Noticed

“Oh, my gosh,” Kirsten said suddenly. “I’ve been totally hogging this whole conversation, talking about school and my roommate and boys. I’m so sorry, Lianna! Tell me about you. Tell me how Aiden’s doing. Is he getting big? How’s Joseph? How’s the band? How’s your work going?”

Laughing, Lianna looked around the posh New York condo that was home for her and her little family. “It’s fine that you’re excited,” she told her little sister. “I’m so glad to hear how well you’re doing. And we’re all doing great. Yes, Aiden seems to be growing nonstop,” she grinned as she thought of her precocious eighteen-month old son. “He’s talking all the time – pointing at a dog on the street and yelling ‘doggie’ or asking me to make ‘ack-a-roni’. He means macaroni and cheese. And he runs now and loves building things with blocks.”

Letting out a disgruntled sigh, Kirsten leaned back into her bed. “I feel like I’m missing so much,” she told her sister sadly. “Last time I saw him, he could only say ‘da da’ and ‘ba ba’ and was still having a hard time taking more than a few steps at once.”

“That was only a couple months ago,” Lianna gently reminded Kirsten. “At this age, it’s hard to keep up with all the developing he’s doing. I know Joseph’s freaked out about going on tour for a month this summer. He’s sure he’s going to miss something monumental, but I promised him Aiden wouldn’t accept the Nobel Prize until his daddy was back from him rock-and-roll tour.”

Laughing, Kirsten pulled herself up and leaned back against the headboard. “So, you and Joseph are doing good?” she asked.

“We are,” Lianna replied immediately, smiling to herself. “I mean, you’ve seen him – he’s absolutely in love with Aiden. He’s actually out at the park with him right now.” Sighing contentedly, she thought of the look of excitement in her husband’s eyes anytime he looked at their son. “And Joseph’s wonderful to me, too. I never would have believed it when we first started dating, but him being a musician is actually great for our family. He’s home a lot, and with me consulting from home now… we get to do so much together. We’re doing great. I’m really happy.”

Kirsten knew her sister’s voice, and she knew that Lianna was telling the truth. “I’m so glad for you guys,” she said. “Well, I guess I should go now. I’ve been having so much fun at school this past week, I definitely need to put aside some time to study now.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re still keeping your priorities straight,” Lianna said genuinely. “But I’m also glad you’re having fun. Listen, tell Patch that I say hi, okay?”

“Okay,” Kirsten agreed, sad to be hanging up the phone. Despite their six-year age difference, Lianna had always been Kirsten’s best friend, and she missed her. “And give Aiden a kiss from his ‘Aunt Keer’. And tell Joseph I say hi, and… you know. Tell him thanks again for helping me with school.”

“Okay, I will, but just this last time,” Lianna’s voice was teasing. “I draw the line at six thousand three hundred forty two thank-you’s.”

Blushing, Kirsten grinned. “Okay. I love you, Lee.”

“I love you, too, Keer,” Lianna replied before hanging up the phone with a smile. Walking into the kitchen, she reached into the fridge and pulled out some vegetables for a salad. While Joseph did most of the cooking at home, Lianna always made the side dishes – salads, vegetables, biscuits. It was a nice, comfortable routine.

After rinsing off the lettuce, Lianna began chopping the green leaves and thinking about her conversation with her sister. It made her delighted to know that Kirsten was having a good time at school, and Lianna was particularly glad to hear that Patch was attending the same college. After all, Lianna remembered Patch since he was six, and she was eleven. He had developed a crush on Kirsten almost at first sight, but Lianna knew he was a good, trustworthy kid who would only look out for Kirsten’s best interests.

The only thing that was bothering Lianna about the conversation was that it seemed like Kirsten had – unintentionally but definitely, nonetheless – fallen in with a crowd that wasn’t much like her friends in high school. After all, her roommate was the daughter of an actress and a movie producer; her crush was the son of a computer tycoon; and her roommate’s crush was the son of a famous football player. All this seemed to point to a lifestyle that Kirsten was wholly unfamiliar with.

