Never in a million years would I have ever approached her first. She was the kind of girl that made you want to stand taller, think quicker and speak slower. Her green eyes commanded your attention and once you’ve made eye contact, it’s all over from there. One look and she had you. She was dainty without looking frail and fit but not exactly athletic. Killer legs! Not long like the supermodel type but shapely as hell. You could say she knew how to carry herself, that’s for sure. And that smile. As approachable as that smile was, she could still make a man feel weak in the knees.

Let’s see, the first time I saw Corinne she was sitting alone in a coffee house downtown. Even with her long wavy hair hanging over one eye, I noticed her looking in my direction. I thought, maybe it was just the old, squeaking wooden doors opening and slamming shut that might have caught her attention so I didn’t think much of it. I ordered my usual large black coffee and took a seat in the corner next to the windows; I could still feel her eyes on me. Man, this girl was anything but discrete… I liked it, more accurately, I was attracted to it. She was so beautiful which made it kind of hard not to stare back, so I pulled my composition notebook from my messenger bag and tried to focus on why I had come there in the first place.

I was a twenty-eight year old junior at UNC Wilmington at that time so you might say that I got a little bit of a late start to the college scene. As a Business major with Christmas break coming up, I had a lot on my plate. Especially as an “adult student” I felt a lot of pressure to succeed and was probably a little more focused and determined than some of my classmates. In their defense, I guess a lot can change from twenty to twenty-eight.

I had gone to the coffee house really early that morning to finish up an assignment. I’m a pretty focused guy and nothing was going to distract me, not the glare of the sun in my eyes, not the howling wind seeping through the flaws in the wooden doors, and definitely not the gorgeous green-eyed girl sitting across the room.

I kept my head down and began to write. Taking frequent breaks only to sip the scalding coffee, my eyes stayed true to my work though my mind began to wander. I didn’t have a long list of accomplishments due to my home situation growing up, so school had never really been a priority. When I was younger I made decent grades and stayed out of trouble, but I never really had the opportunity to commit all of my time and energy into school. Starting college felt like a second chance and doing well wasn't just a priority, it was pivotal. With that fact keeping me grounded, I wrote furiously trying to keep as focused as possible. My eyes were solely concentrated on my assignment that was now nearing fifteen pages long but I couldn’t help my thoughts from straying to the girl across the room. I blamed it on writer’s block but I knew what the real problem was.

I considered a few options, one being that I would finish up my assignment, get a fresh refill and head to class like planned. That idea was not my first pick. Another thought that crossed my mind was to walk across the room, slide into the empty chair at her table, casually introduce myself and ask her out. I liked this scenario. Although it involved more action and confidence to pull it off, it was also highly unlikely. Sometimes I wish I were that guy but I’m not. Never have been. The only thing I could actually see happening here is perhaps I get up to get my refill at the same time she did and then we would have to speak to one another. I would comment on her copy of Catcher in The Rye that she had laying on her table and she would be intrigued by our common interests and love of fiction. Or I could ask her what she was working on in that notebook of hers but that could come across the wrong way and I hated the idea of looking like a fool.

She wore a cropped black denim jean jacket and a thick-knit red scarf wrapped cozily around her neck. Her tight jeans were tucked inside her short, black lace-up boots; She was the perfect combination of cute and sexy. By this time my cup was almost empty and I decided to steal a quick look in her direction. Her pen lay still in her hand as she stared at her notebook, like she was momentarily caught in a daydream. Her long blonde hair had fallen to the side catching the sun rays that beamed in through the windows. I was sure that a girl that looked like that would have a boyfriend. Hell, she could’ve had anyone. I took notice of her small, graceful hands; I admired her high cheekbones and how her pale lips were softly open like she was concentrating. I wondered how she took her coffee and what her laugh sounded like. I wanted to know those things about her. I also wondered what she would think about me and my family or my "non-traditional" upbringing. Or how about the fact that I was a twenty-eight year old college student with nothing but an old black Jeep Wrangler to my name along with thousands of dollars in school loans hanging over my head. I thought about all of the little details of our lives, pet peeves, vices and habits. I wondered what they would look like intertwined. Without warning she broke away from her daze and her eyes immediately found their way to mine. The sun beamed across her porcelain skin and soft features; she was a vision. If there was ever such a thing as perfect, she was it.

Next Chapter: Chapter 4: The Nightcall