Summary: Desperate for a quiet space one day, she stumbled into the coffee shop, not knowing…

Author's notes: Wow! Thank you for all of the reviews – I'm honored that you all chose to read this fic! Honestly, I know the general direction that this story is going in, but IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS, FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW!

I am so sorry for the long lapse of time between chapters. I have been so busy with my Grandma in the hospital and tests and other such endeavors. I will try my hardest to have chapters sooner together, but I can't promise. Just keep an eye out and bear with me, OK? I apologize most sincerely!

Oh yeah…I have an element to change about the story. THIS IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT! CAN I MAKE IT CLEARER? Rachel's mother didn't die when she was seven. She died when Rachel was thirteen. Now back to your feature presentation.

Enjoy!

Gar, The Latte Boy

Chapter 2: Dancing Through Memories

Arriving back in her dorm, Rachel squeezed her hair out on the floor and proceeded up the stairs towards her dormitory. Luckily, Brittany had a class at this time, so she would have the dorm to herself. Unlocking the door, she found the room a complete mess. While she enjoyed cleaning up after herself, Brittany found it necessary to let others pick up after her. Normally, Rachel would have sighed exasperatedly and begin to pick up, but today she felt different. She would let her room mate pick up her own crap for once.

Setting down her laptop, Rachel flopped on her bed and stared at the ceiling for a minute. "I'm going to a party tonight…I'm going to a party tonight? Me? I really am going…" she almost had to convince herself that it was the truth. She hadn't gone to a party like this since she had dated Malcom, the idiot. It hadn't been at FEUL, the basement party club at Dartmouth, though. It had been at a private club about an hour's drive away. That night hadn't exactly been fun. Malcom had gotten drunk and had said some…regrettable things to her. She had to hitchhike back to campus with a suspicious trucker, but it was better than getting killed in an accident.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Rachel jumped up to answer it. A worried Kori and Karen stood in her doorway, almost shrieking when the saw who stood before them. "Oh Rachel! I cannot believe you have returned!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Girl, we've been looking for you for the last couple hours, but you didn't show up."

"Yes, you were not on the campus of colleges."

"I sent into Hanover, all right? No need to get all uptight. Good news, though. I finished my paper. All I need to do is edit it."

"Oh, that is most excellent!"

"I know…" Rachel headed back over to her bed and sat, nervously twiddling her thumbs. "There's something else, too." She hesitated in telling her friends. Though they were her friends, she wasn't exactly the type of person to get…dates. She was more of the friend who stays at home. "I…uh…kind of…"

"Please! Do not keep me waiting! What is your urgent news?"

"I went to this coffee shop and there was this guy. We talked and…he's…he's taking me to the party at FEUL tonight."

Karen looked pleased and a little smug, but Kori looked utterly delighted. She seemed to have lost track of her friend's words at "there was this guy."

"How romantic, Rachel! Please, what is his name?"

"Gar. Look…I-"

"Gar? Gar Logan? He's in my Biochemistry class. Who'd have thought?" Karen chuckled.

"Guys! I need focus! I've only been to FEUL once this year. You know the occasion, but we really don't need to discuss that. Anyway, I can't believe I'm asking you this, but…can you help me find something to wear?" Rachel winced, ready to fight back against anything pink or girly that Kori thrust at her. When nothing happened, she peered out from behind her arm to find her friends with identical excited grins on their faces.

"Oh my God! I know the perfect thing, Rachel!" Karen screeched. "Girl, you're going to make Gar Logan pass out when he sees you!" Both girls grabbed Rachel's wrists and dragged her down the hallway towards their dorm.

"Why do I even bother…?" Rachel wondered and sighed as her ankles dragged along the carpet. They reached the room, which was so messy, you could barely see the floor. They told her to wait by the door, which she did, however reluctantly. Returning about five minutes later, they revealed their big secret. When she saw what they were holding up, her eyes grew wide, and she shook her head.

"No…no. No way would I ever…could I ever…I refuse."

