Caught in Us (Lost 3)

"Don't open that can of worms ...it's a girl thing," I say.

"It's difficult because both your names start with D," Hazel continues undeterred. "Maybe I can use your middle name, Gemma. You could be Gamon or Demma."

"They both sound terrible," I interject.

"How about D&D?" Her eyes light up.

"I refuse to have a couple name that's a stand-in for Dungeons and Dragons," I say heatedly.

"What is going on?" Damon asks, looking at Hazel and me as if he fears we might be losing our minds.

"Nothing. You'll just be the perfect power couple," she announces.

"Shouldn't you go back to your presentation?" I ask.

"We're taking a break." She puts her hands on her hips, tilting her head to one side and then the other one. "My neck is stiff."

"You've taken a break every hour," I accuse.

"Yeah, Chase is convinced his neurons will get fried otherwise." Chase is watching a YouTube video.

"He'll ace the presentation tomorrow. He always does. I need more coffee," Hazel complains.

"That's not a bad idea," I mutter as Hazel is already walking with determined strides to our coffee machine.

"We've run out of coffee," she announces. "How is that possible? We don't have chocolate, either."

Chase jumps to his feet so fast I swear I hear his knees snap. "I'll go to the vending machine real quick and get you a coffee," he says to Hazel.

"How considerate of you," I say.

"Trust me; I've seen Hazel low on chocolate and coffee. Not pretty."

"Very funny," Hazel says. "I'll come with you. Anyone else want coffee?"

Both Damon and I raise our hands. As Chase and Hazel leave, I can't help but wonder what his deal is. It's obvious he likes her. He attends to her every need, from carrying her books to making sure she has her coffee, and still he won't ask her out.

"Let's take a break, too," Damon says, massaging his temples. He leans on his back on the floor, propping his head on a book. "What's with all these brochures about majors?" He points to the shelf behind me.

"I'm just doing a bit of reading, trying to decide what I'll pick."

"Relax, Dani. You don't have to declare a major yet."

"Yeah, but I already want to know what I want to do so I can work toward it. I'm used to knowing what I want."

"You're too harsh on yourself. That's what the first part of college is for. Soul-searching. Well, between parties and assignments. Haven't you heard the phrase, Not all those who wander are lost?"

I stare at him in amazement. "That's from The Lord of the Rings." I don't say anything else, at a loss for words.

"Yeah. After I left, I…" He looks away, but I catch a glimpse of his glassy eyes. "Well, you liked it so much, I wanted to see the movies. And then I thought, if I do it, I'd better do it right. I read the books first."

"And?"

"You were right. The movies are cool, but the books are way better. Also, I will never call you my precious again," he says. I burst out laughing and Damon joins me, the clouds in his gaze dissipating. Our separation didn't leave marks only on me. Between the red scarf and the books, we both carried each other's absence with us. It weighted like a rock and hurt like a punishment. "So, about that quote."

"If they have a map, they don't get lost. That's what I want. I don't want to know exactly how my future will look. I just want a map. You have one."

"I do?"