Chapter 2
The next morning as Graham stumbled into the kitchen to get his coffee, Noah was sitting at the table smiling.
"Hey guess what?" Noah asked cheerfully. He'd been awake for an hour already.
"Dude, I'm still half asleep, calm it down until I at least get my cup of wake up stuff." Graham grouched.
"Sorry bro, I forgot what a grump you are before your cup of Joe. And that you're unable to come up with the right words." Noah laughed at how Graham would make up phrases when he couldn't think of the right words, which happened frequently when he was not quite awake. Noah was usually gone by the time Graham got up.
Graham prepared his coffee with some cream and sugar then sat at the table. He drank slowly, noticing Noah's leg bouncing in anticipation of what he wanted to say. After a few minutes he turned to Noah, "Alright man, your too excited to tell me something, so what is it?"
"You awake enough to remember anything I say yet?" Noah studied him.
"Sure. Go ahead." Graham wasn't going to argue that he'd remember when he was half asleep, he knew better but he'd waited until he was more alert to start the conversation.
"You are really not a morning person!" Noah commented. "Surprising since you grew up on a farm!"
"I was a morning person until High School and got a part time evening job. That's also when my Aunt started being more frustrating, but you know all that. Luckily Lucas is a morning person so we always have a hot pot of coffee to wake up to." Graham said.
He always hated mornings and was grateful he didn't have to think about making coffee since moving in with his friends, he'd botched more than a few cups in his sleepwalking state the first year they lived here, but they soon banned him from making it. Graham was especially grateful that since coming to college he didn't have to wake up to do chores in the mornings and purposefully didn't schedule classes until at least 10 if he could help it. He was also glad to be out of his childhood home, his Aunt had gotten more frustrating after he'd gotten a job and wanted to be more independent. He was grateful to her for taking him in as a young child when his parents had died. He had to admit she was great when he was younger but Graham thought having a teenager was hard on her, especially since she was basically a single parent.
"True, and good thing he can make a killer brew!" Noah agreed, snapping Graham out of his thoughts. "I got Emma's info from my brother and asked her about the group she was with yesterday."
"That was fast," Graham said.
"I think she was happy to hear from me, my brother mentioned that she had a crush on me when they were in high school right after giving me her info, so if I get a fan girl following me after this, you owe me big!" Noah fake grumbled.
"You know you like fan girls!" Graham teased.
"Only the ones that aren't obsessed, and you never know... But going back to the original conversation, Emma said they meet occasionally for meals and promised to let me know before the next one so we can happen to be in the same place." Noah said smugly. "Then you can learn who mystery girl is and hopefully I can avoid being stalked by my brothers friend."
"You think Emma is hot don't you?" Graham read between the lines.
"I never said that. She's like a sister to me." Noah said defensively.
"Like a hot unrelated sister?" Graham laughed.
"Too bad you're not still half asleep, you never would have been so quick with that." Noah grumbled.
Graham just smiled, he knew Noah wouldn't admit if he actually liked a girl as their friends loved to heckle each other about potential love interests. They'd all met their Freshman year at UW Madison. They'd been housemates in a house they referred to as The Ark since it was actually Noah's house. The few people who'd figured out it was Noah's house always groaned when the realized it was Noah's Ark. They'd give various reasons for naming it that to people who asked since Nate didn't want people to know and assume he was a rich brat. Most of the reasons they gave weren't true, they included moving in during a crazy heavy rainstorm, having a flooded basement, they had a secret dream of running a zoo, or that they'd met on a boat. The only one with some truth was the fact it was raining when they'd moved in, but it was more of a drizzle. This was the 5th year they'd been living in The Ark. Graham was in his second year of graduate school, Oliver was in his first year of Graduate classes and the rest were in their Senior year of their undergrad. They made an odd group from different backgrounds with different majors, but they were pretty much like brothers.
Noah got up, "I've got to run, but I wanted you to know that you have a chance to find out who mystery girl is." He lightly punched Graham's shoulder as he walked by.
"Thanks man, and maybe you'll get to hook up with Emma." Graham teased.
Noah just kept walking essentially ending that conversation.
