Chance Encounters Read online

  “Hi, everyone. My name is Caroline and I went to college with Johnny. My roommate Tracey, Johnny, and myself were pretty much inseparable. Everyone at school called us the Three Amigos, the Three Musketeers, Three’s Company.” Caroline rolled her eyes. “People were very creative.”

  Small bursts of laughter filled the room before Caroline continued. “I can’t believe this is happening. It doesn’t seem real, you know? I wish it wasn’t.” Caroline struggled to maintain her composure. “It seems so unfair. I stand here and ask myself, why? Why did this have to happen? Why did it have to happen to Johnny, of all people? Why now? Why, why, why?”

  She took a deep breath and wiped at her falling tears. “But there are no answers. There is no reason that would ever be good enough. I will tell you all this though…I’ll never be able to look at life the same way again. My perspective has changed. My mindset has shifted. And that’s because of Johnny. Even in death, he’s still bossing me around.”

  She laughed and the crowd laughed with her. “Life is too short…and nothing is certain. Nothing. Just because you tell someone you’ll talk to them later, or you’ll see them tomorrow, there is no guarantee that either of those things will happen. You hope they will. Hell, we all assume they will. But we don’t really know. Life can change in an instant. A single instant.”

  Caroline closed her eyes to blink out tears as she gripped the sides of the podium with both hands. “I’m going to make myself a promise right here and now. In Johnny’s honor. I promise to live each day to the fullest. I promise to listen to my heart and then work through my fears to follow it. I promise to realize what my dreams are and then take the steps necessary to make them a reality. I promise to be true to me. Not what someone else wants me to be, but what I want.” She glanced at Tracey, who was sobbing.

  “Johnny lived that way. And I always envied him for it. He never cared what other people would say. He lived by his heart. He let his passion guide him. He was the best person I’ve ever known and I miss him so much.”

  Caroline quickly walked away from the podium and down the steps to her seat. She buried her head in Tracey’s shoulder. “That was perfect,” Tracey whispered to her.

  “Thanks.” Caroline’s eyes closed as she struggled to hold back her tears.

  The preacher stepped behind the microphone to announce, “The burial will take place at plot twenty-three on the East Lawn. It’s located right outside the double doors and to your left.”

  Caroline and Tracey held hands as they crept out one of the back doors. Caroline squinted as the sun momentarily blinded her and fumbled through her purse for her sunglasses. The wind whipped at her hair and she fought to stop it from blowing into her face. She spotted the white casket being carried in the distance. “There it is.”

  “How do you know for sure?” Tracey asked.

  “Look around. There’s no one else here.”

  Tracey scanned the area and noticed that Caroline was right. Aside from the crowd that formed at Johnny’s future resting site, the graveyard was empty. They made their way over to the white casket, which was now closed.

  The preacher cleared his throat and the girls directed their attention to him. He read a brief prayer aloud before two workers slowly lowered Johnny into the freshly dug ground. Jackie let out a mournful wail that almost brought Caroline to her knees. Sobs filtered through the air as the casket dropped out of sight.

  The girls sat on the slightly dampened ground next to Johnny’s mom while everyone else slowly filed out of the cemetery. As the sky’s bright orange glow began to fade, the girls stood up. They hugged Jackie goodbye, promised to keep in touch, and walked away from the pile of fresh dirt, arm in arm.

  Caroline let out an exasperated breath. “That was so sad. But also…kind of cathartic, don’t you think?”

  Tracey shrugged her shoulders. “How do you mean?”

  “I dunno. It was nice to hear all those stories about him. What he was like as a kid, a teenager, and then with us. I just feel…kinda happy?”

  “What? What do you mean you feel happy?” Tracey snapped.

  “Not happy, HAPPY. But like…ugh, I don’t know how to explain it! I’m just so freaking thankful that I got to experience college with him.”

  “I don’t understand you at all sometimes.”