Just then, the door to the condo opened, and Lianna looked over to see Joseph walking in. He had his son held close to his side, Joseph’s tattoo-covered arms protectively holding him while he put his finger to his lips to let her know Aiden was sleeping. “I’m going to put him down,” he said in a hushed tone as he walked over towards Lianna. “He exhausted himself at the park.” Leaning over, he kissed Lianna’s cheek softly. “Love you, babe.”

Smiling to herself, Lianna looked into Joseph’s bright green eyes. “I love you, too,” she whispered. Watching Joseph carrying Aiden towards his bedroom, Lianna looked back down at the vegetables she was chopping. ‘Maybe I’m overreacting about Kirsten,’ she thought to herself. ‘After all, less than three years ago, I was totally unfamiliar with this lifestyle, too. But look how well this has turned out.’

Just as Lianna was thinking these words to herself, Joseph returned to the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her waist tenderly while kissing her neck. “Any chance you want to take advantage of the ten minutes alone we’re likely to get this week, beautiful?” he asked, his voice husky and hopeful.

Turning around in his arms, Lianna smiled up at Joseph. “That sounds wonderful,” she told him, smiling as she saw his eyes light up in response. As he leaned down to kiss her deeply, she had one final thought go through her head: no matter what difficulties she had gone through to get to this point, there was no where she would rather be at that moment than in her kitchen, with Aiden in the next room, wrapped up in the intimate embrace of her loving husband.


Despite protests from Nina, Kirsten had insisted on going to the library later that afternoon. Although it was only the first week of school, assignments were already being handed out regularly and she didn’t want to fall behind. In fact, Kirsten was hoping to do well enough this year that she might get an increase in her scholarship the following year, meaning she wouldn’t have to let Joseph pay for anymore of her tuition.

It wasn’t that Kirsten didn’t appreciate Joseph’s generosity; quite the opposite was true. Her brother-in-law was wonderful to her, and she would never be able to thank him enough. But she still liked the idea of being able to make it on her own.

As she walked down the path towards the library, Kirsten took in the sights and sounds around her. Forest Brook University’s campus truly was beautiful, with tall stone buildings and lots of greenery. She watched with enjoyment as other students passed her, some in athletic uniforms hurrying to practices; others chatting happily with friends; and still others with their noses buried in books as they rushed along.

Just before Kirsten was about to climb the steps of the library, she heard a laugh that caught her attention. Looking across at the building that stood cattycorner from the library, she saw Derek sitting on the steps, chuckling. His laugh, which she had heard in class a couple times so far, seemed perfect for him – it was deep and throaty, sexy and confident. Unfortunately, he was laughing at something the girl beside him was saying – the perky, giggling red-head in a showy tank-top and tight jeans.

Turning around quickly and heading into the library before being seen spying on Derek, Kirsten felt her face flushing hot with embarrassment. Despite his attention earlier that week in the dorm room, Derek had never actually gotten around to calling Kirsten. He had spoken to her after their last class together, while Hunter and Nina flirted nearby, but nothing had come of it.

‘He probably came to his senses,’ Kirsten thought silently as she took a seat in a cubby of the library and set down her book bag. ‘Or maybe Hunter made him say that to me that day in the dorm, to make things easier between him and Nina. Maybe he was just being Hunter’s wingman.’

Biting her lip, Kirsten told herself this was not important. Derek was not important. After all, she really didn’t know him at all. Besides the few facts Nina had gathered from Hunter – that Derek was an undeclared major, that he never pledged a fraternity but was known to regularly attend frat parties, and that he didn’t have a girlfriend – she really didn’t know much about him.