Graham finished his mug and put it in the sink. He'd wash it after eating breakfast, but first he wanted to work out and then shower. One perk of living in The Ark was the basement, a perfect man cave including a work out room. Graham walked down and started on his workout routine. He'd learned the hard way his Freshman year that if he didn't keep up with his workouts his chiseled body turned soft pretty fast. He'd spent too many years putting in effort to do let it that.
A few days later Noah messaged Graham while he was in class.
NOAH: Just heard from Emma, they're meeting for Lunch tomorrow. Are you available to go at 1?
GRAHAM: Tomorrow is Tuesday ... I don't have class after 12. Lucky break!
NOAH: I'm also free, or free enough, I'm going to have to ditch my study group. Meet me at State Street and we'll walk in the place they'll be at together.
GRAHAM: You mean you're not saying where?
NOAH: And have you go without me, no way bro.
GRAHAM: I wouldn't leave you hanging man.
NOAH: Not chancing it, I know you when you want to figure out a puzzle.
GRAHAM: Point taken. I need to pay more attention to the lecture now.
Graham put away his phone and listened to the professor drone on. Marketing Communications wasn't his favorite class, but was a requirement for the MBA program.
The next morning seemed to drag on forever. Graham was surprised again at how sometimes minutes could seem like hours. After what seemed like a whole day instead of just 3 hours, it was after Noon and Graham walked toward State Street, a pedestrian street with a lot of places to eat on the edge of campus. Graham was early and couldn't wait to figure out who the girl was. Her face was there every time he closed his eyes at night and he still hadn't been able to place her. It was driving him crazy that he couldn't, it seemed to be just beyond his reach. He knew that if Noah had told him where to go he'd already be there instead of waiting for Noah in their arranged spot. Noah knew him too well, Graham chuckled.
After about 15 minutes, just as Graham was thinking he should duck into a building to get warm, Noah walked up.
"Been waiting long?" Noah asked.
"Nah." Graham answered not wanting to be teased.
"Liar, you look half froze, and I bet if you'd known where to go you'd already be there." Noah eyed him.
"Am I that transparent?" Graham groaned. His lie hadn't worked.
"Only to our group." Noah laughed. "Otherwise I think people find you hard to read."
Graham nodded, he had been a lot more open with his housemates than with anyone else. His life hadn't been easy growing up with his aunt and working hard on the farm growing up. In high school he'd worked really hard at school, even getting a few college credits, so he could get a scholarship and be able to get a business degree so he wouldn't have to return to the farm. His Aunt wasn't happy that he decided to go to college instead of taking over the farm, but he wouldn't give in. Their relationship was strained because Graham wouldn't give in to staying in the small town. His Aunt thought he was too much like his father, who he had only had fractured memories that were fuzzy about. Since his parents had died when their house burnt down while he was staying with a friend, there were no pictures of his parents. He thought it odd that there weren't any, but his Aunt always closed the topic when it came up. Graham knew his Aunt wished he had been more like his best friend from home. Graham's best friend growing up loved farming and had stayed to help his parents run the farm. Graham was happy some people loved it or there wouldn't be enough food and happy his childhood friend was doing something he loved.
"So have you heard about Med School yet?" Graham asked Noah as they walked down the street. He was feeling nervous and wanted to distract himself. He hardly ever got this nervous, but couldn't shake the feeling no matter how hard he tried.
"I thought you knew it was too soon. We won't hear back for another month." Noah said. "The hardest part is the waiting, I know I did good enough academically to get in, but there are always good candidates turned away."
"You'll definitely get into one of the schools you applied to." Graham reiterated what he'd told Noah a few times before. "And even though I went through grad admissions two years ago, it's easy to forget the timeline."
"I know but I'd rather stay here and stay at The Ark with people I know than move to somewhere else. I'd hate to have my parents sell and make the guys move."
"You don't have to worry about them, they would manage. I know some have been saving up for when they moved out. We're really grateful that you have let us live without paying rent. It's more generous than a friend should be. I'm not looking forward to the end of the year, it won't be the same after I graduate. Elijah and Lucas are also not doing grad school and then you don't know where you'll be, neither does John." Graham said.
"Life has to move on at some point, it just always comes faster than we think." Noah remarked.
"Are you sure you aren't majoring in philosophy?" Graham joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"We're here." Noah said as he turned to enter Ian's Pizza.
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