When Does Love Begin Pt. 01

Seeing him again, all by himself, she unexpectedly felt her pulse quicken while her stomach became home to a swarm of butterflies. When it came to boys she wasn't very experienced and the few dates she had had were average at best but what was happening inside her was like nothing she had experienced before.

Taking a moment to try to compose herself she wondered what it was about him that made her feel like a lovesick schoolgirl. Not finding an answer she took a deep breath and then, with her heart thumping like a manic trip-hammer against her ribs, she marched straight across to him, ignoring the dirty looks it got her from his would-be admirers.

"Err... excuse me.... Jackson." She stopped in front of him and, bit her lip coyly,

Hearing her softly spoken voice he looked up at her and as their eyes met she found herself drowning in his blue-grey orbs and completely at a loss for words. Her stomach knotted and she thought her legs were about to give way as he smiled at her sending a flush of heat through her loins.

"Well, hello. If it isn't the angry Miss Randall or may I be permitted to call you Debbie?" He looked up at her and asked quietly.

Her mouth opened but she found herself unable to make a sound and simply gazed back at him, her heart fluttering frantically.

Then suddenly, in a moment of clarity, everything became obvious to her.

She was in love.

The fact she barely knew him didn't enter her mind; it was love at first sight.

She was head-over-heels in love with Jackson Maitland, a boy she had only shouted insults at when they had bumped into each other in a corridor.

"Did you want something Debbie?"

"I... I'm sorry for... you know.... this morning." Her cheeks turned bright scarlet and she finally managed to pull herself together and stammer almost incoherently, "I... I was so rude... to you earlier and I... I wanted to apologise and...."

She could feel her stomach tighten even more as she waited for some sort of rebuke from him before being dismissed out of hand. The thought of it happening, of being rejected by him, sent a shudder of panic through her and she wondered what she would do if he didn't want anything to do with her.

"I'm sorry to." The lopsided grin he gave her, along with the fact he had accepted her apology sent a shiver of desire down her spine, "You can sit down, if you want?"

"Oh, yeah... err... right.... thank you." Pulling out a seat she hurriedly dropped into it, the sudden realisation that she had feelings for him leaving her utterly bewildered, "Only I needed to find you, you have some of my papers and...."

"You have some of mine." He finished the sentence for her.

"Errm... yeah, maybe we could..."

"Can I buy you a coffee?"

"What?"

His question threw her yet again, she had been uncharacteristically rude to him earlier that morning and now he was being utterly charming and offering to buy her a coffee.

"Would you like a drink?" His smile was completely disarming and she felt her heart lurch again when he repeated his question.

"Oh err.... yeah... umm.... that would be... nice."

Jackson got up and went to the counter leaving a stupefied Debbie sitting staring after him.

'I barely know him. How can I be in love with him?'

One single thought was fixed in her mind. However, the more she considered it the more she realised that her feelings were very real.

She wanted him to take her in his arms, to kiss her, to be her.... her what?

It was as he came back with her coffee that, for the first time, she wondered what he must think of her after her outburst at him earlier. He seemed perfectly at ease but after what she had said to him he couldn't possibly like her, could he?

"Cappuccino as you ordered." He grinned and sat down.

"Thanks." She said feeling utterly miserable, thinking how much he must dislike her now.

"So, about the paperwork."

Exchanging the mixed-up documents with him, she slowly sipped her coffee and chatted about anything that came to mind, trying desperately to improve his perception of her. All the while she was aware of the girls seated nearby staring daggers at her.

"Damn, I have to go." She told him twenty minutes later, checking her watch, "I've got a class to get to."

"Me too." He agreed gathering up his things.

"See you later maybe?" Debbie ended hopefully.

"Sure. See you around."

Walking off to his next session he left her looking after him, feeling utterly wretched as he disappeared out of the door.

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Not having anyone to really hang out with Jackson head for the student cafeteria for lunch.