Dr. Houston’s English assignment was the first Kirsten decided to tackle, and she was glad she did. While most people despised technical writing – the focus of the course – Kirsten knew she was good at it. After reading the assigned chapters in her book, she went as far as to finish the first homework assignment, which wasn’t due for a week.

Kirsten then turned her attention to the only elective she was taking that semester, art history. Flipping through the pages of the textbook, Kirsten quickly got lost in the beautiful oil paintings and haunting chalk drawings. She had read far more than the assigned chapter when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Being so engrossed in her reading, Kirsten let out a yelp at the contact that caused several other students to turn around in their seats and give her a dirty look. At that moment, though, Kirsten couldn’t care less what everyone else in the library was thinking. All she could focus on was Derek’s beautiful grey eyes as he squatted down until he was at eye-level with her.

“You know, you’ve been reading that book for over half an hour,” Derek whispered, his voice soft and smooth. He was grinning knowingly at Kirsten. “I was checking out some books for one of my classes, and I wanted to say hi, but you looked so engaged, I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Unable to stop herself from blushing, Kirsten swore at herself for having chosen such a casual outfit for studying – loose jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. “I didn’t realize it had been that long,” she said, feeling immediately stupid.

“Why didn’t you come say hi earlier?” Derek asked, an amused smirk on his face.

“What?” Kirsten’s eyes got wide. “I mean, when?”

“Outside, before you came into the library,” Derek’s voice was still soft, but dripped of confidence. “I was talking to one of my classmates, and I saw you, but you turned around just then and walked inside. Didn’t you see me?”

By the tone of his voice, Kirsten could tell Derek knew she had seen him and he was amused at her shyness and embarrassment. “Oh, I, um…” Kirsten wracked her brain for something to say, but came up with nothing. “I just didn’t want to interrupt you,” she finally finished lamely, looking down and wishing a hole would open in the earth beneath her and swallow her just then.

Reaching over and brushing some wavy hair back over her shoulder nonchalantly, Derek waited until Kirsten looked into his eyes again before continuing. “Well, I don’t want to interrupt your studying, but if you’re almost done, I thought you might like to get a bite to eat,” he told her. “It’s almost six.”

Biting her lip to stop herself from letting out a squeal of excitement, Kirsten made herself count to three before answering. “Oh, yeah, I’m done,” she tried to sound relaxed, but knew she didn’t sound anywhere near as confident as Derek did when he spoke. “Would it be okay if I drop off my stuff at the dorm and change real quick?”

“Sure,” Derek grinned as he rose back to his full height – which Kirsten immediately realized had to be over six feet. Standing beside him, she felt tiny. “Why don’t we meet at the fountain in thirty minutes?” he asked.

“Sounds good,” Kirsten said as she put her book bag over her shoulder. She watched as Derek nodded and walked back to his table to gather his books. As she headed out of the library and back towards her dorm, she suddenly felt like she was walking on air. Who cared if Derek didn’t call her for coffee? She was about to go to dinner with him!


To Kirsten’s dismay, Nina hadn’t been at the dorm when she returned, so she had to choose an outfit for dinner by herself. Not wanting to look either like a slob or like she was overdressed, Kirsten finally decided on a form-fitting blue t-shirt that brought out her eyes and simple-but-flattering black cotton pants. She looked in the mirror and started pulling her unruly hair back into a ponytail when she had a flashback to Derek in the library, tucking her hair behind her shoulder. Deciding she wouldn’t mind if he did that again, she kept her hair down, put on a little makeup and headed out.

It was exactly thirty minutes from when Derek had asked her to meet him when Kirsten arrived at the fountain – she knew because she didn’t want to appear over-eager by being early or rude by being late. When Derek was nowhere to be seen, she took a seat on the stone ledge and waited nervously.

Five minutes passed, and then ten. Kirsten began to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach when she realized Derek was over fifteen minutes late. Suddenly, she heard someone call out her name, and she turned around with a grin. Her smile quickly faltered, though, when she saw it was just Patch.