  Caroline laughed. “It was just nice to think of him today and laugh and smile and remember all of his jokes and antics. It made me feel good that everyone saw him that way…positive, happy, confident, and adventurous. I just think there’s something so beautiful in being remembered like that.”

  “Seriously. Please stop talking,” Tracey whined.

  “Fine. But Johnny would not want us to be sad and sulk all weekend. You know what he would want us to do.” Caroline eyeballed her friend.

  Tracey’s face dropped. “Go out?”

  Caroline’s eyes lit up. “Go. Out. He would definitely want us to go out.”

  “I hope I don’t die any time soon. You’ll probably go to Disneyland or something.”

  “Ooooh, can I? I’ll bring your ashes on Space Mountain!” Caroline beamed while Tracey’s face filled with horror.

  “Okay, really. Stop. How can you laugh and make jokes right now? You’re freaking me out.”

  “I’m just playing, Tray. Sorry.” Caroline wondered if she laughed and made jokes so she wouldn’t fall apart.

  “Care?” Caroline’s nickname sounded in her ears and broke her current train of thought. “I don’t want to go out tonight, okay?” Tracey asked. “I mean, I want to go out—just not tonight.”

  Caroline smiled in slight relief. “We’ll go out tomorrow,” she said softly.

  Once the girls were safe and sound back in Tracey’s apartment, Caroline turned on the television and heard the sound of soft snores coming from the oversized chair. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Clay’s number.

  “Hi, babe. Yeah, it was awful and wonderful. Oh my gosh, yes. So freaking sad. She was a mess. She said to tell you hi. I know. I’m exhausted. Okay. I love you, too. ’Night.” Caroline hung up and relaxed her head against the back of the couch.

  The rest of the weekend felt like a tall glass of gloom mixed with a shot or two of bliss. Everywhere the girls went brought back memories of college and times spent with Johnny.

  “I had no idea that crying could be this exhausting,” Caroline admitted, unwilling to move from the couch.

  Tracey glanced at her through bloodshot eyes. “Tell me about it.”

  “I don’t want to go back home tomorrow.”

  “I know. I hate that you’re leaving. I miss you so much.”

  “I miss you too. You have to come visit soon, okay?”

  Tracey peered back toward her.

  “Pleeeeease,” Caroline begged.

  Tracey let out a fatigued laugh. “I will.”

  Chapter Three

  Caroline’s alarm didn’t go off when it was supposed to. When she finally opened her eyes and saw the time, she yelled, “Tray! Get up! Crap, I’m going to miss my flight!” Caroline jumped out of bed, did a super-quick makeup job and threw on a semi-cute top with her jeans. It was five in the morning and she could only care so much about stuff like this while she was still half asleep.

  “Tray!!! Come on…UP!” She ran over to her sleeping best friend and shook her.

  “I’m up,” Tracey responded without opening her eyes. “All I have to do is drive you. You’re the one who has to get ready.”

  “I am ready! Come on.”

  The last thing Caroline wanted was to miss her cross-country flight. The girls drove the short distance to the airport and barely spoke two words. Caroline was both emotionally and physically exhausted, and she knew that Tracey was too. When they arrived at the unloading zone, Caroline gave Tracey a hug, told her she loved her, and quickly rushed to the airport counter to check in her bag.

  The middle-aged ticket agent moved far slower than Caroline would have liked and it took everything she had
not to show her impatience. She shifted her weight, looked at the clock on her cell phone constantly, and breathed uncomfortable sighs. The woman at the counter knew Caroline’s plane left soon, yet nothing sped up her process.

  Caroline couldn’t stand it any more. “I don’t mean to be rude, but my flight is leaving soon and I still have to get through security. I really can’t miss it.”

  The woman stopped instantly, forced a smile and cocked her head to one side. “Dear, we have flights that run all day long. If you miss this one, we’ll get you on another.”

  Caroline fumed. Why did this woman think her time was so invaluable, because she was young? She wanted to reach over the counter, grab the lady by her dark blue vest, and violently shake her. But she knew that was probably a bad idea.

