Unfortunately, she didn't.

Despite their teamwork, Kaitlyn and Ian couldn't quite pull off a win against Zog and his teammate. But it was close. Very close. Close enough that she thought they'd pull it off next loop.

But in the meantime, she settled for second place in doubles. It was a nice accompaniment to her fifth place in singles, following a gut-wrenching loss to Ian.

I'm getting better. I'm so close I can feel it.

But after a few more friendlies and a generous amount of time spent hanging out, Kaitlyn found herself back in her dorm room. Given who she'd been talking to, she found herself with a sudden urge to tackle some Software Engineering assignments. As group-focused as they were, it wouldn't hurt to handle them sooner rather than later.

"Omigosh, I'm exhausted."

Heather whirled into the dorm room, slumping into her chair with a dramatic sigh. Kaitlyn looked up from her laptop with a questioning look. "What's up?"

"It's midterms! They're killing me, Kate!" The blonde let her head fall backwards, eyes closing. "That International Relations one was sooo much worse than I thought! I totally studied, but I dunno…"

Kaitlyn gave her roommate a sage nod. It was a tale as old as time. The first midterms were a massive wake-up call for most people, showing just how much they'd fallen behind or slacked off during the first half of the semester. It was even worse for freshmen, who were still adjusting to college to begin with. But from experience, she knew that Heather at least was in good shape.

"Don't worry. I think you did better than you expect. Besides, that class curves, doesn't it?"

"It does, but still…" Heather straightened with another sigh. "Anyway. I need to, like, unwind and think about something different. How're the spice mixes going?"

She shot her roommate an amused look. Only Heather would consider business talk "relaxing."

"Pretty good, actually." Kaitlyn replied. "I've got a couple more that might be ready soon. Maybe next week. Though I haven't been making as much progress as I'd like because of midterms…"

The delay wasn't due to her own studying or anything. Rather, because midterms were so close, she had a surprising amount of people asking for study help. How exactly they'd gotten the idea to ask her this loop wasn't entirely clear, though she suspected that Heather had something to do with it. Regardless, it was just another place for her to spend her all-too-limited time.

"Omigosh, awesome!" Heather brightened considerably. "That's so quick! I'll have to start getting the kickoff ready. Do you have the final recipes yet?"

"Not yet. I have a few last tweaks to make. Then I'll get them to you." Kaitlyn reached up and pulled a couple of bags down from the shelf. "Actually, maybe I can ask you for help with this. Maybe you can test them out for me?"

"Uh, of course!" Heather practically squealed. "Just tell me what to stick em' on and I'm totally there!"

"Thanks." Kaitlyn smiled at her, then held the bags up. "This one's for stir fry – specifically the beef and sesame one, but you can kind of use any protein – and this one's for tomato basil soup. It's one of the more common soups that they put out, so hopefully it's a hit."

"Girl, I'm sure it will be." Heather waved the concern off. "You can barely keep up with demand as is. People are gonna be all over it."

She grinned at the blonde. "Thanks, Heather. For all your help."

"Help? Kate, you're the real mastermind here!"

"Yeah, but you really are half the reason why this even works." Kaitlyn held up a hand to forestall the girl's words. "I'm serious. You do all the marketing and advertising stuff that I really couldn't care less about. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have half this many customers. And you're just supportive in general."

Heather straightened proudly. "Of course! I couldn't pass something like this up, y'know? Though…" A greedy glint entered her eye. "Maybe my awesome work is gonna make you rethink those profit splits?"

"Sure." Kaitlyn agreed easily. "What are you thinking? How much do you think is fair?"

Heather dropped her head with a sigh. "Kate, you're not supposed to agree like that! You're supposed to say something like, I dunno, 'we had a deal' or 'I'll circle back about that.' Y'know, play hardball!"

"Why would I when you've actually done so much? I mean seriously, I probably should be giving you more, really–"

"Nope," Heather cut her off. "I changed my mind. I can't accept more profits if you're not gonna even argue. Ugh, how am I supposed to practice negotiating with you?! It's like taking candy from a baby!"

Kaitlyn just grinned. "You think I should branch out into candy next? I've never made it before, but maybe I could make some salted caramels…"

"Omigosh, please." Heather's expression turned hungry. "Screw the money. Pay me in those."

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

***

"That's the last of it," Scarra grunted as he emerged from the kitchen, tying up a trash bag. "The rest we can take care of tomorrow."

"Alright," Kaitlyn stretched before straightening one last chair that had been askew. They'd more or less managed to put the restaurant back in order after the party. Though as Scarra noted, there were still a few things that needed tidying up. "Is there anything else that you need?"

"Oh, no, dear." Chella assured her. "We've already kept you long enough as it is. You'd best be on your way home before it gets too late."

The portly woman called over her shoulder. "You too, Philip! Run along now, we'll handle everything else."

Philip nodded. "Understood. As soon as I finish sweeping…"

Kaitlyn smiled. The sight of Chella bustling Philip away from his work and toward the back door was a familiar one by now. As much as the guy had changed, some things just stayed the same.

Chella spoke up as she got ready to leave. "Kaitlyn, dear, you live on campus, right? How do you get home usually?"

Here we go again.