“Wow, people don’t usually look that unhappy to see me,” Patch teased, but Kirsten immediately felt badly, as she knew there was a hurt tinge to his voice.

“I’m sorry, Patch,” Kirsten replied sincerely. “I was just waiting for someone, and I though you were him.”

“Him?” Patch tried to sound uninterested as he took a seat beside Kirsten at the fountain, but he was doing a terrible job. “So this is, like… a date?”

Blushing a little, Kirsten shrugged. “Not really,” she told Patch. “Just grabbing some dinner with a classmate. By the way, I spoke to Lianna earlier, and she told me to tell you hi.”

Smiling a little at this news, Patch was still clearly not thrilled about Kirsten’s dinner plans, but he tried to hide it. “Well, tell her I say hi back,” he said, and paused before continuing, as if trying to figure out what to say next. “So how has your first week at college treated you?”

“Good,” Kirsten admitted. “Nina, my roommate that you met, is really cool. And I like my classes so far. One professor in particular, Dr. Houston, is really knowledgeable, and he’s written for ‘Scientific American’ and worked on a fellowship for NASA. How cool is that?”

“And he’s so dreamy, too,” Patch teasingly added in a falsetto voice, but chuckled when Kirsten shoved him playfully. “Sorry, I forgot what a science nerd you are. You actually would think it was sexier for a guy to be a writer for ‘Scientific American’ than to be a GQ model, wouldn’t you?” Even though he was joking, it was clear there was both admiration and hope in his analysis of Kirsten.

Suddenly though, as if in contradiction to Patch’s statement, Derek came walking up. There was no way for Patch to not notice the way Kirsten’s beautiful eyes lit up as he approached. “Sorry I’m late,” Derek said with an easy grin. “I got caught up with some people.”

Even though he was over twenty minutes late, Kirsten couldn’t find it in herself to be angry at Derek as he grinned at her. “No problem,” she said softly. “Oh, Patch, this is Derek. Patch and I were friends back in high school,” she explained.

“More like neighbors,” Patch said quickly, standing up and not meeting Kirsten’s confused and somewhat hurt expression. “Anyway, it was nice to meet you. And it was good to see you, Kirsten. Remember to tell your sister I said hello.” Before Kirsten could even reply, Patch had hurried away.

“Interesting guy,” Derek said, his voice slightly amused. “Anyway, I’m just glad you had someone to keep you company. I am sorry I was late, but let me make it up to you. I’m going to take you to my favorite restaurant in town, my treat.”

Without having a moment to either worry about Patch’s abrupt exit or be angry at Derek for being late, Kirsten couldn’t help but melt as she looked up at Derek’s high cheekbones and full lips. “Sounds great,” she said with a dreamy smile, following him towards the parking lot.


“Your friend Patch is a riot,” Nina said the following week as she entered the dorm room and tossed her bag on her unmade bed. “God, he’s got to be one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. He could do standup.”

Crinkling her eyebrows in confusion, Kirsten looked up from the book she was reading. “When did you talk to Patch?” she asked Nina, perplexed. Kirsten herself hadn’t seen or spoken to Patch since the night of her dinner with Derek.

“Remember I told you I was going to try to transfer into a more advanced photography class?” Nina asked, not waiting for a response from Kirsten before continuing. “Anyway, I found one that still has some seats open, and it turns out Patch is in it. I have to say, I never knew anyone like him when I was in LA, but I’m pretty sure I missed out. He had the whole class nearly peeing themselves. And we got a cup of coffee afterwards. He and I decided we’re going to do our team project together.”

“Really,” Kirsten felt a small blush creeping up her neck, and wondered why. It wasn’t that she was jealous that Nina thought Patch was funny – she was happy her roommate liked him. Maybe it was the fact that Kirsten had the sneaking suspicion that Patch had been avoiding her since that night at the fountain.

