Soon after Alex leaves, I receive another text from William. This time he keeps it short and sweet.

I love you.

I immediately send one back.

Love you, too.

I then see

...

He has more to say. I wait, but then nothing. This is driving him crazy. I can't keep doing this to him. It isn't fair. I text back...

Dinner?

and immediately I see...

YES! Where?

Hmm... where? That is a good question. I really don't feel up to a restaurant. I wish to steer clear of the campus just for a little while...

Here? Alex's?

Be there! When?

I know Alex leaves around six and I kind of want him around. Not that I can't handle things with William on my own, but I just feel calmer when Alex is near. Besides, my curiosity about these two is peaked and what better way to take my mind off of my own problems than to meddle in theirs.

5 pm?

See you then.

I hope Alex doesn't mind. I figure since they are such good friends, it should be okay. Taking inventory of what Alex has in his pantry, I realize he wasn't kidding about not having much in the way of food.

I take my car to the local market. Being pregnant puts my journalist's research skills to the test. The amount of do's and don'ts when you're pregnant is simply astounding.

Take food, for example. I mourn when I read no raw fish. I love sushi. Certain deli meats are iffy, there go my hoagies for lunch. The ultimate downer, no caffeine. How does a college student survive the trenches of academia and all-night study sessions without caffeine?

"You better appreciate this, little one," I murmur as I add a bag of decaf coffee into my cart. I am nearly done when I realize I have forgotten the vitamins. I stand, staring at the containers, not knowing which I should choose.

"Cat? Is that you?"

I spin on my heels and find myself face to face with Jenny, a perky little blonde from my sorority who, for reasons I don't understand, wants to destroy me. Okay, maybe that's a little harsh. I just don't remember signing up for whatever competition she believes we are in.

I try to smile, but I know it's fake. "Jenny, how are you?"

She gives me those air kisses on each cheek, and I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Me? I'm fabulous as always." She suddenly gets this sad puppy dog look. "More importantly... how are you doing?"

I am about to speak, but she cuts me off.

"You've been missing so much time lately. Are you well? I heard some guy tell Professor Jalowetz that you have the flu, poor baby. The girls and I are, of course, worried about you. Funny, finding you here?" She waves to encompass the whole of the food market.

"Well, sick or not, I still have to eat," I say, having a hard time keeping the sarcasm out of my voice.

By the girls, I know she means the girls at Chi Omega, the sorority for which I am the president. Jenny has always coveted that position. However, she's not well liked, mostly because she is the biggest gossip in school. She'd be salivating right now if she knew what juicy story I am currently keeping under wraps.

Jenny looks behind me to the shelf, and her smile goes feral. I almost expect her to pounce. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Her eyes narrow. She quickly scans my cart, then stares harder at me. I almost believe she expects me to fall to my knees and confess everything to her.

"Not yet, but I'm sure some vitamin C packs, a good multivitamin, perhaps a few zinc lozenges and I'll be right as rain."

"Oh!" she gasps, as if her brain sparked for a moment. Her hand covers her mouth. "What about the fundraiser this weekend? If you can't handle it, I'd be more than happy to step in. After all, what are sisters for?"

"You know what, Jenny since I've already done all the work, why don't you do that? Why don't you run the event? In fact, I couldn't imagine leaving things in more capable hands than yours."

I take her hands in mine, but not before pretending to cough into them. She looks both skived and confused. Like she isn't sure if I am being truthful or sarcastic. In all honesty, I am being both, but there really isn't any reason she can't run the event. It is all planned and spelled out to the minutest detail. Not even she can screw it up.

Jenny pulls her hands away and I try not to smirk, as she not so discreetly wipes them on her jeans.

"Really?" I understand her disbelief.

"Really." I am actually genuinely smiling at her this time. It would really be a relief not to have to worry about the fundraiser this weekend.

She lets out this ear-splitting squeal that leaves me nearly deaf. "You won't regret this! EEEEE! Oh, and uh ... hope you get better soon. Bye-ee."

"Thanks, Jen. I'm sure I will."

She practically bounces away. I am just happy it is far away from me. I make a quick grab for the prenatal vitamins and bury them under my produce. Just in case I come across her again, I throw in some vitamin C packs and zinc lozenges for good measure.

The rest of my trip takes place without incident. By the time I arrive back at Alex's, he is already home.

"There you are!" He looks visibly worried about me. "Let me help you with those."

I am not used to someone caring if I'm around or not and feel guilty about not sending him a text to say where I went. "Thank you. Sorry if I worried you. I just thought we could use some supplies." 

Alex takes some packages from me. "Looks like you bought out the store, Cat."

"You obviously don't cook much." For me, what I bought is just the fundamentals.

"Hey now, who made you spaghetti last night? And I made an omelet."

"Okay. I take it back," I tell him, putting the rest of the packages on the floor. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited William over for dinner."

"I know, he told me. I don't mind. In fact, I think it's a great idea. What do I owe you for this?"

I am thrilled he likes the idea. "Owe me? If anyone owes anyone, I owe you and so much more."

"Cat, I asked you to stay. You don't owe me anything." Alex turns towards the cabinets and starts putting things away.

"Well, that's where we disagree. If I am staying, I'm paying."

He looks back at me with a goofy grin while shelving some cereal. "Think that one up on your own, did you?"

I shrug. "Its probably been used somewhere before, but that doesn't make it any less true."

He turns around and leans against the counter, arms folded. He's just staring at me. "Okay. Let's make a deal."

"Is this where I ask what's behind door number one?"

He chuckles. "Since you're a self-proclaimed master chef, you can take care of the food shopping and meal prep and I'll handle the rent."

"But I don't know how much the rent is? How do I know this is a fair deal?"

"I assure you rent is more than you'll spend on food in a month."

"That's exactly what I mean." 

I try to move around him to reach the refrigerator. The kitchen really is not a big enough space for two people. My foot gets caught on a plastic bag handle, making me lose my balance, but Alex catches me before I hit the floor.

I nearly take him with me, but he keeps us both upright as his arms encircle me. I am immediately reminded of how he held me in the bathroom earlier while I cried.

"Careful there," he says, looking down at me, but he doesn't let me go.

I try to shake the bag from my foot, but it's being stubborn. 

"Allow me." 

Alex kneels in front of me. I have to place my hands on his shoulders to steady myself while he releases my shoe from the plastic bag. He stands back up and there's hardly a hair's breadth between us. We are so close I can feel the heat coming off of him. 

"Are you sure you want such a klutzy woman in charge of your kitchen?" I ask, feeling very strange at this moment.

He smiles easily at me. "Oh, I'm sure."

His look changes. For a half second, I think something is going to happen. What I can't say, but there is definitely electricity in the air. His phone rings and he pulls it out of his pocket, groans and walks away into the other room.

"Come on. This is my night off. Can't you get someone else? I know, I just..." he looks back at me and turns away. "I had plans. Yeah, kinda important. No, I'll be there, but not until 7 or 8. Yeah. Sure. You're welcome."

He must have really been looking forward to the dinner with William. His look of disappointment makes me that much more determined to make this a special night.