by Anna Park
CONTENTS
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
This is a work of fiction. All names, events and places are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual names, places or events is purely coincidental and should not be construed as being real.
From That Moment
Copyright ©2014
Anna Park
All Rights Reserved
No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner, without express written permission of the author.
Want to get a notification of my next release?
Sign up here: http://bit.ly/AnnaParkReleases
Read Meant To Be, the second book in the Unexpected Love Series by clicking here:
http://bit.ly/MeantToBeBook
Connect with me: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnnaPark
If you’d like to contact me, I’d love to hear from you at [email protected]
Cover Art By: http://www.StunningBookCovers.com
CHAPTER ONE
“Lia, this is Colin Segal. You’ll be training under his guidance.” Dr. Peterson stepped aside to reveal a tall man in a long white lab coat, studying a film with dark bands. Muscular shoulders filled his lab coat, and his wavy dark brown hair smelled recently shampooed. He turned to face Lia and Dr. Peterson, his eyes still on the film.
“Oh, hi Prof...Sorry. I got a really interesting result. Look...” As he pointed out a band on the film, Lia got a better glimpse at his face. Dark brown eyes, a strong masculine jaw...I know him from somewhere? She puzzled for a minute, and it hit her. The graduation party. He was the guy. Her heart sank and she debated running out of the lab. Did he remember her? Maybe he won’t recognize me now. That was before my diet. She felt somewhat relieved.
“Lia.” Dr. Segal turned to face her. “Call me Colin.” His eyes narrowed, and he paused. “I know you.”
“Great, you guys will work well together then,” Dr. Peterson rushed off to his office. Lia slumped her shoulders and shoved her hands in her pockets.
“So I guess you just graduated, huh?” His brown eyes twinkled. His lips turned up slightly at the edges.
“Um, yes.”
“Sit down.” He pushed a chair on wheels towards her. She sat tensely, her legs together. Colin gave her a searing look. Those eyes. Her downfall. The reason she had let herself get so out of control at that party. He took the seat next to hers. The tiny chair struggled to support his tall, muscular frame. Colin shifted his weight in what looked like a futile attempt to get comfortable. He parted his legs slightly.
“You look different.”
“Um...ok.” She didn’t want to tell him what she was thinking. You look just as ridiculously hot as ever, and I just want to die of embarrassment right now.
“So you’re going to be helping me with the maltose project?”
“That’s what...yes.” Lia was tongue-tied and struggled to talk to him. She looked down at her hands, and noticed that she was picking at her nails. She took a deep breath to quiet her heart palpitations.
“I prepared a bunch of papers you should read, it will take you a couple days.” He handed her a manila folder, filled with a stack of scientific papers. As she reached for it, his hand touched her hand. A jolt of electricity passed from him to her, and she felt her cheeks turn warm.
*************
Colin’s skin tingled after the brief touch with Lia. He watched her as she flipped through the papers. She had changed a lot, but she still had that same cute and innocent deer-in-headlights look. The form-fitting lab coat revealed her curvy hips and a round behind. She had lost some weight, but still had the curves that he remembered.
“You want me to show you the library? It’s a great place to read,” he offered. Lia looked up from the paper she was scanning. She avoided his eyes, looking timid. Not at all how he remembered her. He smiled at his memory of her dancing in a short white dress. She had been so free-spirited that time. “Dance with me, Colin,” she had said, pulling him towards the dance floor. She had tried to teach him how to salsa, but his two left feet had made it comedic. She had spun him around so many times that he almost fell down. What had happened to her since?
“Okay.” Her eyes evaded his.
“Follow me,” he said. Lia walked slightly behind him, and he wondered what she was thinking. His hands felt sweaty, and he wiped them on his jeans. He thought about the way she had put her hands on his jeans while they had been dancing. “Put yours here,” she had said, placing his hands on her waist. He felt warm inside. Cold water, cold water.
“Um, isn’t it this way?” Lia stood in front of him, pointing to the left hallway. She glanced at him shyly, giving him a better look at her eyes.
“Yes, I’m sorry.” He wanted to smack himself. He scraped his hand through his hair. He never got nervous around women. Something about her just got to him. That casual blonde ponytail, so cute on her. Her hazel green eyes, peeking out behind glasses. That quiet mystery about her, especially in contrast to what he remembered.
Two turns later and a long hallway later, they reached the library. He stopped awkwardly. Lia mumbled, “I’m ok now, you can get back to work if you need to.” She crossed her arms.
“But...I should explain what we’re doing, to give you some context.”
It was just an excuse, he didn’t want to leave her just yet. He didn’t really think she needed his help; Dr. Peterson had mentioned that their new student had already published two papers as an undergraduate at Brown. He wanted Colin to work with her because he had also graduated from Brown. Dr. Peterson was very excited to have her in his lab at MIT.
Lia shook her head.
*************
I need to breathe. Lia felt her hands clammy and the sweat beading down her back. Her cheeks were burning and she prayed that it wasn’t too obvious.
