I was beyond excited. We agreed to meet at a local coffee shop he suggested, The Pavement, which I had never been to before. I told him I would take the bus, but I didn't expect to find him waiting for me when I stepped off.

A surge of adrenaline rushed through me at the sight of him, and I instantly forgot about all the first date questions I had been Googling and memorizing on the bus. He had on a crisp white shirt rolled up at the sleeves and a pair of faded jeans with just the right amount of rips. Melted!

"Hi! You're here," I said unnecessarily.

"I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find the place."

"Thanks. And sorry for being late." I was fifteen minutes late, really not late at all in Flora Morgan's world, but I felt I had to say it.

He took in my outfit for the day, a loose-fitting silk top and a floral skirt, and smiled. "It's worth the wait."

I wondered how many buses he had to watch before I showed up. "Sorry."

He led the way. "Is this okay?" he asked as he pushed opened the door. The cafe was of industrial style with lots of exposed metal and wood. Pretty chic. "I'm here a lot. For homework."

I ordered my brain to scribble down this information. This is where he hangs out.

"I love it," I fibbed, even though it was a little too quiet for my taste. I tended to laugh really loudly when the situation permitted. He asked me what I wanted and went ahead with the bill, and I decided to let him. Perhaps it was an ego thing and it was my policy not to fight over small amounts of money. Besides, if Sean and I were to become something more, which we definitely would, I'd pay him back in buckets.

He drinks his coffee black, my brain took notes furiously. The poor boy also doesn't own a wallet. He has all his bills clipped together with a metal money clip which looks awfully...sophisticated.

I decided that from now on, money clips and black coffee were the definition of cool.

All through the afternoon I could only stare at him and wonder if it was even legal for a person to be that good-looking. He had espresso-colored hair that begged to be tousled, sculpted lips, and blue eyes with ever-changing colors under different lighting. I learned this information by sneaking peeks at him for two years. Sometimes they were azure with a hint of gray, other times they were darker, like heated minerals, and this afternoon they looked clear, like a delightful river at the shallow end. I wanted to kiss his lips. My conversation was auto-piloted but miraculously I could still make him laugh.

"Do you have any pet peeves?" I asked, after I learned that he was a dog person, his favorite place in the world was his bedroom, he enjoyed watching any movie directed by Christopher Nolan and David Fincher, and that if he won the lottery, he would still go to school next Monday.

He thought for a while. "People who blame anyone but themselves for their problems. And also drivers who switch lanes without signalling. How about you?"

Note to self: stop whining and use the freaking turn signal from now on!

"Um...I kind of hate it when I buy ice-cream and the scoop isn't a perfect sphere, and some of the cones are so badly made, halfway through it ice-cream would start dripping at the bottom. That really irritates me."

Can I change my answer? I sound so stupid.

If Sean felt the same way, he didn't show it. He smiled in amusement. "I hate that too, and I hate it when it melts too fast and starts running down the side of the cone. To top it off, if they only give me a very small piece of napkin, it really does no good other than sticking to the cone."

"I know, right?" I nodded wildly. Sean was actually not very hard to talk to once I gave him a little time to warm up. To be exact a little time was two years, but we were finally making progress. That was good enough for me.

He had ordered a cinnamon roll and an apple strudel because I couldn't decide which looked better. He encouraged me to try both and said he would finish the rest.

"So how does it feel to be the star of the basketball team?" I asked as if I was interviewing him. To be honest Sean was good but not that good, but I didn't mind boosting his ego a little. Guys like that, don't they?

"The star?" His eyebrows rose briefly, then he teased, "Have you even been to any of our games? I think that question should be directed at Jake."

Jake Lancaster was one of his best friends and played small forward, and he was bound to be sent off to college in the loving arms of scouts.

"Well, I guess I wasn't looking at Jake during the games," I said boldly.

He held my gaze and smiled. "Glad to know that."

My heart jumped around like a wild horse. I really didn't look at anyone else on the basketball team, although to be fair there were some really good catches. It's a tried and true fact that hot guys often have hot friends. If I wanted to compare them to movies, Jake would be "The Shawshank Redemption" or "The Dark Knight"; I had yet to meet a person who didn't like those movies, just like everyone agreed Jake was one great-looking dude. Dylan Reyes, his other friend, was like those cult films, like "Pulp Fiction"; you either loved or hated his style. He had a shaved head and tattoos on his arms, and he reminded me of a young Colin Farrell with a darker skin tone. He looked especially hot whenever I got myself drunk.

I couldn't tell what kind of movie Sean was yet. He was probably the kind I'd never get tired of watching, and everytime I replayed it, I'd notice something I didn't know before. He'd be the kind of movie I enjoyed so much that I'd always be at a loss for words when I tried to describe what was so special about it.

"Do you dream of playing professional someday?" I asked.

"No. Basketball is fun, but mainly it's just something to do with my friends and get some exercise. I have other interests."

"Such as?"

"Well, besides basketball and dating beautiful cheerleaders..." He glanced at me briefly and inside I blushed at least seven shades of pink. "I like physics. I'm currently preparing to enter the USAPhO."

"Huh?" I stared at him. It was such a strange thing to come out of that beautiful mouth.

"The United States National Physics Olympiad," he explained, and he actually looked a little embarrassed (which was super adorable, by the way) as if he knew it was not a cool thing to say. "It's a physics competition and there are a series of exams in order to select the national representatives. I have to enter the F = ma contest first, and if I do well I'll be invited to take the semifinal exam, and then...Sorry. I'm boring you."