  Instead, she lied. “I have meetings all day that I’d really prefer not to reschedule. I’m sure you can understand that, dear?” She mimicked the woman’s head tilt and half smile.

  The woman dropped her smile and her tone turned cold. “Where are you headed?”

  “San Francisco,” Caroline responded in kind.

  “Last name?”

  “Weber, with one ‘b.’”

  “Caroline?” the woman inquired, clearly annoyed.

  “The one and only,” she smirked.

  “I’ll need to see some ID.”

  Caroline handed the woman her driver’s license and the woman abruptly handed her a ticket. “Gate A2. Enjoy your flight.”

  Caroline raced toward security, dreading the ordeal. She placed her black sandals into a bin and made sure her pockets were empty. After a wave from the TSA agent, she walked through the security scanner without a beep. She smiled, grabbed her things in a rush, and sprinted toward her gate.

  When she arrived, she was relieved to see her flight was delayed thirty minutes. She headed over to a small restaurant and grabbed a bite to eat before walking back toward the gate. The airline didn’t assign seats, but her boarding number assured her that she would be one of the first passengers on the plane. When it was time to board, she walked all the way to the back of the plane and took a window seat.

  Caroline listened to music on her iPod and glanced up every so often to see people walk past. As the seats filled up, no one sat in either of the two next to her. She actually started to wonder if she smelled bad or had something on her face. She leaned her nose into her arm and gave a quick sniff. Definitely do not smell, she thought to herself.

  She almost laughed at her ridiculous behavior, when something internal told her to look up. Her heart raced and she almost choked on her gum when she saw an Adonis walk down the aisle toward her. He was tall, tan, and wore a baseball hat backwards that covered his short, dark brown hair. His deep blue eyes locked onto hers and she was certain her heart stopped beating for a moment.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off of hers as he walked toward her row. His full lips turned up slightly in a sexy smirk before he said, “Hi,” and threw his backpack onto the floor of the aisle seat.

  “Hi,” was all Caroline could manage in response. He was unbelievably good-looking and she couldn’t help but stare. His shirt fit tightly on his chest and his sleeves strained to contain his upper arms. That’s what perfection looks like, Caroline thought to herself, her lips pursed together.

  “Is anyone sitting here?” a teenaged boy asked, interrupting Caroline’s mental assessment.

  “You,” said the hot guy. “But hold your horses, kid,” he added as the teenager attempted to squeeze into the middle seat. “I’ll scoot over; you take the aisle.”

  “Are you sure?” the boy asked.

  The stranger looked over at Caroline and smiled. “I’m more than sure.”

  Caroline couldn’t help but smile. As the teenager sat in the aisle seat, she tried to sneak a glance at the hot guy who sat next to her. He turned and caught her looking at him and a wide grin crept across his face. Caroline had a weird thing for good teeth and thankfully, his were perfect and bright white. He set fire to feelings she hadn’t experienced in years; things she had completely forgotten about when it came to anyone other than Clay.

  Clay? At this point, she could barely remember Clay at all.

  To be honest, Caroline wasn’t sure if she’d ever encountered feelings like this before. She was instantly attracted to Clay because he was so handsome, but this stranger ignited something new inside of her. In a way it was almost primal…she literally felt pulled toward his body. It was as though some invisible cord connected them.

  Her body wanted to do things that her mind had to fight off. She stopped herself, more than once, from resting her hand on his thigh, as though that was the most natural place for it to be. She could feel beads of sweat starting to drip down the front of her shirt. He made her nervous and she struggled to stop herself from shaking.

  The attraction between them lingered in the air. They looked into each other’s eyes for an uncomfortable amount of time before the teenager interrupted.

  “Are you two dating?” he asked politely.

  Caroline nodded and before she could say a word, her handsome stranger tossed his arm around her and pulled her close. “We are,” he answered and then quickly kissed the side of her head.