"Voila! You're going to wear this and you're going to like it!"

"Just try it on!"

Rachel held out her arms and hesitantly accepted the tiny black skirt and blue halter top. She scowled for a moment before trudging to the bathroom and slamming the door behind her. After a few minutes, Kori and Karen were growing impatient. What was taking so long? "Rachel? Open up! We wanna see!"

"No. It looks horrible…well, I just can't. All right?"

"Let us at least see your appearance. We will not laugh. We swear."

Opening the door just a crack, Rachel poked her head out to make sure the media wasn't present. Inhaling once, she threw back the door, revealing the rest of her. Both of the other girls gasped and Kori clapped her hands. The ashen-skinned girl turned ruby under the gazes of her friends.

"Wow. You will make Gar pass out. You look hot!"

"You do look quite warm!"

"Uh…"

"Trust us, OK? Just look in a mirror."

Karen directed Raven to the nearest mirror and at first Rachel closed her eyes and winced before opening them slowly. She was surprised to say the least. It actually looked…all right. No, it didn't look all right. It looked good, if not great. Her pleasure at her appearance was apparently evident on her face, because both Kori and Karen burst out in a fit of giggles.

"What did we tell you? He will swoon at the sight of you!" Karen placed her hand on her forehead and pretended to fall over as Kori caught her. "Oh, I've fallen in love!" she smiled before chuckling.

"What time is it?"

"It's almost four o'clock."

"Ugh! What am I supposed to do for the next four hours?"

"Homework?" Kori suggested.

"Daydream about your new boyfriend?"

Rachel smirked for a moment before gathering her clothes up and heading back to her dorm. Upon unlocking the door, much to her dismay, she found Brittany fully awake and dancing to loud music on her bed. Noticing her roommate's arrival, she stopped the music for a moment and hopped down. She noticed what Rachel was wearing and raised her eyebrows suspiciously.

"Why are you dressed like that?" she asked in her annoying cutesy southern accent.

"Why do you care?"

"You're like, my roommate and you normally dress in old hand-me-downs."

"I don't dress in hand-me-downs, and I don't value your opinion." Rachel pulled her laptop out and began editing her term paper. Shrugging, Brittany turned the music back up and began dancing again. Rachel closed her amethyst eyes in frustration. Once again, the noise was aggravating her. Was the only possible working place the café? Pulling out a pair of headphones, she occupied her ears with the sound of the ocean.

Eventually, Brittany disappeared with her friends, leaving Rachel by herself once again. Glancing at the clock, she was taken back in surprise. She was on page 33 of editing, and it was 7:45. Gar would be there any minute! She closed her computer and made sure Kori and Karen hadn't totally wrecked her once again. For once, she found herself concerned with her appearance in front of a guy. There was a knock at the door and she practically jumped out of her skin. Opening it, she smiled. There was Gar, standing at her door five minutes early.

She had to admit, he looked better without the apron. He was searing khaki shorts and a partially unbuttoned long-sleeved collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Rachel also noticed that he didn't have an undershirt on. She shook herself mentally. Today was such an odd day…

"You look…nice, good, great," Gar seemed to trip over his words. Rachel found herself stifling a laugh.

"You have a way with words, Gar Logan."

"Do I? I mean…yeah. Ha. So, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. I see you showed up early. Very professional."

"You think so? Steve and Rita were always criticizing my manners."

"Parents are so overly-critical."

"Tell me about it. It's like they want you to be perfect or something." The silence that filled the air after that comment was almost suffocating to Rachel. The truth about it was so ironic in her case. Noticing something was up with her, Gar cleared his throat and bowed mockingly, holding out his arm for her to take. "Your evening of fun awaits, m'lady." Rachel accepted the arm and the two headed to the stairs. As they passed Kori and Karen's dorm, Rachel swore she heard giggles from behind the wooden door.

Laughing to herself, Gar gave her a bemused look. "Is something funny?"

