Chapter 4: The countdown.

Before I left for winter break, I had to decide what classes I would be taking next semester. Since I needed only one more class to fulfill my academic obligations, I was looking for something with minimal time and work expenditure required. Ah, the beauty of graduate classes... however, the thought often forefront in my mind was that Liz would be leaving Hopkins at the end of January, and only coming for classes and special events. College had taught me the painful lesson that taking classes with someone rarely brings you closer. So, gritting my teeth, I selected the class I would have normally selected had a certain Elizabeth Carstairs not come into my life. When I came back from vacation (with a few less teeth to grit--the joys of getting one's wisdom teeth pulled), I found out that she had decided to take the same class. That's the way it goes, sometimes.

By then, I knew that I wanted to see Liz on a regular basis after she leaves Hopkins. Granted, it wasn't likely to happen, but I had to at least try. So I won't be able to drop by her lab anymore; I knew that. However, I wanted more than a few minutes before and after class once a week. I'm not sure when the idea of dinner came up, but it persisted in sticking around.