Star Crossed Read Online Free PDF

with.”
                Skylar's blush deepened. “I'll let her know.”
     
    ~~~
     
                Chris stretched and groaned as he rose from his nap amongst his pile of texts, notebooks, and papers to answer the doorbell that had just chimed for what seemed like the hundredth time. Wearily he crossed to the door, wishing that he could just be left alone to finish his paper before his looming deadline. Even though he admittedly was accomplishing less work and more worry as the days came and went.
                “Who’s there?” Chris shouted through the thin apartment door, even as he opened the cover over the peephole to see his friend Steve standing impatiently on the other side of the threshold.
                “Guess I better get used to Mr. Graduate’s degree standing me up, huh?” Steve said before Chris had barely cracked open the door.
                “What on earth are you talking about man?” Chris responded with an obviously bewildered look on his face.
                “Tuesday night wings man, every Tuesday for years now Chris! You don’t even know what day it is, do you?” his friend asked with a chuckle.
                Chris paused to think and sure enough Tuesday had snuck right up to him.
                “Yeah, you can say that again. I guess I’ve been working harder than I thought man, I’m sorry.”
                “Just what I thought. Also, if I know you, that pile of massive writer’s block you’ve got sitting on your coffee table in there indicates that you have accomplished a whole lot of nothing during your personal sequestering, right?” Steve asked as he leaned into the living room, eying the piles of research paraphernalia that surrounded the couch and coffee table like an agoraphobic’s safety fort.
                Chris looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow and started to think that Steve might know him entirely too well.
                “You’re right,” Chris heaved with a sigh, “But there’s nothing left to do, but write this thing and I just can’t seem to get my thoughts together.” He knew the reason why, but held it back as he looked towards Steve; who nagged him too much about women and dating as it was. The last thing that Steve needed to hear was that he couldn’t wrap his head around research, because it had been wrapped around Skylar. Not that there was too much to think about on that subject, he hastily attempted to tell himself once again.
                After all, it wouldn’t be fair for him to make any kind of a move with her. She wanted romance and for someone to be around for her and he couldn’t promise her that. If she was going to give up on guys like Joey who stood her up then what good would it do for him to be a part of her life? He had so much going on sometimes that he couldn’t even remember it was Tuesday, let alone function enough to keep a date. Skylar would think she wasn’t worth more to him than his grades and he wouldn’t be stupid enough to play with her heart like that. Even if he couldn’t stop wondering what she had done that day or who she was talking to or whether they were going to be the kind of person she deserved to have in her life.
                He had to give her that independence, though, because she clearly couldn’t find happiness with someone like him.
                “Well, your thoughts are sure to be clearer after a beer or seven,” Steve cajoled.
                “I don’t think your ideas of clear are the same as mine,” Chris said flatly.
                “Well, either way, you could use some decompression time. I mean honestly Chris, when was the last time you thought about anything other than work?”
                “I’m a goal oriented person, what can I say.”
                “Excuses, excuses. You need to orient yourself