"It's just my friends…they were spying on us from behind their dorm door. They're a little overly ecstatic that I have a date."

"I'm glad to know that your friends are excited and approve."

Together, Gar and Rachel exited the dorm on Dartmouth Row and headed for Collis Center in the middle of the campus. It was a beautiful night in April – perfect for a stroll around campus. Thankfully, the rain had given in, and a cloudless night was in store. Part of the way there, Gar slipped his had into hers. To her surprise, she didn't reject. Normally, she would have killed anyone who did that to her. Once inside, they walked down the stairs and into the dance club, FUEL.

The first thing Rachel thought upon entering was how loud it was. Then she remembered that night…Malcom and his friends…what he did to her. Clearing her head, she plastered a relatively real smile on her face as Gar turned to her. "So, uh…" he was stumbling over his words again, "do you wanna dance or…er...something?"

"You truly are the next Shakespeare."

"Hey! Just because you're majoring in English doesn't give you the right to –"

"I'm not the one with a speech impediment, and sure. I'll dance."

Gar raised his eyebrows and took her hand once more to lead her onto the dance floor. The bass was cranked way up on the stereos and bright lights were flashing everywhere. Couples were dancing very closely, partially out of their own choice, and partially because there wasn't much room. When they found a reasonably open spot, Gar seemed to know what he was doing, as though he had done this hundreds of times. Rachel, however, wasn't so great at dancing. As much as she wanted to leave the dance floor, every time she looked and saw that goofy grin of Gar's, she felt magnetized to the spot she stood in.

Part way into the second song, some random guy bumped into Rachel, causing her to fall forward. She closed her eyes and braced herself for pain and embarrassment, but it never came. Instead, two hands were wrapped steadily around her shoulders. "You OK, Rachel?"

"Yeah. I'm fine…thanks for that."

The guy who bumped into her whipped around. "Sorry abou…Rae? I thought you said you couldn't come tonight?" Oh great. Warren.

"I told you I wouldn't go with you because I already was going with someone."

"So you dumped me for this green-haired freak?"

"I didn't dump you. There was never an 'us' and there never will be. And he is not a freak at all. He happens to be less freakish than anyone I've ever met. Especially less of a freak than you. Come on Gar. Let's dance somewhere else." She seized his hand and walked towards the other end of the room. Looking confused, Gar followed, trying not to cause a problem.

"Who was that?" he asked as they began dancing again.

"Warren Cummings. He's a guy in my philosophy class, and he's an idiot who keeps hitting on me. Earlier today, he asked me to come to this party. Actually, he didn't ask. He assumed that I would, rather. I called him egotistical and he got offended and left me alone."

"That sounds fun."

"More than fun. It sounds spectacular."

The fast song changed to a slower pace, and Rachel stared down at her toes. Although slow dancing would surely be the highlight of her evening, she was reluctant somehow. Gar bent down to meet her gaze and drew it upward once more. "May I have this dance?" he asked, grinning genuinely, making Rachel's heart melt. She replied with a small smile before draping her arms carefully around his neck. He slipped his hands around her waist and began to spin on the spot.

For some reason, the words forming in Rachel's head seemed to be as firm as jello. She had danced with guys before, sure…but nothing like this. Although she had only known Gar for one day, she felt something that had never been present before. She felt secure in his arms, as though he would never let anything happen to her. It was an emotion she had never sensed around anyone else – not her friends or family or anyone for that matter. Without thinking about her actions, she moved her head so it rested on his chest.

"Gar? I just thought I'd let you know that I'm having a wonderful time."

"Me too."

"Do you think I could stop by the café tomorrow for another one of your famous lattes?"

"I think I can live with that."

Easing her head back on his chest, they continued to spin, eyes closed. The serenity lasted for several minutes as the song continued. Rachel seemed to lose track of the music, only hearing Gar's heartbeat. Although she seemed to lose the music, her ears sensed the other noise around her. One noise in particular caught her attention. It was coming from the back of the room, and made her face flinch. She didn't need telling twice what the noise was. Rachel heard it all: the clink of bottles, the crashing coming from bodies colliding with chairs, and the slurred laugh. Daring to open her eyes for a moment, she found her thoughts to be correct. Several guys stood in the back, obviously drunk and laughing.