‘But it wasn’t like I did anything wrong,’ Kirsten pouted silently to herself. ‘I know it was a weird moment, with Patch saying I wasn’t into the GQ model type at the exact moment Derek came up in a designer-label outfit looking… like he looks.’ Kirsten blushed as she pictured just how attractive Derek was. ‘But it’s not like I was being a hypocrite – I didn’t say it. Besides, there’s more to Derek than beautiful eyes and perfect cheekbones.’

‘Yeah,’ a voice came from the back of Kirsten’s head. ‘He also has killer arms and the sexiest smile I’ve ever seen.’

“Earth to Kirsten!” Nina’s voice suddenly interrupted Kirsten’s thoughts, and she blushed momentarily. Luckily, Nina didn’t seems to notice. “I asked if Hunter called.”

“No,” Kirsten replied, looking back down into her book before continuing. “No one called.”

Pausing momentarily to look at her roommate, Nina took a seat on the edge of Kirsten’s bed and put her hand sympathetically on her shoulder. “So, Derek still hasn’t called?” she asked gently.

Taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Kirsten looked sadly up into Nina’s eyes and shrugged. “I guess he didn’t have as good a time at dinner last week as I did,” she tried to sound indifferent about the situation, but knew that Nina was seeing right through her façade.

“I’m sorry, Kirsten,” Nina replied with no condescension, squeezing her roommates shoulder gently. “But you know what? It’s his loss. You are way too hot and smart and fun to lay around here, waiting for Derek ‘Player’ Tarner to call you. You know what? You’re coming out with me and some of my friends for girls’ night tonight. And I won’t take no for an answer!”

Smiling a little, Kirsten knew she should stay in and study some more, but she also knew Nina meant it when she said she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Deep down, Kirsten also knew that it would probably be a good idea to go out and try to forget about Derek Tarner permanently. ‘Since he seems to have forgotten all about me already,’ Kirsten thought sadly before telling Nina she would love to go.


The group Nina assembled included girls from all her classes, and Kirsten secretly envied how easy it was for Nina to make friends. Still, more than envy, Kirsten felt appreciation for Nina being so sweet and involving her in the activities of the evening.

Apparently, there were several clubs just off campus that rarely carded, and Kirsten had a few drinks along with the group of girls. She was actually having a pretty good time, dancing with Nina and talking to the other girls, when she spotted someone she had never expected to see there that night.

“Patch?” Kirsten asked in surprise.

“PATCH!” Nina said with excitement at the exact same moment. “You came! I’m so glad!”

Looking over at Nina, Kirsten felt her cheeks heat up and tried to figure out a way to kill her roommate quietly in the middle of the crowded club. She knew exactly what had happened – Nina knew Kirsten was upset about Derek; she knew Patch had a crush on Kirsten; and she thought a night of having a nice boy crushing on her would do Kirsten’s confidence some good.

“Hey, Nina. Thanks for inviting me,” Patch said, looking around nervously and obviously uncomfortable in the loud, crowded club. “However, I feel like I just walked into the lion’s den. The bounder’s bicep is bigger than my waist.”

“Not a hard feat,” Nina teased. “Anyway, I’m going to get a drink. You want one?” When Patch shook his head, Nina turned towards Kirsten and smirked at her roommate’s glare. “How about you, Kirsten?”

“No, thanks, Nina,” Kirsten replied through clenched teeth. “I think you’ve done enough.” She watched as Nina just grinned, totally ignoring the sarcasm in Kirsten’s voice, and turned towards the bar.

“How are you?” Kirsten finally turned towards Patch and blushed, this time in shame. Why should she feel weird about hanging out with Patch? After all, she had known him since she was in kindergarten. “So how’s school going for you this year?”

Shrugging, Patch grinned. “About the same as last year,” he leaned against the wall. “Decent classes, crappy roommate, and being the only guy invited to girl’s night out.”

