It's Always You

Chapter 1 - The First Encounter

It was a chilly August morning when Jane stood in her kitchen, contemplating whether she desired breakfast. However, the prospect of cleaning up afterward dissuaded her. Opting against it, she proceeded to her laptop looking at her schedule for the week. Abruptly, her phone rang—it was her friend Briana.

"Hi Bri!" she answered.

"Jane! Where are you?" Briana's voice boomed through the phone.

"I'm still at my apartment. Why?" Jane inquired.

"Toby is hosting a small dinner party tonight with some of his friends. I want you to come," Briana insisted.

Jane hesitated, pondering the invitation. "I'm not sure, Bri. I haven't been feeling very social lately, and let's not pretend—you want to set me up with one of his friends."

"Oh come on Jane, nothing is wrong with getting to know more people. It's going to be fun. Anna is coming too."

"Okay, fine, I'll come. Do I need to bring anything?" Jane finally accepted the invitation.

"You don't have to bring anything. Just bring yourself."

"Fine. I have to go now. See you tonight."

"Bye Jane, I'll see you tonight at eight."

Her Macroeconomic class would start in half an hour, and the time it took to walk from her apartment to her classroom was exactly eighteen minutes. With twelve minutes to spare, Jane needed to get ready, change her clothes, and put on some makeup.

As she was about to exit her apartment, her roommate Anna emerged from her room. She had woken up late, having partied the night before and had no class to attend that day.

"Jane, you're going?"

"Yeah, I have to go now. Hey, are you coming to Toby's party tonight?"

"Yes. You have to come too."

"Okay, bye Anna."

As she walked out of her apartment, she tightened her coat. It wasn't the cold that bothered her, but the chill wind. After several minutes of walking, she could finally see her faculty building. The red brick and white walls gave it a classic look that somehow seemed appropriate in modern times. At the front of the building was a sign that read 'Columbia University Department of Economics'. She entered the building, and a familiar smell of old library books, oak, and grass immediately wafted over her.

Jane walked down the hallway, and from the other end, she saw a tall guy with sleek blonde hair wearing a casual black denim jacket and white sneakers. As they got closer, Jane noticed his deep blue eyes and sharp jawline.

She thought to herself, I've never seen this man before, damn, he looks fine.

Jane quickly turned her gaze to the floor, afraid she might be staring for too long. A small smile formed on her lips as she continued walking, lost in thought. Suddenly, a deep, hoarse voice broke her reverie.

"Hey, can you help me here? I'm kinda lost."

The voice belonged to the blue-eyed man. "Yes? How can I help you?" Jane was surprised but quickly regained her senses.

"I need to find the admission office; I need to change my elective course."

"Oh, the admission office is downstairs at level B. You can take the stairs over there. Once you're at level B, turn left, and the office is on the right down the hallway."

"Okay, thank you so much."

"You're welcome," she quickly replied.

"I'm Dylan, by the way."

"Hi Dylan, I'm Jane. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. So, I'll be going then. Thanks again!" he said, and they parted ways.

Jane continued on her way and entered the classroom just in time for the lecture to start. The lecture was by Professor Spencer, notorious for assigning difficult tasks and rarely awarding an A grade. Jane realized that this semester was going to be challenging.