One guy drew her attention in particular – it was Malcom, and he was intoxicated. Her mind seemed to crash from within as memories grasped hold of her.

It was getting late, and Rachel sat at a table near the bar, her head resting in her hands. Malcom and his buddies were sitting at the counter, drinking beers. It was Malcom's sixth one…perhaps his seventh. Deciding she was done putting up with him, she stood and headed steadily for the door when she felt a hand grip tightly on her shoulder. Her breathing growing shallow, she whipped around to find an angry Malcom surrounded by his cronies.

"Where were you off to, Rachel?" he slurred, "Were you just going to leave me here? Were you just going to forget about me? You little bitch! You were just going to leave me here to embarrass me in front of my friends, weren't you?" Taking her arm tightly, he dragged her out of the bar around to the back. She struggled to get away, but he held fast.

"Let go, Malcom! You don't want to do this! Please let go!" Rachel considered herself to be strong, but she couldn't help knowing what was coming…

"I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget." He slapped her and she fell down beside the building into a large puddle. "Would you like to join your mother? Your brother?"

"No! Malcom, no!"

"I'm not going to kill you, but only if you don't abandon me anymore," he threatened, a vicious look in his eyes. Tears in her eyes, Rachel nodded. "Good." Looking up, she noticed that Malcom was getting awfully close…too close for comfort.

"Come-come on, Malcom. Let's go back inside, all right?" Rachel stuttered, fear in every inch of her words.

"Oh no. You are going to pay me back for your stupidity." There was a malicious grin on his face, and he inched forward, closer and closer. She blacked out at this point, and the last thing she remembered was Malcom sitting on top of her, unbuttoning…she had woken up a while later and immediately hitched a ride back to campus.

"Rachel? Rachel! Are you all right?"

Snapping out of her memories, Rachel realized that she was standing in FEUL, dancing with Gar Logan.

"Are you okay? You were practically choking my stomach."

It was true. She had been clinging to Gar so tightly that he was gasping slightly. Noticing this, she let go and allowed him to catch his breath before looking at him once more. When she glanced up, however, she did not catch glimpse of his eyes, but saw past his shoulder to the back of the room. There in the back, Malcom and his friends stood, laughing and shoving each other into the wall. Blinking slowly, she turned back to Gar, his innocent smile looking concernedly at her.

Shaking herself mentally, she wrapped her arms around him again and they began to dance again. Gar seemed to notice that Rachel was distant, and reached a hand up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. She caught his eyes and looked into them and saw nothing but concern; simple selfless love for a friend. No one had ever looked at her like that, and come to think of it, she had never felt this way before. Somehow, though all this, a voice in the back of her mind that sounded too much like her father kept telling her, "You don't deserve this. You're not worth this much."

Tears welling up in her eyes and a lump forming in her throat, she looked away to try and shield her face. She wouldn't let him think she was weak. Gar wasn't dumb, though. "Rachel? If something is wrong, you can tell me." The voice in her head grew louder along with Malcom and his friends.

"You don't deserve this. You're not worth this much."

"Do you want to talk?"

"You don't deserve this. You're not worth this much."

"You can trust me."

Rachel didn't need the voice in the back of her mind anymore. Tears overcame her and spilled down her face. Wrapping her arms protectively around herself, she ran. She just couldn't take it anymore. Thankfully, no one noticed as she fled FUEL. She couldn't tell if Gar had followed or not, but hoped he hadn't. She just needed to get away from the club and from him. She couldn't subject him to her past…she just couldn't.