Kaitlyn had braced herself for this encounter for weeks. Simply being around Philip multiple times a week had desensitized her somewhat to his presence, but not entirely. And sitting in a car with him, letting him give her another ride somewhere… it was different. It felt different. And she wasn't sure if she wanted to try it yet.

Maybe I can get out of it this time. That, or I'm about to get a pop quiz on how well I've actually moved on.

"I walk. It's no big deal," she continued on before the blanching woman could interrupt. "It's not far, and it's perfectly safe. The whole walk is well lit. I've done it plenty of times before."

Chella crossed her arms resolutely, sending Kaitlyn's heart sinking. She knew she'd failed before the woman even spoke. "Well, be that as it may, you're not doing it tonight. Not at this hour. Philip, would you be a dear and help Kaitlyn get home?"

…Alright. Pop quiz it is.

Kaitlyn balled her fists inside her hoodie pocket as they headed out. Philip opened the passenger side door as she sat and mumbled a word of thanks. The well-kept but dusty-smelling interior of his car brought back a flood of all-too-recent memories turned bittersweet.

The car sputtered to life, headlights illuminating the asphalt as they pulled onto the road. The pair sat in silence as Kaitlyn watched the full moon outside the window.

It wasn't so long ago that being here was an opportunity. Every time we got in the car together, it felt like another chance to know Philip better. She shifted as he slid in behind the wheel. But now, it feels like the first time again. Stressful. Stifling. Funny how things can come full circle like that.

"Does my presence make you uncomfortable?"

Kaitlyn looked over with surprise as Philip broke the silence. "Huh?"

"You have consistently avoided eye contact and conversation at the restaurant," Philip pointed out. "Though you seem to have no trouble speaking to the Anatonias. If you do not wish to converse, that is understandable. I just would like to be aware so that I do not overstep in the future."

She swallowed. Yeah. It would look like that, wouldn't it? Although, it's weird that he noted it. I feel like Philip would usually be oblivious or just let it slide… Why does he care what I think?

Then again, her Philip had been a bit more observant. So perhaps this one was, too.

"...Kind of," she admitted. There was no point in hiding it, not if he'd already noticed and brought it up himself. "But it's not what you think. I don't hate you or anything. Really"

"I see. Then why do you behave this way?"

"It's…" Kaitlyn brushed the hair back from her face, averting her gaze. "Sorry. You just… remind me of someone. It's not fair to you, I know. I just… I thought I was doing better than this."

"I see." Philip frowned slightly. "This other person… were you on poor terms with them?"

She gave a dry chuckle. "No. The opposite, actually."

His frown deepened. "Then your behavior makes even less sense."

Philip wasn't staring at her. His eyes remained fixed on the road, only flicking over occasionally. But even there, she still saw the ever-so-slight furrow of his brow and the concern it suggested.

For a moment, she felt that urge to open up to him once again. The thought of actually telling him the truth welled up, threatening to overwhelm her. The same feeling she'd had that night under the gazebo. It would be so easy to pretend that nothing had changed since then.

…It's not him. She chided herself, crushing the feeling relentlessly. He barely knows you. You're just some girl he works with, now. He just admitted it himself. And you've been trying hard to keep it that way. Don't waste those efforts now.

But looking at Philip now, it felt wrong to simply leave things hanging like this. The idea that she'd been so cold that even he called her out on it stung. Even if she had been working through things on her own, it meant she hadn't been handling things nearly as well as she'd hoped.

"Yeah. I know. I just… I miss him."

The words came out in a whisper. Kaitlyn grimaced at the admission. It made her feel weak, not to mention helpless. Telling a clone of the guy she liked that she missed him… well, that had to be a cosmic punishment for something.

Philip fell quiet. The rumbling of the sedan's engine filled the air between them as they climbed the final hill toward the dorms.

"I see," he said a few moments later. "I will not push the matter. However, my offer still stands. If there is any assistance I can provide, then do not hesitate to ask."

Kaitlyn closed her eyes. As usual, the guy was far kinder than he had any right to be. With a deep breath, she straightened. "...Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't been great to you, as you just pointed out. Why would you offer to help? Heck, why do you even care what I think in the first place?"

He shrugged, pulling up to the curb. "You are my coworker. Ensuring a stable environment at the restaurant is in everyone's best interest. And…" his grey eyes met hers. "Perhaps you remind me of someone as well."

A flash of red caught her attention at his wrist. Looking down, she saw that his shirt sleeve had receded just enough to show a hint of something underneath. A bracelet. It was made of deep red cord, threaded through a single large bead. But where Alex's had been orange, this one was a deep navy blue.

Kaitlyn's heart clenched. So… it really is just like with Alex. He remembers something – even if he doesn't remember me exactly.

Stepping out of the car, Kaitlyn looked back at Philip one more time. "Thanks. For the ride, and… everything else."

"Of course," he nodded. "I will see you next week."

"Yeah."

With that, he left. Kaitlyn watched the ancient car go, sputtering back up the hill. But her thoughts were elsewhere.

Even if Philip had changed, it didn't make things any easier. Not for her. In fact, it may have just made things harder.

He's not my Philip. But he's closer than I'd like to admit. Even if we didn't share those experiences, those memories… it's not so easy to let go. She sighed. But I have to try.

Turning on her heel, she headed back into the dorms.