Idea for this story came to me while on a college tour over the weekend. I have so solid ideas for the story and it will be a multi-chapter.

This is AU. All the characters will hopefully make some sort of appearance but the story is mostly centering around Philby and Willa and how they fall in love.

Enjoy.

"Met by coincidence, conversated by choice, and fell in love by fate."

"Are you coming out with us tonight?" asked Finn.

Finn Whitman, a tall, charming, and friendly young man was talking to his roommate, Dell Philby. The two went to school in southern Florida. In the heat of the day, they sat in the middle of one of the many student courtyards on the school campus. Finn's roommate, who preferred to be called Philby, a brainy, red-haired guy who had come to the USA a few years back and had he accent to prove it, were sitting around a picnic table. Philby was now occupied with his computer screen to look up.

"No," he told him curtly.

Over the past year, he and their other roommate, Terrence Maybeck, had constantly tried to get the boy to go out with them. It had become a cycle of sorts. No matter how many times they asked he always refused to go. Every Friday the same response came.

"C'mon," Finn encouraged his friend, "just an hour or two. Then you can go back to the room and study your little heart out the rest of your life."

None of the words phased Philby. Finn wasn't even sure he heard him.

"You know my girl, Amanda? You like her right?"

"Yes, I remember her," Philby responded quickly as he searched the screen for answers that Finn didn't know.

"Well, she is coming tonight. I could ask her to bring along some of her girlfriends. You like girls, right? We could find you a nice girl."

Philby looked up from his laptop. "I have to study, Finn. Sorry," he told his friend.

"What could you possibly have to study?!"Finn stood up from his seat and shouted, exasperated. "School just started last week!"

"So?!"

Finn gave up. He threw his belongings in his backpack and stormed off from his freckled friend who didn't even seem to notice.

"You cannot be serious, right now?" Amanda was infuriated. "Are you kidding me Willa? We just finished the second week of classes and you are going to spend the first real weekend in the library."

"Mm-hm," Willa answered.

Willa sat on her bed, papers strewn about on either side of her making an arc. She bent over, causing her dark wavy hair to fall over her shoulder, looking at each one individually.

"You're crazy," there was a twinge of laughter in Amanda's voice.

"Sorry, but I can't go out tonight."

"So for the next," Amanda took a glance at her orange watch wrapped around her left wrist, "six hours you are going to be studying? That's not healthy. You need some socialization in there. Get out of this room."

"I didn't say I was going to stay here," Willa looked up. "Once I find this Bio paper, I am going to go to the pool, swim a few laps and THEN I will go to the library and study. See I'm going out."

Amanda frowned at her friend. Willa was possibly the sweetest, kindest, most loving person she had ever known.

"Remember when we were growing up? Nobody seemed to care about me, but you did. You cared for me." Amanda sat down on the edge of the messy bed. Willa watched her move but said nothing. "We went on and on talking about love, we read way too many fairy tales, and we wondered what it would be like to experience it one day. That time is now, Wills." Amanda put a comforting hand on her friend's knee. They shared a knowing look.

"I can't," Willa told her. "Not tonight."

"Why the hell not?!"

Willa resisted the urge to laugh at her friend's behavior. "Because I really need to go to the gym, that's why. I need to stop eating those ice creams in the food court. And after I swim a few laps I am not going to go out for a night on the town with you and your boyfriend."

"That's what I am saying Will! You don't have to come with me and Finn. We can find you a guy of your own."

Willa jumped from her bed. She didn't care that she didn't find her paper. She didn't care that her bed was a mess now. She needed to get out of there before the conversation took a turn for the worse. Before his name came up and she did something she regretted. Willa hastily put her shoes running shoes on and looked around for her gym bag. She cursed herself for being so unorganized.

Amanda knew Willa's plan and made a move for the door to block the dark-haired girls exit.

"Is this about Spencer?" she asked in a whisper.

Willa found her bag and moved to the door, keeping her head down.

"Maybe," she answered in whisper as well.

It was then that Amanda realized her mistake. She had broken a promise that she had made months ago: don't say his name. Willa had cried for a week back then. It was heartbreaking to see a friend like that. Amanda let down her arms and moved to the side to let Willa through the door. After the wide, red-eyed girl made her way through Amanda closed the door to her friend dorm room and made her way to her own, down the hall.

Willa adjusted her hair around h head to shield her face. She shuffled down the corridor to the staircase. Finn, Amanda's boyfriend, whom she had only meet two or three times, passed by. They acknowledged each other with small smiles and head nods. He did not seem too happy to Willa. But she wasn't in a talking mood either. With the red and black gym bag slung over her shoulder, Willa walked with determined strides. She hustled through the sidewalks filled with people on their way into town and locked her sights on the large red sign that indicated her destination.

It wasn't that people were uninterested in Philby. With the build of a soccer player and an accent that made girls swoon, it was no secret that girls wanted his attention. They were all beautiful. And often times Philby had a hard time turning them away but he was focused on school work. He'd much rather be spending his time being productive with his laptop than chatting with girls that would eventually get bored with his preoccupation with his education.

The little exclamation point at the bottom of his computer screen pinged. A talk bubble opened on the display. TWO PERCENT BATTERY LIFE, it said.

Damn it, Philby thought. He quickly closed the screen sending the laptop into sleep mode until he could resume his studying with the battery plugged in. He boy put shoved his papers and his computer into his tan messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Philby didn't believe in destiny. He supposed that everything happens for a reason but thought that fate and the future could be easily changed with the decisions that happen in the now. Decisions like whether or not to take the time to tie a shoelace.

As Philby turned around he caught sight of a girl headed his way. She wasn't moving towards him rather he stood between her and her destination. Her quick paced strides caused the hair to blow behind her revealing a beautiful face. Philby wasn't one to be struck by a girl but something compelled him to this one. And he had only seen her for a second. A single moment, before he saw it all going down. Literally. Her indomitable walk was nothing against an untied shoelace. Two paces before Philby, the girl tripped.