Outside, the weather was crisp and cool. Shivering, Rachel dashed from Collis Center onto the Green, where she collapsed beneath a tree, her sobs overcoming her. For several minutes, she laid on the ground, tears trickling down her face. No one disturbed her, and the sound of silence seemed like a lullaby. The soft breeze rustling through the grass seemed to comfort her and stroke her hair softly. It felt to her like a mother's touch…something she hadn't felt in five years. It was her mother and she was just a child. Just a child…

Rachel could hear footsteps from far away and much to her dismay, the steadily became louder as they came nearer. "Rachel?" It was Gar, and he sounded sympathetic and worried, as though he had caused all of the tears and pain in her life. When she didn't respond, he promptly sat on the grass beside her and scooted close, placing a calming hand on her back. It was not a mother's touch, but it wasn't unpleasant. "Rachel? Whatever is bothering you, you can tell me. I won't think it's ridiculous."

Wiping her eyes, Rachel sat up, leaning against the tree trunk. "I bet you think I'm childish for crying like that," she choked out, hiccuping.

"There is nothing childish about crying."

"I guess I've just grown up in a place where crying made you weak."

"Well just so you know, in my book, crying makes you stronger."

The silence that followed was long, but not at all awkward.

"Is it all right if I ask you why you ran out?"

"I guess you have the right to know."

"Glad to know I'll be in the loop," Gar joked. Rachel grinned despite herself.

"Earlier this year, Malcom Narrel was my boyfriend. Around December, he, his buddies, and I went to some club about an hour from here. We had an all right time, but as it got later, Malcom began to drink a lot. At one point, I tried to leave, but he dragged me outside behind the restaurant where he…he…"

"Oh God."

"So tonight, when I saw Malcom and his friends drunk at the back of FUEL, I just – I just collapsed inside. Then I looked at you and I realized that I can't subject you to my past. Yours is so clean. Mine is coated in filth one hundred times over."

"I don't care."

Rachel surprised herself as the words spilled from her mouth. She had never told anyone about what Malcom had done – not even Kori or Karen. All they knew was that they had a huge fight and alcohol was involved. What surprised her more was Gar's response. Now she really knew: she didn't deserve him. Finally, words were spoken.

"I can begin to see why you said you had an incomparable past."

Laughing bitterly, Rachel gave a twisted smile. "If you think that's bad, just know this: that was one insignificant chapter in a thousand-page book."

"Well, Rachel Roth, I just want you to know this: whenever you want to talk about any of it, I'm here. Now is as good of a time as any."

"Thank you, but now is not the time. My past isn't just something that can be discussed on the spot. I am not prepared, mentally, physically, or emotionally, for what my story does to me."

"That's fine. I just want you to know that I'm here, any time of day or night." Gar crawled over to Rachel and sat beside her, leaning back on the tree trunk. "It's pretty cold out. Are you chilly?"

"A little, but I'm all right."

Gar hesitated for a moment, but then enveloped Rachel in his arms, covering her in warmth. It was a warmth, not only on her body, but within her. She returned the embrace and allowed him to lift her to her feet. Leaning her head on his arm as they walked, she felt the sense of security drape around her once more. They entered their dormitory and clanked up the stairs, still wrapped up within each other. Even as their footsteps halted in front of 632, they remained still.

Rachel sensed Gar's warmth leave her for a moment. She turned to face him and felt his lips brush lightly against hers. Before she could say anything, he smiled charmingly and disappeared down the hallway. Rachel touched her lips and gazed at the spot where Gar had just stood.

Wow! That didn't take forever…yeah right. I am SO SORRY once again for the delay. I just couldn't think of anything for so long and then school got ahead of me. Then the website wouldn't let me log in, especially since I finished this days ago! Plus I have Academic Super Bowl tomorrow and Jazz band Auditions coming soon and the audition piece is RIDICULOUSLY HARD!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last one: I got the most reviews ever! To all those who reviewed, thank you, and to those who will review again or not again, THANK YOU!

I NEED IDEAS FOR CHAPTERS, SO IF YOU HAVE IDEAS, FEEL FREE TO TELL ME!

Please review!

peace 'n luv, GUCIGIRL