Ordering a coffee and a sandwich at the counter he found himself a table in the corner where he felt a little less obvious. The problem was that no sooner he had sat down and opened his book that several of the nearby tables were quickly occupied by several girls, all of them clearly looking to attract his attention.

He was a normal guy and under different circumstances he might have found it rather amusing to be the centre of attention to a bunch of girls. But considering the conflicting situation he found himself in over Debbie Randall he really wasn't interested.

She was gorgeous. He had fallen for her the very first time he saw her in the café even though he had no idea who she was.

Then when they had crashed into each other in the corridor he had tried to apologise and talk to her only to receive a tirade of abuse before she had stormed off leaving him wondering just who she really was.

"Err... excuse me.... Jackson." He looked up to find the girl he had been thinking about standing a few feet in front of him biting her lip and looking more than a little nervous.

He hadn't noticed her approaching across the cafeteria and it was only when he heard her softly spoken voice that he looked up at her. That was when their eyes met and he found himself staring into the same blue eyes that had mesmerised him earlier that day and sent his pulse rate soaring

"Well, hello. If it isn't Miss Randall or may I call you Debbie?" He asked, hopefully without a hint of anger in his voice.

Much to his amusement she didn't answer and simply gazed back at him.

It was then that he decided that she was in fact his dream girl and he was, without a doubt, in love with her. Even though he barely knew her and he was still wondering if his new friend Nathan was talking about Debbie when he said there was a blonde he wanted a piece of.

'Was she dating him?'

'Maybe she wasn't what she seemed to be?'

As the he thought about the things he didn't know he made a decision to step back and, hopefully, get to know her better.

"Did you want something Debbie?"

He prompted after several seconds when she hadn't replied.

"I... I'm sorry for... you know.... this morning." Her cheeks turned crimson and she stumbled over her words, "I... I was so rude... to you earlier and I... I wanted to apologise and...."

It was clear to him that she was nervous and he wondered if she expected him to be angry over the way she had spoken to him earlier.

"I'm sorry to." He couldn't be annoyed with her, especially as she seemed so apologetic, "You can sit down, if you?"

"Oh, yeah... err right.... Thank you." Pulling out a seat she hurriedly dropped into it, "Only I need to find you, you have some of my papers and...."

"You have some of mine." He finished the sentence for her suddenly disappointed when he found out her real reason for coming to find him.

"Errm... yeah, maybe we could..."

"Can I buy you a coffee?" He blurted it out without thinking, just wanting to keep her there for as long as he could.

"What?" She seemed bemused by his offer and he immediately imagined she would make an excuse to get away quickly, probably to go and find her boyfriend.

"Would you like a drink?" His smiled again trying to appear as friendly as he could.

"Oh err.... yeah... umm.... that would be... nice."

Getting up Jackson went to the counter, relieved to get a moment to collect his thoughts. She was absolutely beautiful and his opinion of her had changed yet again but it now seemed like she had a boyfriend.

'I barely know her. How can I be in love with her?'

'Even if I told her she'd laugh at me and probably tell Nathan.'

'She just wanted her paperwork back. That was the only reason she was here.'

His mind was a muddle of confused thoughts as he ordered her coffee. But he wanted her, to take her in his arms, to kiss her, to be her.... her what?

It was as he came back with her coffee that he pushed all ideas of being with her out of his head. He didn't know anything about her. He was being stupid.

"Cappuccino as you ordered." He tried to grin cheerfully as he sat down although he didn't feel like it.

"Thanks." She said looking at him with an expression he could only think of as indifference.

"So, about the paperwork."

Exchanging the mixed-up documents with her, he slowly drank his coffee until time ran out.

"Damn I have to go." She told him checking her watch, "Got a class to get to."

"Me too." He agreed reluctantly gathering up his things.

"See you later maybe?" Debbie said clearly not intending to.

"Sure. See you around."

Walking off to his next session he left feeling utterly miserable and didn't look back as he disappeared out of the door.