“No, I’m ok, I’ll figure it out.” She pushed open the heavy library door.
Colin rubbed the back of his neck. A brief look of frustration flashed across his dark eyes. “Uh, sure...We can discuss it later.” He shuffled back a few steps.
She nodded, hoping he would finally go. He stepped away, and walked out of the library. He turned left, then stopped. He frowned and mumbled something to himself, and turned right.
This is not the man I remember.
Lia took a deep breath. It must have been loud, because the librarian looked up and gave her that look.
“Sorry,” she whispered. The librarian frowned and went back to her filing. Lia looked for a quiet corner to sit down and compose her thoughts. The library was large and formal-looking, and she tried to keep her steps quiet on the hardwood floors. A winding staircase led her downstairs. Lia searched for a quiet spot. This will do. She set her bag down on a desk set against a window looking out to the campus. Green trees swayed with the wind, and students hustled to their next classes.
She pulled out her iPhone and texted her best friend Anu.
You won’t believe who I’m working with in lab…
She knew it could be a while before Anu replied. She was a first year medical student, also at MIT, with a crazy schedule.
Meet me for a run at the bridge. 5 p.m.
Lia packed her bag again, stuffing in the folder Colin had given her. She hadn’t h
ad a chance to look at the papers, but there would be plenty of time in the evening.
Coming. I need to change first.
Anu was most likely dying of curiosity. The two had been best friends since their freshman year at Brown, and they knew each other’s lives inside out. They had both applied to MIT, in the hopes that they would end up at the same place for graduate and medical school.
Lia walked around the perimeter of the library, until she found the bathroom. The smell of urine made her gag and she was careful not to touch anything. She slid out of her sweaty clothes and pulled on her running shorts and top. Good thing I’m always prepared. On her way out of the library, the librarian glanced at her again. After leaving her bag in the locker room of the gym, Lia stepped outside into the beautiful late summer afternoon. Students were still running around in flip flops, milking the last days of summer before the inevitable winter chill set in.
Anu was already at their usual meeting spot by the bridge, running in place to warm up.
“Hey you.” Anu came over and hugged her. Her sweet smile always cheered Lia up. She was wearing a hot pink tank top and black running shorts so short that they barely covered her very round bottom.
“You look good,” said Lia.
“You too, love that blue on you.” Anu barely paused before she asked, “So what’s the news?” Her eyes opened up with curiosity. Lia felt her stomach drop. She started to run, in a futile attempt to get away from her thoughts. Anu caught up to her, panting.
“That bad?”
“You remember the graduation party?” Lia felt herself cringe as she mentioned her most embarrassing memory.
“The one that you wish you could just bury and forget? Heck yes.” Anu’s eyes turned sympathetic and her lips formed a sad smile. She had been there too, and she understood how it pained Lia.
“Well, the guy...Colin...he’s my mentor in Dr. Peterson’s lab.”
“Oh shit, are you serious?”
“It’s totally him.”
Anu took a deep breath. “Wow, this is big. Are you going to be able to work with him? You really want to work in Dr. Peterson’s lab for your dissertation, right?”
“Yeah, it’s my favorite lab, that’s why I picked it.”
“How long is Colin going to be around?”
Lia shrugged. “He’s a fourth year, but you know how it is. A Ph.D. can take 6 years. Could be a while.”
“I’m sorry Lia. That really sucks.”
“I can’t even breathe normally around him. I’m so nervous. I imagine that he’s remembering that night, and laughing at me.”
Anu looked pensive. Their running had slowed to a comfortable jog. The banks of the Charles River were blanketed with students and couples basking in the warm evening. Lia took a deep breath.
“Hey hotties.” Catcalls and laughter followed. The offenders were a group of high school boys to their left. They were sprawled on the grass, listening to music and drinking beer.
“You wanna go out with me?” The ringleader looked at Lia mockingly. His head nodded and his gaze slowly took in her body. “Nice butt.” He thrusted his pelvic area towards her. “You want some of this?” His friends laughed even louder.
Anu glared at the boys. “Idiots.” She pushed Lia to run faster.
A few steps later, Lia bent over, her hands on her knees. The laughter. Those boys had been laughing at her, just like Colin’s friends that night. “What’s wrong with her?” they had said, as she ran out of the party. She had heard Colin’s laugh among the chorus of laughs. “She’s so weird.”
Anu rubbed her shoulders. “Are you remembering?”
Lia nodded. She heaved, barely stopping herself from being sick. Anu helped her sit down on the grass. Images from that evening were spinning in her head.
“Stupid punks.”
Lia wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her head in her lap. Anu hugged her closely. She stroked her hair gently, not saying anything.
“It’s just like that night.” The tears streamed down Lia’s cheeks and she felt her shorts getting wet.
“Lia, I don’t know if your memory is totally accurate,” said Anu cautiously.
