“Oh. Right.” I’m embarrassed. I should have known that. I’m from a small town in Kentucky. The first thing that pops in my mind when someone says the word “city” is Louisville, Lexington or maybe, Nashville.
“Have you ever been?”
“No,” I confess. “I haven’t. I’ve always wanted to, but never had the chance. Coming here to UVA is my first real step out into the world away from my home in Kentucky.”
“Lucky me,” he says. “We’ll have to take a trip into DC and check out the architecture. And, of course all of that art and history at the Smithsonian.”
“I’d love that,” I smile.
Just then he stops walking and I see we’ve arrived at a small, intimate restaurant that’s tucked away behind ivy covered walls and boxwoods. It’s very cozy and romantically charming. Rustic wide-planked hardwood floors and beamed ceilings give it a homey feel and the large fireplace that is not in use yet would definitely be romantic in the winter on a cold evening.
“This is lovely,” I say as the hostess seats us near a window. “I was at school here all last year and never knew about it. How did you find it?”
“I’ve been here for a while. You get to know where the hidden gems are over time.”
“How long have you been at UVA?”
“This is my sixth and final year. I graduate in December.”
My heart plummets. He’ll be gone in a few months. It figures.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I say. “Are you heading back to Connecticut or New York after graduation?”
“Neither. I have a job offer from a financial management company in Dallas I’ll be working for. I interned for them every summer and they’ve already made me an offer I would be foolish to refuse.”
“Dallas? Wow! Won’t your family miss you being so far away?”
He makes a face and I’m a bit unsure if he’s pensive or, I don’t know, put off by the question. He ignores it and keeps talking.
“I love the Monte Cristo sandwich here. I think you’ll like it too.”
My stomach is so nervous I doubt I could eat an entire sandwich. “Sounds good,” I say, hoping I can keep it down. “Though I’m not feeling very hungry.”
“I believe in you,” he says and gives me a wink.
He orders the sandwich for me and I smile at the waitress as she takes my menu, though she doesn’t seem to notice me at all. Her attention is solely on my lunch companion.
I haven’t had anyone order for me since I was a small child, yet here I was allowing him to take control. I’m not going to lie. It excites me. I like that he is so sure of himself. He’s so confident. And he was right. I love the sandwich and I end up eating every morsel.
“I can’t believe I haven’t had this before,” I tell him as I look at my now empty plate. “That was delicious!”
“I knew you’d like it,” he smiles. “There’s another restaurant I’d love to share with you. It’s in DC though, so we should probably plan that for a weekend.”
My heart flutters as he mentions taking me out again. It nearly bursts out of my chest when he reaches across the table and takes my hand.
“I can’t wait.”
He excuses himself to head to the restroom and I take the chance to glance at my phone. Along with excited texts from Kaitlyn, I’m shocked to find that three hours have passed which means I’ve missed one of my classes and am about to miss another one. How could the time have passed so quickly?
Part of me wants to rush out of the restaurant to try and make at least the last half of the class, but realistically, there’s no way I’d make it in time. I’d arrive just as the professor was wrapping up his lecture.
“What’s wrong?” Daniel asks as he takes his seat again and prepares to pay our check.
“I didn’t realize how long we’d been here,” I admit. “I’ve missed two of my classes.
“Someone as smart as you should have no problem making up a missed class,” he assures me.
I’m not going to lie. I like it that he thinks I’m smart. It makes me like him all that much more. He pays for our check with a one-hundred-dollar bill and tells the waitress to keep the change for her tip.
I clench my teeth slightly to keep from showing my surprise at such a large amount. It takes me almost three days to make that much working part-time as a barista at the student commons and he’s just giving it away like it’s nothing.
We take our time walking back to the apartment I share with Julianna and Kaitlyn. He continues to hold my hand as we walk.
“I know we just met,” he says, squeezing my hand. “But I feel like I’ve known you my entire life. I can’t explain it, but the first time I saw you that day you were moving in, I …” He trails off. “I hoped I would see you again and when you walked into class today, I wasn’t going to let you go.”
His words are like something out of a movie. Perfect and romantic. I can’t hold back my smile.
“You know, I never believed in love at first sight,” he continues. “I do now.”
He leans in and gives me a kiss on my cheek.
“I would love to see you again tomorrow night.”
I’m overwhelmed by his attention and try to keep my composure. Can I go out tomorrow night? Do I have to work? Do I have a test I should be studying for? None of that seems to matter when I look at him.
“I’d love that,” I say, my heart beating a bit faster when he raises my hand to kiss my palm.
Sooner than I want, we’re in front of the duplex, both of us standing awkwardly as we arrive.
“Pick you up at six?”
“That sounds great.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Me too.”
As I watch him walk away, I feel like I’ve just received the starring role in a fairy tale.
Daniel
Everything is working just as I planned. I’ve been waiting all summer to meet her and now that have her on the hook, I will slowly entangle her into my well-thought-out web. It took a lot of restraint not to “accidentally” run into her again after our initial meeting.
As she entered the classroom my first thought was that she’s prettier up close than I remembered. The photos on her social media don’t do her justice. Her eyes are bluer than I remembered. Maybe it’s the perfectly applied makeup she didn’t have on that first day.
I made sure to give her my best smile and felt gratified to see her cheeks flush pink. This confirmed she already likes me. I knew she would.
Sarah believes the first time I saw her was when she was bringing in her boxes at the duplex. She would be wrong.
The first time I saw Sarah was at party right before the semester ended last year. I was with my ex-girlfriend, Elyse. Elyse was okay. To her credit, she tried to please me, but I was bored with her and it turned out she wasn’t the person I thought she was.
Not like Sarah.
Sarah is perfect. I knew from the moment I saw her that she was woman I’ve been waiting for.
Beautiful. Young. Smart.
There was a time I thought Elyse would be my perfect mate.
She turned out disappointing.
When our relationship started, she had promise. But she let herself go. She started losing too much weight and her looks started to fade. She wasn’t even at the top of her class when our time together ended.
Sarah will not disappoint me that way.
Sarah’s promise is just beginning to blossom. She will be the perfect complement to me. She’s beautiful, but in a classic and not obvious way. She’s academically oriented and received straight A’s all through high school. She’s made the Dean’s List each semester she’s been here despite having to work a side job.