Immediately, Kirsten blushed. “Did Nina tell you this is girl’s night out?” she asked, shocked.

“No,” Patch smiled. “I just knew. That, and I think she got the feeling that things between you and me might be weird, and she wanted to help. She’s actually really sweet. Strange, loud, overbearing – but sweet.”

Laughing, Kirsten agreed. “You are right on all counts about Nina,” she said. Suddenly, she became more serious. “But now that I think about it, I am glad she invited you. I don’t like the idea of you being mad at me.”

Finally taking his turn to blush, Patch shook his head. “I wasn’t mad,” he told her. “Just disappointed.” He bit his lip, obviously embarrassed about being so honest, but not trying to take any of it back. “But we can still be friends, right?”

“Absolutely,” Kirsten replied with a sincere smile as she leaned over to hug him. “I never want to lose your friendship, Patch.”

“Good,” Patch said, pulling back and giving Kirsten a goofy grin. “But better not keep hugging me like that, or the LADIES might not think I’m single.”

“Oh, I think they know you’re single,” Kirsten teased Patch. “They just may be wondering if you’re straight.”

Feigning appall, Patch’s face quickly dissolved back into a happy grin. “I’m just glad you’re going to be around to hang out with,” he said honestly to Kirsten.

“Right back at you,” Kirsten replied.


It was getting pretty late, and Kirsten had stopped drinking about half an hour earlier. The girls (along with Patch) were getting ready to head back to campus after a fun night, but Kirsten wanted to make one more stop in the ladies room before they left.

After washing her hands, Kirsten headed back into the club and scanned the crowd for Nina and her friends. She didn’t get too far, though, when she felt someone put his hand on her waist. “Hey,” she heard a familiar voice whisper into her ear from behind.

Turning around, Kirsten realized she was pretty tipsy as she looked up at Derek, but she insisted on reminding herself that he hadn’t called her since their dinner together – a week earlier. “Hi,” she tried to sound nonchalant, while also trying to ignore his scent, a mixture of cologne and a hint of perspiration, probably just from the heat of the club.

“So,” Derek looked smug as he studied Kirsten’s face, as if he knew the affect he was having on her by just being near her. “I didn’t know you were here tonight, or I would have looked for you.” He paused briefly as he slid a piece of hair behind her ear and ran his fingertips over her shoulder. “Did you have a good time tonight?”

Nodding, Kirsten couldn’t force herself to speak. Just feeling Derek brush over her bare shoulder had given her goosebumps. He looked amused as she faltered, unsure what to say. “I did,” she said finally. “Did you?”

Looking over Kirsten’s face slowly, Derek watched as a blush gently filled her cheeks under his stare. He reached down and stroked her cheek. “I would have had a better time if I had known you were here earlier,” he said, cradling her face.

Derek’s palm felt massive against Kirsten’s cheek, but it also felt warm and sent electricity down her spine. Before she could think of anything to say, she saw him lean down. She could only close her eyes and use all her strength to hold back a soft whimper as she felt Derek’s lips press against hers.

Despite how much bigger than Kirsten he was, Derek moved deftly as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her a little closer to him. Her lips parted slightly, unconsciously, and the kiss deepened just a little before Derek pulled back, gently releasing her from his hold.

Before she could stop herself, Kirsten’s fingers flew to her lips, and she touched them as if wondering if she had just imagined that moment. Looking up at Derek’s confident smile, she waited to see what he said.

“Thanks, Kirsten,” Derek leaned down once more, this time to kiss her cheek. “We should hang out again… soon,” he whispered in her ear, his breath warm as it tickled the side of her throat.

“Okay,” Kirsten finally managed to get out, but Derek had already turned around and was heading out of the club with his friends.


THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE REVIEWED SO FAR! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I’M ACTUALLY JUST GLAD TO BE BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS, AND I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT ANYONE WHO READS THE STORY HAS TO SAY, GOOD OR BAD. THANK YOU!