Better than either of them expect.

As they walked through the foggy, mostly-empty campus to the student union, Jennifer took the opportunity to learn more about Gregory. He was from Tallahassee, where A Waste of Regret was a local act that he had been following since junior high. No wonder he was excited to hear one of their tunes! She filed away every biographical detail and quirk, fascinated by this new friend.

They entered the small generic cafe and stepped up to the counter. Jenn almost always drank black coffee, but today she was feeling a caramel macchiato. Gregory ordered the same thing, then reached for his wallet.

"Don't worry, man," she said amicably. "I've got this one. It's the least I can do for my pinch-hitter study buddy."

As they were waiting for the drinks, Jennifer fidgeted nervously. She was considering asking if he was single, but felt slightly intimidated. Just as she opened her mouth to bring up the topic, she felt someone collide with her from behind and a flash of heat across her back. She spun to see a scrawny undergrad with a terrified look on her face and a mostly-empty cup of coffee.

She opened her mouth to tear into him, but the anger wasn't there. It was disorienting, like walking through a door in your house to find a completely different room than you expected. She blinked, stunned, and stammered for a moment. The kid apologized profusely and Jenn heard the most improbably words escape her lips.

"No problem, man. Accidents happen."

The mortified patron gave another quick apology and rushed out of the cafe. Jenn turned back to Gregory and saw something like admiration in his face. She felt a heat rise to her cheeks and another descend to her abdomen when she realized that he approved.

"Wow, that was really chill of you," he said. "Most people would have bitten that guy's head off."

"To be honest, I think I normally would have," Jenn said. "I guess I'm just feeling charitable today."

The barista called her name and they got their drinks, then sat at a table in the corner. The combined shock of the hot coffee across her back and Gregory's approval gave her the confidence she lacked early. She leaned forward, exposing a generous amount of cleavage (when had she unbuttoned so many buttons?) and asked him if he was seeing anyone.

"Oh, uh... no, not right now," he said. Jenn managed to maintain her poker face as she sipped her macchiato. The sweet creaminess was strangely refreshing to her.

"Really? I'm surprised," she said earnestly. "I'd expect a good-looking, charming guy like you to have a lot of options."

He coughed nervously again and blushed. "I don't know..." he dissembled. "I haven't had a lot of luck in that department."

Jenn bit her lip and put her hand over his. Holy shit, she thought. I'm flirting! Flirting typically didn't come naturally to her. She'd dated and been sexually active, of course, but she was typically too direct and pragmatic to engage in social games like this. She'd unceremoniously asked her last boyfriend out at the gym, when they were both sweaty and exhausted. Now, for some reason, the charm flowed naturally.

"I have a hard time believing that," she told him. "You seem like quite a catch to me."

Gregory looked shocked. It occurred to Jenn that he'd probably never gotten this far in any kind of romantic situation, so he didn't know what came next. Fortunately, she did.

"You know, I can't really concentrate in here," she said. "I think I'll study better back at my apartment. Wanna join me?"