon said with a grin.  “Denying your love for romance when really you can’t wait to hear about it.”

I scrunched my nose together.  “Nuh-uh!” I denied, shaking my head.  “Most definitely not.”

Dannon chuckled before letting go of my hand and pulling me toward him, enveloping me in a hug.  I hugged him back, my head digging into his chest.  I was going to miss him.  Sure, we had this weekend, but then it would be back to relying on phone calls again.  I loved it when he was here.  That way I could actually see the smile on his face.

“I love you so much,” Dannon said into my ear.  “You know that, don’t you?”

“I love you, too,” I replied.  I pulled away slightly, a smile on my face.  “And of course I know that.”

Dannon smiled bringing his lips to mine.  I kissed him back, my arms tightening around him.  The smile that seemed permanently etched onto my face broadened as Dannon’s hand caressed my cheeks.  Everything around me seemed to disappear—all the onlookers, ready to get a look at the couple kissing for everyone to see, everything.  The only thing I could see, could feel, was Dannon.

Dannon pulled away, his forehead resting on mine.  “I’ll see you this weekend,” he murmured. 

“Not soon enough,” I mumbled, not even really thinking before the words slipped off my tongue.  Not that I ever did.  With Dannon I said what was on my mind—no matter what.

“I know.”  Dannon chuckled, bringing a hand through my hair before pulling away.  “I love you, Bri.”

I smiled briefly, watching as Dannon moved toward his car.  “I love you, too.”

Dannon smiled, opening his Saturn’s door before hopping inside.  I watched as he turned on the ignition, shutting the door behind him.  He tossed me one last smile and a wave before he began pulling out of his parking space, leaving.

I watched as Dannon’s car disappeared out of the parking lot.  College life may have made it hard to see him, but it didn’t change us at all.  Not one bit.  And I loved that.  In the movies there was always drama about long distance relationships and how if you didn’t see your boyfriend too often then you were going to drift apart.  But that wasn’t at all how it was for Dannon and me.  The distance seemed to bring us closer—if that was even possible.  The distance made us appreciate the time we did have together.

Oh my gosh.  Maybe I was turning into Kyla.

Considerably disturbed now, I shook my head and twisted on my heel, heading back to campus where Cassidy and Sean were probably still bickering about singing yaks and ballerinas.  I still didn’t understand what that was about, and I probably never would.  I mean, they didn’t call it an inside joke for nothing.  But maybe I would.  Maybe.

But probably not.