“Care to explain why you came barging in in the middle of my lesson?” the lecturer asked, arms folded over his chest as he gave her a pointed look.
“I’m sorry, sir. I overslept, and then I couldn’t find my notebook, and then my key got stuck in the keyhole of my dorm room—it nearly broke- and then my sho—”
“That’s enough,” the lecturer spoke, holding up a hand that effectively cut off whatever else the girl was about to say.
What caught Paul’s attention was the shocking purple color at the end of her blond, curly hair and the eyebrow piercing that moved with every animated gesture when she spoke. He was intrigued, to say the least.
“See if you can find a seat and try not to interrupt the class anymore. Make sure you make it to your other classes on time.”
The girl went to speak, but the lecturer held his hand up to halt her words. She turned and scanned the mostly packed room, trying to locate a seat when her eyes zeroed in on him or rather the seat that was right next to him. She gingerly picked her way through the rows and the sea of bodies whose eyes remained fixated on her, some of them holding condescending smirks. When she made it to the seat, she sat and stared ahead as the lecturer picked up where he’d left off.
“Hi.”
Paul turned surprised eyes toward the girl who stared back at him with a broad, daring grin.
“Hi,” he responded, carefully watching what the lecturer was doing from the corner of his eye.
“I know it’s far out, but can I borrow your notes after class?” she asked.
“Um, sure,” he replied.
“Great,” the girl responded, pleased, before turning her head to the front of the class to listen to the lecturer. Paul did the same.
After the lecture, Paul stayed back, allowing her to copy his notes, and from that day onward, they had been inseparable.
He had been happy with Natalie. They’d had a wonderful life. She taught him how to be a good husband and a good father. There was, without a doubt, nothing he would change about their life together.
Still…
His thoughts kept going back to Nikki. To deny that Nikki was also in his heart would be to deny that what he had felt for her was akin to what you would call having a soulmate. But…
It still felt like a betrayal to Natalie’s memory, and he did not know what to do about the dilemma he now found himself in.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Two days later
“Are ya ready, mate?”
Paul stared unblinking and horrified at the man standing before him in bright yellow fishing overalls, matching water boots, and a fishing hat with rubber hooks and fish adorning it.
“What in heavens are you wearing?” he asked in alarm.
“Whaddya mean?” Ken asked, looking over his ensemble.
“You remind me of a certain entertainer that usually wears that same color, but they also wear a lot of face makeup, a red nose, and a multicolored Afro,” Paul responded.
“Ha ha, very funny,” Ken deadpanned.
“Got any knock-knock jokes?” Paul asked, quaking with laughter.
“Tell you what, why don’t I use your head as a door? I’ll knock, and you can tell me if it’s funny.” Ken advanced toward his friend with a determined glare.
“All right. I’m sorry,” Paul called out, his hands raised in surrender. Ken stopped his advance.
“I won’t call you a clown even though you’re kinda dressed like one in that.” Paul smirked triumphantly before turning around to head inside.
Something tapped against his temple, causing Paul to look over his shoulder. He saw Ken holding the object that had struck him.
