Anne watched Connor from across the table. He was sitting in the same seat he had been when she first met him. He was wearing the same sweater. She loved him. She could still remember when she first met him.

Connor threw a discrete glance at Anne. She was sitting across from him at their group lunch table in the caf. She was amazing. Everything about her made him want to leap across the table and hold her in his arms.



“You’re in my spot!” she said. He looked up. A tall, brown haired girl stood before him with her hands on her hips.

“How is it your spot? I’m sitting here,” he replied. She glared at him and put her bag down on top of his.
“I like that spot. I have claimed it in the name of the Holy Roman Empire. It’s mine,” she said. At the mention of the Roman Empire, Sharon laughed. Mitch was also laughing.
“I’m not getting up,” he said. He liked her. She had spirit.
“Well that’s too bad because I’m sitting down,” said Anne. She liked this guy. Most of the time, people just got up for her.
She sat down in his lap and brushed his lunch aside, putting her own down in front of them. She started causally munching on her fries. She made casual conversation with all of them and talked to him as though he were sitting across from her instead of under her. Connor kept laughing at her. Anne felt him move under her as he laughed. It felt good.
He reached around her and stole a fry. She smacked his hand. He kept laughing. She nearly blushed. Sharon saw right away that she liked Connor. Sharon knew Anne from outside of school. She had just transferred to Farce Creek High, and even though ‘the spot was hers’ it was Connor who usually sat there because it was only Anne’s second day there.
“Okay, I have to know what your name is. I can’t have some strange girl sitting in my lap,” said Connor. Anne shifted into the seat next to his.
“I’m Anne Roman,” she said. He now understood the Roman Empire joke. He nodded.
“Okay. I’m Connor,” he replied. She liked the sound of his name.
“Hello? Earth to Anne?” said Sharon. She knew that lately all Anne could think about was Connor. It was almost the end of the year and Anne had made it clear that she didn’t want to end the year without kissing Connor Travis.
“I’m here,” said Anne. Mitch looked at her.
“Are you going to answer my question?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Sorry I didn’t hear you. What is it?” she asked. Connor laughed. Anne was always zoned out.
“I wanted to know if you were going to go for a walk with us for the rest of lunch,” he said. Anne nodded. They all got up.
They walked through the door to the path that led around the school. Sharon and Mitch walked way behind Connor and Anne. While Sharon was Anne’s confidante, Mitch was Connor’s. Connor wanted to ask Anne out, so he hung back with Sharon, not knowing that Sharon hung back because Anne wanted to give Connor the opportunity to ask her out.
“So what’re you going to do in the summer?” asked Anne. Connor shrugged.
“What are you taking next year?” she asked. He shrugged again.
“Are you going to shrug off every question I ask you?” asked Anne. Connor looked down at her. Her bright blue eyes were staring at him. She wanted him to do something, anything. Connor couldn’t take it anymore.
He leaned over her and kissed her. Anne brushed her hands through his messy hair and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled away from her. She tucked her head against his chest.
“I really like you Connor,” she said. He breathed in sharply.
“I love you,” he whispered. She looked up at him, her eyes searching for something in his. She was searching for love in them, but all he saw was her strange expression. He pulled away from her and looked at the ground.
“I’m not going to apologize and say that I didn’t mean to be too intense. I do love you Anne. I’ve known you a year now and I know one thing- I love you,” he said.
Anne silently took him in. She saw that tears were welling in his eyes. She was overwhelmed. Everything she’d wished for had just happened. She was speechless. He began to walk away, but she remained rooted to the spot.
“Connor?” she said. He turned around. For a split second as they kissed, he’d thought it was going to work out. She’d said she’d liked him. That had been good, but not good enough. He loved her, loved her more than his own life and couldn’t bear to not have her love him back.
“What is it, Anne?” he said. His eyes were going red now. Anne walked over to him and dried his tears with the sleeve of her sweater.
“I love you too,” she said. He smiled and hugged her to his body. He laughed and again Anne felt the pleasant sensation of his laughter against her body.
Sharon and Mitch watched the entire thing happen. Unlike Sharon, who was happy for her friend and stayed quiet, Mitch was happy for his friend and yelled
“Look who conquered the heart of the Roman Empire!”
The lame pun earned him a punch in the ribs from Sharon. Anne and Connor looked back up the path at Sharon and Mitch. They smiled.
“Does this mean I can sit in your spot without a fight, now?” he asked. Anne laughed.
“Only if you want me sitting in your lap,” she teased. Connor smiled.
“I’ll sit there every day.”