"Kaitlyn?"
Recognizing a familiar voice behind me, I turned around. "Susanne! What are you doing here?" She was a friend of my parents', and I had gone to school with her kids. But what she was doing here, in the hallway outside my dorm room, I had no idea.
"I'm here to help Geoffrey move in - right down the hall from you, it looks like!"
It was a challenge, but I managed to contain my honest reaction (which I'll share with you in a moment) and simply replied, "Oh, great. Well, I have to run. Nice to see you again, Suzanne!"
"You too, dear. Say hello to your parents for me."
"Will do!" Escaping as politely as I could, I made my way to my favorite coffee shop just off campus, where I always did my best thinking.
What a nightmare, I thought to myself as I got my coffee and found a seat. Geoffrey living in my building, right down the hall? I don't believe it! This was the nice but nerdy and painfully awkward guy who had been following me around like a lost puppy since I was 15 and he was 14. It was bad enough when he used to embarrass me and humiliate himself in high school. But now I have to see him every morning and every evening in my dorm?
I let my mind wander to the last time I had seen Geoffrey. Did I mention that he insisted on pronouncing his name 'Joffrey'? Not 'Jeffrey' or 'Jeff', but 'Joffrey'. It was what his mother preferred, and it went along with the rest of his image. He preferred math homework to sports, would rather work on his computer than hang out with friends, and couldn't speak when pretty girls were around - especially me.
Anyway - back to the flashback, the last time I saw him. It was at his house, at the graduation party his mom was throwing for his sister - she and I were really good friends in high school but unfortunately have lost touch since we went to different colleges. Anyway, they had a pool at their house, so it was a casual BBQ/pool party. I was lounging on a chair by the pool, soaking up some June sun. I remember I was wearing a black one-piece with a green sarong tied around my waist, the colors stunning against my tanned skin and long blonde hair. Geoffrey stumbled over to me, looking pale and skinny and wearing a speedo and flip flops. He had a glass of lemonade in each hand, obviously hoping to share a few minutes with me. Unfortunately, he was in over his head - in his anxious way, he tripped over his own feet and ended up splatting on the ground next to me, covering me with lemonade as he fell.
This would have been embarrassing enough, but then he proceeded to go overboard in an effort to clean the sticky liquid and ice cubes off of me, with everyone at the party watching, chuckling. As I tried to tell him that really, I was fine, he didn't need to worry about it, no problem, I noticed that his speedos were now straining to contain a growing bulge. I wasn't sure if anyone else noticed, but I was humiliated anyway. Every encounter with this guy ended in unwelcome sexual tension. I escaped into the swimming pool, diving in in hopes of washing away both the lemonade and the embarrassment.
Anyway, back to the present. Realizing I couldn't stay away forever, I walked back to the dorm. As I got to my floor, I saw that Geoffrey's door was open, and thought I might as well get the inevitable reunion over with. As I peeked into the room, I saw that both he and his mom were there, and she was still helping him unpack.
"I'll put your socks in this drawer, OK, sweetie?" she said to him before realizing I was there.
Geoffrey looked at me sheepishly. He was obviously embarrassed by his mom, but also didn't have the guts to tell her to leave him alone. I suddenly realized that she had probably treated him this way all his life, and felt sorry for him. I couldn't imagine putting up with a mom who meddled so much!