"No, no, no. It's fine. Physics is...interesting..." I racked my brain for something intelligent to say. "...and useful. It helps when you play pool, right?"

He smiled. His eye contact was steady but not intrusive. "You are interesting."

I kept reminding myself that this was the first time we were alone together, on a date (as Sean acknowledged himself), and the chemistry was unquestionable. I was sure Sean couldn't deny it either. Things were going quite well, and the subject of my family came up.

"My dad is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, and my mom is the medical adviser. They're away on business trips all the time. Maybe twice a month. My brothers are away at college, so basically I get to do what I want."

"No sisters?"

"No, just two elder brothers. They're pretty cool. I like hanging out with them." And their hot friends, of course.

"No wonder there's something...boyish about you."

I pretended to be insulted. "I hope that's not your way of saying I'm ugly."

He smiled. "I appreciate your talent of always finding a way to twist my words."

I giggled. "How about you? Any siblings?"

"I have a sister. Linda. She's thirteen. Can't say I enjoy hanging out with her."

"Thirteen. I remember being that age. About the same level of shallowness as I am now, but with smaller boobs."

"No wonder I find them intolerable." He took a sip of his coffee. I stared at him with fascination, watching the way his long lashes fluttered. If they were any longer he'd look too pretty, but even his lashes were at just the right length. He lifted his eyes at me and I almost fainted. "Do you like it that you're alone in the house half the time?"

"I admit there's a lot of freedom, but if I can choose there's nothing better than having a family brunch, you know? I know that sounds lame but I really love my family." I was aware of how weird I was as a teenager, but I adored my parents. I thought they were the coolest people in the world.

"That's not lame at all."

"I guess I don't take loneliness well, and I admit I'm not really a stay-at-home kind of girl. While they're gone I generally go to a lot of parties."

"Like how often? Every week?"

"Pretty much. Weekend parties are a must and I seriously don't get people who don't go. I'm sure I read somewhere that in parts of the country where there are no bars, the incidence of violent acts more than doubled. People need to blow off steam, you know," I rambled on. "My middle school friends Sarah and Jessica know all the best events. They're taking me to a college bonfire this evening..."

As soon as I said it I regretted it. Surely Sean couldn't approve of my partying style and the fact that I was going to a college thing could only suggest the worst. "Oh my god. I wish I hadn't said that. I promise you I'm not trying to hook up with some college guy or anything..."oh just shut up!

"Well, I'm in no position to interfere with what you do on your weekends," he said evenly.

I just wanted to die. He must really want to keep his distance now.

"Or....maybe...you'd like to go with me?" I suggested feebly.

"Nah...hooking up with college guys really isn't my thing."

He had turned me down once again and he clearly thought I was an idiot. My heart sank all the way past the table, and it fell on the floor, flopping about like a fish out of water—

"But if things get out of hand or you need a ride home tonight, you can call me."

Talk about unexpected plot twist! "That's so nice of you!"

"If you care about what I think, I'd feel a lot nicer if you don't get drunk."

"You're afraid I'll puke in your car," I couldn't resist saying.

"No, I'd be worried about you," he said solemnly as he looked into my eyes. I wasn't one to blush but at that moment I couldn't help but feel shy.

I looked down at my drink and quickly nodded.

***

"Cheers!" Jess, Sarah and I clinked our cans together. We were at the beach in our cutest dresses. I only had a Dr. Pepper, however, as they chugged down their beers.

I liked hanging with these girls a lot even though we no longer went to the same schools. I used to go to a private girls' school with them, St. Margaret's, but since high school I switched to Riverside High. Sure I liked my high schools friends just as much, but none of them could really be classified as party-goers. Sandra despised everyone and couldn't see the fun in mingling with loud, drunken teenagers, and she hated getting her clothes stained with cigarette smell. Carmen was just girl-scout material who was in honor roll and edited the school paper, which should just tell you how adorably boring she was. Janet was spotted in lots of parties but she was usually there just for performances.

None of them could party like Sarah and Jess. They were both crazy, sassy and beautiful, and according to some strange social rule, when we were all together we looked even hotter as a trio.

"What's with you and the Dr. Pepper?" Sarah asked.

"Well, I kind of made promises to a boy..."

Their eyes gleamed at the mystery in my words. I quickly filled them in on the latest scoop.

"I don't know what you're doing here with us then," Jess said. "Sean obviously cares about you. I wouldn't be wasting my time here trying to attract some random guy."

As if on cue, two muscular guys plopped down next to us. Correction: two random guys. "How're you doing, ladies?" one of them said flirtatiously. They were sort of cute.

"Hello to you too." Sarah flashed her famous the-game-is-on smile. She extended a hand. "I'm Sarah."

We all introduced ourselves and in no time I had discovered that these two boys were the type I usually dated. They were outgoing, daring, slick, and provocative. We usually exchanged numbers and I'd possibly date them once or twice afterwards, or if things went especially well we'd probably be making out on the beach later into the night. That was less likely though. I was mainly dating for the fun of meeting new people, and anything that suggested more I tried to steer away from. Kissing gave people the wrong idea that I wanted to be tied down.

I thought of Sean naturally. He was much more serious and quieter, but somehow it felt very intense when we were together.

"You're right, I really shouldn't be here," I piped up. The two new guys looked at me in surprise.

Jess encouraged me with a grin. "You call him now, girl."

"It's nice seeing you both." I gave Jess and Sarah hugs, then I stood up without giving the new guys a glance.

"Never mind her," I heard Sarah purring as I walked away. "We're here to stay."

***