  Caroline’s insides were unhinging. What had she gotten herself into? She could pretend she didn’t enjoy the fact that his lips had just touched her skin, but that would be a lie. Before she could think another thought, he leaned near her ear and whispered, “I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”

  She turned and looked into his eyes. “I didn’t mind.” Her words made him smile and she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from turning upright in return.

  Caroline fumbled underneath her seat for her purse. When she found it, she pulled it onto her lap. Her new “boyfriend” watched her every move with curious eyes. When she reached inside and pulled out her camera, he smiled in approval. She handed her camera across him to the teenager and asked, “Can you take a picture of us, please?”

  Hot Guy scooted his body as close to hers as he could and she felt tiny prickles of energy all around her. It reminded her of when one of her body parts woke up after it had fallen asleep. With her cheek pressed firmly into his, her body buzzed with an unfamiliar feeling, a feeling so foreign and strong, it almost made her jump out of her seat. But the hot guy didn’t react at all, so Caroline figured it was all in her head.

  “I like it when your face touches mine,” he whispered, right before the picture was taken. Her cheeks flushed with warmth.

  She thanked the teenager while the stranger looked at the picture and deemed it worthy of keeping. “You look gorgeous. I look like a schmuck,” he told her with a scowl.

  “Shut up! You look amazing. Your eyes—they’re gorgeous.” She ran her finger across his face on her camera screen and looked at the blue eyes staring back at her.

  He gently took her face in his hands and looked into her soft green eyes. He moved his face toward hers as her heart pounded and her mind felt muddled. He kissed her softly above her ear. “You have beautiful eyes, too.”

  Heat instantly rushed through every pore of her body. Clumsily, she grabbed her purse and shoved the camera back in before telling him, “Thank you,” for the compliment.

  “Any time, babe.” He winked and she felt lost as she looked at him.

  “Excuse me, sir, you have to turn your phone off,” the flight attendant told him.

  “Yeah, hon, turn off your phone,” Caroline smirked. “I’m sorry. He always does this.” She rolled her eyes toward the attendant.

  He gave her a quick glance and threw his arm around her waist, pulling her into him, “Oh I do, do I?”

  His arms were muscular and his chest and shoulders were hard, but Caroline didn’t mind. She couldn’t remember the last time she was so intensely attracted to someone. Her entire body was aware of his. She briefly thought about Clay, but only to compare the differences between him and her new friend. She told hersel
f to stop touching this stranger, stop flirting, stop doing everything she wouldn’t want Clay to be doing. But her body and emotions had their own agenda. And on that agenda was a five-hour meeting with this new, attractive stranger.

  When the plane started to take off, she realized immediately how tired she was. She yawned and fought to keep her eyelids from closing when she heard, “Did you want to sleep, babe?”

  When he talked to her like they were a couple, she got a rush of jittery emotions. “Maybe just for a little. Don’t let me sleep too long, though.” She looked up at his seemingly chiseled features before her hand brushed down the side of his face. What was she doing? She didn’t know this guy; why the hell did she touch his face like that? This was inappropriate and she knew if Clay were doing this, she’d be livid.

  But she couldn’t stop herself. Everything about this guy intrigued her. She wanted to be near his body. She wanted to touch him. Her hands wanted to be all over him. She had to fight the urge to kiss him every time she looked in his direction.

  He bent down, reached into the black sport bag under the seat, and pulled out a faded gray sweatshirt. He folded it into a loose ball and placed it between his shoulder and her head. Then he gently pulled her body toward his and kissed the top of her head. As he stroked her long blonde hair, she reminded him, “Not too long. Promise me.”

  “Sure…but why?”

  “Because I don’t want to waste the whole flight with you sleeping.” She nuzzled into his neck and felt his cheek pressed against her head. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she stopped fighting the sleep that came for her. Her last waking thoughts were how the sweatshirt pillow smelled just like him and she drifted off while she breathed him in.

  Caroline opened her eyes as the jarring movements of airplane turbulence forced her awake. She lifted her head slowly, but kept her arms wrapped around his body. She didn’t move her leg, either, which had somehow become intertwined with his.