Gwen neither struggled, nor did she protest or push him away, accepting his embrace.  Elijah was happy to have proven her wrong, as she probably thought he’d catch her hint and leave at such a golden opportunity.  When her floodgates opened, however, woe to whomever or whatever stood in its path.  He never viewed her sobs and tears as a sign of weakness, having witnessed her British backbone a time or two.  Rather, he imagined it was just built-up tension of a combination of events and details.  Some he could correctly guess at, some he had no idea about.  He’d always respected people’s private space, never asking the kind of questions which could be construed as the prying type.<br/><br/>A pair of “definitelies” then crossed his mind.  He would definitely not be the one to end this empathetic hug.  Gwen, on the other hand, would definitely be the one to do so, in her own good time.  She, and she alone, would know when the troublesome demons were exorcised, not necessarily forever, but at least for the here and now.  Perhaps this was all she needed, soon to bounce back better and stronger than ever.<br/><br/>Sure enough, a tight hug from her was followed by a slight separation, although they remained touching.  She mentioned something about not apologizing, yet also noting she didn’t need to.  After a second thank you, she tip-toed to kiss his cheek.  All the while, Elijah remained as silent as a soon-to-strike King Cobra, knowing she was absolutely right on all points.<br/><br/>No longer invading each other’s air space, and just like that, Gwen seemed to be back to her normal self, her appearance notwithstanding.  They’d agreed to meet prior to classes on Thursday in that popular café across from campus.<br/><br/>Bidding her a g’night and again thanking her for the delicious and quite filling meal, she followed him to her apartment’s door.  Since Elijah led the way, a pair of magazines on a nearby shelf caught his eye, because he recognized both titles.  One was<i>Bike</i>, which he also subscribed to, while the other one was<i>Classic Racer</i>.  Both titles were published in the United Kingdom, her place of birth.  Coincidence?  Maybe, maybe not.  He figured they were for Toby’s enjoyment anyway.  In addition to<i>Bike</i>, he also subscribed to<i>Sideburn</i>, another title published in the U.K.  Elijah waved at her just prior to entering the waiting elevator<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">&gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt; &gt;&lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt; &lt;​</div><br/>He arrived a little earlier than their agreed upon time, knowing how quickly<i>The Hub Café </i>filled up, even on a Thursday.  Elijah parked his red-and-white Aprilia Tuono right out front of the café, taking full advantage of a motorcycle being able to squeeze into tiny spaces.  Securing a table for them, he placed his Arai Mamola replica on the table, but out of their way.<br/><br/>Randy Mamola was an American professional motorcycle racer who raced at the highest level on the Grand Prix stage from 1979-92.  Although he never won the title, he took second place in the standings four times, with some thirds and fourths, among other placings, also thrown in.  Elijah had always liked the plucky racer, and his wicked sense of humor was well-known to those in the paddock as well as to his fans.  When he found out that Arai was producing a Randy Mamola replica helmet with an alternative design to his original motif, he knew he had to have one.  Matching the color scheme of his bike was just frosting on an already glorious cake.<br/><br/>Spotting Gwen before she saw him, he was not only glad to be sitting down, but also ecstatic that Mary Beth wasn’t with him right now.  For surely, she woulda whacked him at least three times for having to scramble and pick his jaw up from the floor.  Stunning didn’t even begin to describe her appearance, and he believed she looked far more attractive and sexy in this ensemble than in her baby doll uniform.  And the latter displayed way more skin!  Elijah had always favored leaving something to the imagination, instead of blatantly showing it all off.  Eyeing her up and down, four words immediately sprang to mind: Vargas pin-up girl.<br/><br/>Damn!  Damn!  And then she’d established eye contact with him, which meant no more staring.  While making her way toward him, Elijah took note of Martin sitting at a table with a pair of co-eds, who he suddenly seemed to place on<i>ignore mode.  </i>Instead, he tracked Gwen’s trajectory and where she was headed.  When his eyes settled on Elijah, Sleazezilla just stared at them both.  Ha!  Suck on that, pal! Elijah jokingly thought, successfully suppressing a smile.