The noises inside the bedroom made Victoria wake up even before the alarm clock went off. The windows were already open and she had to blink a few times so that she would be able to see clearly.

“What are you doing?” She sat on the bed, watching Karen packing up her things.

“I’m moving,” She said without facing Victoria. “I’m sorry for waking you up.” She kept on packing.

“Why are you moving?” Victoria seemed more than shocked. They had become good friends and she would never expect her to move without a really good reason.

“Oh…” She stopped for a few seconds. “I…I’m moving to Steve’s house.”

“Who’s Steve?” She seemed even more surprised now. She didn’t know that Karen was in a relationship.

Once again Karen stopped for a few seconds. She had to come up with something, and quickly. “It was my ex-boyfriend. Last night we got back together and now I’m moving in with him.”

Victoria got out of her bed and stood next to her. “Are you sure about that?” She placed her hand on Karen’s shoulder and she jumped a little.

“I’m more than sure.” She used all her strength to show her an excited smile.

“What happened?” Victoria saw the big band aid appearing from underneath her tank top.

“Nothing.” Karen flinched from her touch. “I cut myself this morning. It’s no big deal.” She picked up a box. “I need to go now. Goodbye Victoria.” She closed the door behind her, leaving Victoria staring at it.

“I’m telling you, that was really weird,” She repeated while she ate lunch with Zacky. “She sounded afraid of something…”

“Maybe she was just afraid of your reaction.” Zacky finished his drink. “You were friends and she knew you weren’t expecting that. It seems like she prefers staying with her boyfriend after all.”

“Maybe…” Victoria mumbled, still trying to believe in Karen’s words.
She looked at her watch and her eyes widened. “I’m going to be late for classes.” She got up and kissed Zacky on his left cheek. “I’ll see you later Zacky.”

“Bye…” He watched her leave and his eyes followed her until she disappeared in the crowd. Then he left too.

Zacky drove with a smile on his lips. He had just moved from Los Angeles to a small coastal village, only one hour drive from Stanford. He had bought a small, old, two bedroom house, but it had only cost a third of his apartment price in LA and it was located in a beautiful place. It was the perfect place for a new beginning.
He stopped the car on the rocky driveway and entered the house. It still didn’t have electricity or running water, he hadn’t had much time to take care of that and he hadn’t spent much time there either.
The floorboards creaked every time he took a step and the paint was shedding in most of the rooms. There were a few broken stair treads and upstairs, some of the windows didn’t close properly. He made a mental note to buy some supplies so that he could start fixing them.
He opened his bedroom door, revealing a room with nothing but boxes and a bed. One entire wall of the room, the wall facing the bed, was covered from floor to ceiling with photographs of Victoria. Some were specific – of her hair, her eyes, her lips, her hands – others were of her entire face or entire body.
He took a few more from the inside pocket of his jacket and stuck them on the wall, making sure they weren’t blocking any of the others he needed to see and then proceeded to sit on the end of his bed and examine them for fifteen minutes. He looked at her eyes, her nose, her long neck, the arch of her back, her pert bottom, the way her toes were perfectly painted. He got lost in the photographs and for a moment he was with Victoria.

“You can always see the bright side of it, now you have a big bedroom just for yourself,” Emily said after Victoria told her what had happened with Karen, while they had dinner together.
“Actually, I could be your roommate if you want to.” Emily offered. “I’m staying on a single dorm, but we could always share a room.”

Victoria’s eyes lit up. “Really? That would be great! I thought…that you and Amanda were roommates.”

Emily laughed softly. “We could be, but Mandy is very stubborn so she prefers to drive from San José, where she lives, every morning. After all, it’s just a thirty minute drive.”

“So it’s settled, you are moving to my dorm.” Victoria clapped her hands.

“That, I can’t do. You are in an only-freshman dorm, you’ll have to move into mine and we’ll have to ask for a new room,” Emily explained. “It might take a few weeks.”

“Ok then.” Victoria felt her cell phone buzzing inside her pocket. “It’s Zacky,” She smiled at Emily. “And he is inviting me for a drink.”

“He already has your cell phone number?” She furrowed her eyebrows.

“Yes, what’s the problem with that?” Victoria shrugged. “Do you want to come?”

“Oh, no no.” Emily quickly got up. “I don’t think he wants me there.”

“Why not? He’s our friend.”

That made Emily laugh. “Our friend? He’s your friend, he only talks to you and every time I meet you he disappears.” She grabbed her coat. “He’s weird, Vicky. There’s something wicked in his eyes.” She sounded serious. “Do you even know anything about him? How old is he? What is he taking?"

“Oh my God Emily, maybe he’s a serial killer! Quick, hide the corn flakes!” She mocked. “You’re so dramatic,” She laughed and followed her outside. Once she said goodbye to her, Victoria crossed the street and saw Zacky waiting for her. For a second she thought about what Emily had said. Why didn’t he talk to anyone but her? How did he know where she was having dinner if she hadn’t told him? Why didn’t she know anything about him?

“Are you okay?” Zacky asked her after a while. They had been and the bar for almost an hour but Victoria didn’t seem as lively as she usually was.

She looked at him and then back at her glass. Her mind didn’t stop jumping from thinking about what had truly happened to Karen and what Emily had said about Zacky.

“Listen Zacky…” She started after gaining courage. “I was wondering why you never told me anything about you.” She was trying to be gentle. “You know, I would like to know as much about you as you know about me.”

Once again he felt like she had taken control, her big brown eyes waiting for an answer in expectation.
“Oh shit!” He suddenly said, looking at his watch. “I totally forgot about…I really need to go!” He got up and his legs caught the edge of the table, jarring it and rocking the glasses that stood on it. One sloshed over.
“Oh I’m sorry Victoria.” He tried to clean the mess as fast as he could. “I late for…I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
Victoria was perplexed with all that sudden commotion. Without moving from her chair she slowly nodded and watched him leave.

Notes

Thank you all for your comments!
I'm currently studying for my college exams, so I'm going to stop posting for a while. I'll be back on track as soon as I finish them :D