Both roommates' alarm clocks went off simultaneously so they could get to their 8 AM class.

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Valentina didn't want to wake up; she had only been in the country for a few days and was still adjusting to the time difference. Keeley coaxed her with the promise of donuts—the quintessential American breakfast food.

They stopped at a campus donut and coffee shop covered by their meal plan before heading to the life sciences building.

As expected, all of Keeley's classes consisted only of syllabus review. First-day college classes always were like that. And her classes were so far apart! Two were back-to-back on opposite sides of campus. With only ten minutes to get between them, Keeley had to sprint, weaving through other students. She arrived, panting.

"What's with you?" the guy next to whom she plopped down asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ijust camefrom the furthest buildingon campus," she puffed.

The guy laughed. "Geez, hang in there. You're in for a long semester."

"I know," she said despairingly, making him laugh again.

She secretly assessed him. He was attractive, with light brown hair and olive green eyes. A small chip in his front tooth added character to his smile. She randomly thought Lydia would like him.

"What brings you to Chem 105?" he asked.

It was a challenging introductory chemistry course, required for chemistry and biomedical engineering majors instead of Chem 101, which could fulfill a general education science credit.

"I'm a bioengineering major. You?"

"Organic chemistry."

He was a fellow science enthusiast. No one majors in organic chemistry without a passion for it.

"What do you plan on doing with that? I want to get a PhD in developmental genetics and research diseases like cystic fibrosis."

He seemed impressed. "Wow, that's super specific! I plan on going into pharmaceutical medicine development. And I just realized I didn't catch your name. I'm Ryan Bradley."

"Keeley Hall, nice to meet you." She shook his hand as the professor began speaking.

At the end of class, Ryan offered to save her a seat in case she was late again. He seemed harmless, so she accepted, saying she'd see him Wednesday before heading to work.

Unfortunately, hurrying to catch a train, she wasn't paying attention and bumped into her former father-in-law on the sidewalk.

She apologized frantically, looking for Aaron, but he wasn't there.

Thankfully, Alistair didn't recognize her; they hadn't met in this life. To him, she was just a clumsy New Yorker.

He looked down his nose at her. "Watch where you're going!"

"Yes, sorry sir," she said meekly, then sprinted away.

Alistair Hale was terrifying. It was good she wouldn't have to deal with him regularly.

Unbeknownst to Keeley, Aaron had been a few feet behind his father, texting, and witnessed the whole thing.

Aaron had seen someone resembling Keeley a few times that summer but didn't realize it was her until he saw her collide with his father while wearing a Burger Barn uniform. He thought he was hallucinating—he missed seeing her every day.

It reminded him of their sophomore year, when he'd picked her up from work late one night. He waited, then she emerged, profusely apologizing and smelling of bacon grease in her black and red Ace Burger uniform.

He knew she worked in a restaurant but hadn't realized it was fast food. Ace Burgers were ubiquitous throughout Massachusetts. He frowned. Ace Burger paid minimum wage; she deserved better.

"Why do you work at a burger chain?"

She gave him a look that clearly implied he was stupid. "Um, because they were hiring? Duh."

"Aren't there better jobs on campus?"

Keeley shook her head. "Nope. There aren't many student jobs, and they're in high demand. It's not so bad; I've gotten two raises since I started!"

"How much?"

"Twenty-five cents each," she said proudly. "I'm making eight dollars an hour already!"

Her apparent contentment was astounding. A muffin and coffee at his favorite café cost more than $8.

He wanted to tell her she didn't need to work; as his girlfriend, he was happy to provide for her, but he didn't, letting her shower before their date.

Over time, she complained more about her manager and back pain from standing long shifts, so he finally addressed the issue.

"Keeley, you know you don't need to work, right? We're getting married after graduation; my money will be your money, so you might as well take advantage of it now."

She was appalled. "Are you crazy?! No way, I'm not letting my boyfriend pay my bills."

"But that job's no good," he said bluntly, referencing her complaints.

"It's a crappy job, but my crappy job. I value hard work."

Aaron did too, but he saw a difference between meaningful and pointless hard work. She had readily available financial support; breaking her back for nothing was foolish.

"Keeley, you should reconsider. Ace Burger is terrible."

She got angry, so he dropped it for a while. He tried again six months later, after she got in trouble for calling in sick (following company policy).

She got upset again, telling him to drop it; she'd quit after college and find a better job in New York. Her stubbornness, while endearing, was frustrating in this instance.

Her unnecessary work interfered with their time together; she was always tired and moody afterward.

It remained a point of contention until after graduation, when they got engaged and he suggested she take a work break to focus on the wedding.

He didn't realize she'd take his words literally and never return to work, fully embracing the socialite life.