“Maybe they weren’t laughing at you. You were pretty drunk, right?”
“No. They were mocking me.” Lia was certain.
“Well, these high school guys were just idiots.”
“Why did they hit on me and not someone else then?”
Anu hesitated. “Um. Well, you look really sweet and cute. They probably thought you were an easy target.”
“Great. Just great.” Lia lifted her head. Her nose was runny and she could picture her red, puffy eyes.
“Look, I don’t think you should give up your dream because of Colin.”
Lia looked at the river. A boat full of Harvard rowers passed in front of her.
“I don’t want this to get in the way of my career ambitions.”
Anu nodded. “Yes. You need to remember the big picture. And hell, maybe he doesn’t even really remember that night?”
“Oh, he remembers. He gave me this look.”
“Well, we all do things that we regret. Life is messy,” said Anu.
“I guess.”
“You can’t control everything. Maybe it’s time to open up that cocoon you’ve built around yourself. Make peace with the messiness.”
Oh how she knows me. Lia felt her heart skip a beat. She wasn’t ready for this.
“But...”
After the incident, Lia had made it her mission to control her feelings, vowing never to allow them to make her decisions. She only ate what was part of her prescribed weight loss plan, and suppressed her emotions instead of feeding them. Her grades became the benchmark of her success as a human being. Dating was out of the question. Until today, she had been doing very well.
“Listen, I know you can handle this.” Anu’s eyes were determined. She always believes in me. Lia’s heart ached.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Anu smiled gently.
“So how are things with Noah?” Lia changed the subject to something more lighthearted. Anu had met Noah at a party a few nights ago, and they had really hit it off.
Anu’s eyes lit up and her cheeks flushed slightly. She brushed a lock of brown hair off her eyes.
“We went on a date last night, our first. He kissed me, I can’t believe it.”
“Wow, that’s great!” Lia was excited for her friend, but also felt a twinge of sadness. Would she lose their close friendship if things got serious with Noah?
“He’s really sweet and smart, and cute,” gushed Anu. “I almost can’t believe that I met him at that party. I never meet guys at parties.”
“He’s a grad student?” asked Lia.
“Yeah, Math grad student at Harvard.”
“Are you seeing him again?”
“Yeah, we’re going on another date. Can’t wait.” Anu stood up suddenly. “Let’s go, a good run will make everything better for you.”
Lia focused all her energy on standing up and getting into a steady running rhythm. It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay. She repeated the positive mantra like a broken record over and over as she ran alongside her friend.
CHAPTER TWO
“Hey Lia,” her aunt Gianna looked up from the table where she was making ravioli. After the intense run with Anu, it was good to be back in Gianna’s cute little bistro. Zia Gianna’s was an Italian cafe in the North End of Boston, known for homemade pasta of every type and exquisite tiramisu.
“Hi Gianna.” Lia gave her petite aunt a hug, smelling basil and rosemary. Gianna looked up, her green eyes smiling as usual. “How was school?”
Lia placed her backpack on a small table in the back of the kitchen, and washed her hands in the large sink.
“It was mostly good.”
“Only mostly?” Gianna laughed. “My brilliant niece going to MIT, I think you shoul
d be ecstatic every day! How many people would love to have your brains?”
“You’re too kind.” Lia blushed. Gianna always saw the positive in everything, she was the most optimistic person she knew.
“How can I help?”
“You could set the tables,” said a deep male voice. Paulo walked over to Lia, drying his hands on a towel. His dark hair framed his masculine square jaws and piercing green eyes. An earring decorated one of his ears. Girls swooned over him, but to Lia he was like a cousin. She teased him sometimes about his absurdly perfect features — he had the fullest lips and longest eyelashes she had seen on a man.
“Hey Paulo.” Lia reached for the checked tablecloths, stereotypical for an Italian joint.
“It smells amazing in here.” Lia inhaled.
“Oh that’s your aunt’s butternut squash ravioli,” said Paulo. “She has the secret touch with those. Even I can’t make them as good.”
“Don’t be silly.” Gianna turned to look at her assistant. “You’re brilliant in the kitchen. I’m so glad I was able to get you before you ended up in trouble somewhere.”
Paulo shrugged. He came from a rough family, and he had been living mostly on the streets when Gianna had met him. She decided to give him a chance, and it turned out that he was a fantastic cook. He wasn’t easy to work with, he had lots of chips on his shoulder, but Gianna had a calming effect on him. Lia admired her Aunt for seeing the gifts in even the most unlikely people.
Lia walked into the front of the restaurant. The cozy spot had become her home since she had moved in after her college graduation. She had spent the summer working with Gianna, getting ready for grad school.
“Here, let me help you.” Gianna followed her. They laid the tablecloths on each table, ten in total. “Lia, what’s up? Something’s on your mind.”
“I’m okay, but I just ran into someone that I never expected to see again. I have to work with this person, actually.” Lia sat down, wiping her hot forehead. “I was really excited about starting today.”
