The start of the school year always generated a buzz in the student union, especially around the coffee shop and its seating area. Matt walked gingerly with his laptop bag in one hand, and his coffee, extra hot for some reason, slowly cooking his other. He saw only one empty seat and he made a beeline toward it.
"Hi," he said to the young woman already seated at the two-person table. "Is this seat taken?"
The woman looked him over with a smirk, then shrugged and motioned for him to sit. Matt wasted no time putting his coffee down.
"Thanks for sharing your table," he said setting his laptop bag next to his chair before seating himself. "I don't know who's make the coffee back there but it is nuclear-hot tonight." Then he added, "Would you like some? I could get you a coffee or tea for you as a thank you."
The woman smiled and said, "You're very sweet, but I'm fine."
"Matt Jones," he said extending his hand. "I'm glad to meet you. And you're a lifesaver. I think you had the last seat in the whole cafeteria."
They shook hands and she said, "Star Williams. Pleased to meet you, too."
Matt looked over the sketchbook open before Star and said, "Wow, those are really good. Are they yours?"
Star nodded.
"I've always been in awe of people that can draw or paint or sculpt. To me, it's a kind of genius," he said.
She brightened at that. "Thank you. You're very kind. Are you involved in the arts?"
He dared sip at his coffee before replying. "No. Computer Science and Mathematics here. But I do try to draw occasionally." Matt leaned in. "My favorite teacher in high school taught physics and he said, 'If you can't draw the picture you don't understand the problem.' That was probably the best advice I got in all of high school. So, I've worked hard to at least be able to draw diagrams well. But, nothing like that, of course," he said motioning toward her sketchbooks.
"It's just a matter of training and practice," she said.
"May I see some of them?"
She nodded, and he scooted his chair closer to her's.
"Some of these are abstract, or just broad sketches of projects I'd considered," she said. "But some are more serious."
Matt motioned for her to stop turning pages. "Whoa. My goodness! This one is amazing!"
The page contained a pencil drawing of a nude, a man with his back turned, arms raised above his shoulders with his hands on his head. The contours of his muscles, the shading and the light, every nuance was captured with the minimum of marks. Even the imperfections, a scar on the model's shoulder blade, for example, seemed to add depth.
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "This was during a phase when I was studying shadow and light. I loved doing these drawings."
He reached for his coffee, careful not to spill any on the sketchbooks. After sipping, he said, "Are you sure I can't get you something? It's no trouble."
"You are very kind, but I can't stay long," she said.
Matt took another sip then looked over his table-mate. "Are you new to campus? I don't think I've seen you before."
Star hesitated, then replied, "This is my first year here."
"You must have transferred in," he said. "Where were you before?"
Again Star didn't reply immediately. "UNC," she said, and she began packing her sketchbooks into her bag.
Matt said, "Well, Star Williams, you are way too interesting for me to just let you wander off! Please. Have dinner with me tonight. Your drawings are amazing. I don't get to see things like that very often. There's a restaurant right across the street from campus: Stavros. It sounds Greek, but really it's just a hamburger joint. My idea so my treat. Please?"
Star smiled. "You really are sweet," she said. After a few moments of apparent indecision, she took a slip of paper from one of the sketchbooks and scribbled an address. "Yes to dinner, but different venue. My house, eight o'clock. Don't be late."
Matt took the paper and said, "Can I bring anything?"
"You bring the wine," she said.
Matt stood before the house, a small Cape, and admired it before knocking. This was no student rental; it was in good repair, freshly painted, with recent landscaping work. Before he could ponder more, the door opened and Star appeared. He held up the two bottles.
"Didn't know what we were having so I did the typical safety thing: one red, one white," he said.
Star shook her head and giggled. "You must have been a Boy Scout: be prepared."
The door swung open and he entered. Again, there was clear evidence this was not a student rental.
"Let me take those," she said. "I hope you like spaghetti."
"I'm a student," he replied. "We're contractually obligated to like pasta."
A stripped brown tabby cat smoothed around Matt's legs, looking up expectantly.
"Who do we have here?" He said.
Star peeked out from the kitchen. "That's Pablo. He's an excellent judge of character. Good thing he likes you or I'd have to throw you out." She disappeared around the corner but reappeared almost immediately. "But I'm keeping the wine," she said with a laugh.
Matt stroked the cat behind the ears and under its chin. It wasn't long before the cat was rolling on the floor, butter in Matt's hands.
"Wow! He's really taken a shine to you!" She said as she positioned the plates and flatware. "Go ahead and sit on the loveseat. He'll probably follow you."
He made his way to the loveseat and was rewarded by Pablo stretching out across his lap. There was still something off, he could feel it, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Fortunately, Pablo's purrs filled the room putting them both at ease.
Star placed a decanter on the table and said, "Dinner will be in about ten minutes. I needed to set the wine out to breathe anyway." She then walked to the loveseat and joined Matt and Pablo. She stroked the cat while Matt looked on.
"I don't think he's taken to anyone this quickly," she said as she leaned her shoulder to his. "You must have a way with cats."
"I've just always liked them," he said. "They are intelligent, sensitive creatures. They also understand a lot of what you say, though they might not let on that they do."
"Hmmm," she said as she continued to stoke the cat.
Matt took a breath and said, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," she said.
"This is a lovely house--"
"Thank you!" She said.
Matt smiled and continued. "But, this is not a typical student housing unit. The landscaping is immaculate, the house is freshly painted, the interior is wood flooring with trim of mitered hardwoods, and it's in a neighborhood that would never have students. How did you find this place?"
Pablo took that opportunity to hop down and head to his food bowl. Star continued to snuggle next to Matt.
"You are a very observant fellow," she said. "You've got the eye of an artist, even if you've not had the training or practice." Then she fell silent.
Matt glanced to her and said, "You're avoiding the question."
