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  Kristy had rambled on and on, feeling more comfortable with Sam than she ever had with a man.

  By the end of the meal, Kristy was feeling energized and giddy. She clutched Sam's arm, as he walked her home.

  “I had a great time with you tonight, Kristy.”

  “Thanks Sam. I had a really good time with you too. Sorry for talking so much over dinner. I promise, I'm not usually so much of a chatterbox.”

  “I liked it,” Sam said. “You can talk as much as you want. I love listening to your voice.”

  Kristy giggled and tightened her grip on Sam's arm.

  “Really,” Sam continued. “I loved hearing about everything that you're passionate about. I'm not gonna pretend that I know anything about art, but I loved learning a little bit from you. It's like Brad says, there's nothing sexier than a smart woman who can teach you something new.”

  They had reached the entrance of Kristy's apartment.

  Kristy turned to face Sam and looked up into his eyes.

  “You really didn't have to walk me all the way home,” she said. “This was really sweet of you. Very chivalrous.”

  “No problem,” Sam said. “Man, you live in a cool neighborhood.”

  Sam glanced around, getting a better view of the street around him.

  “You live in a great area. A lot of great bars and places to eat around here.”

  “Right! I love it here. Barcade is right next door. Have you ever been there?”

  “No,” Sam answered. “What's that?”

  “Oh, it's great. I mean, it's for sure a dive bar. Really seedy and small. But it's so cool because they have a bunch of old retro arcade games. So you bring a bunch of quarters, get drunk, play centipede.”

  “I remember that game,” Sam laughed. “There was an arcade back in Columbus that Brad and me used to go to. We played that one and Mrs. Pac Man. Wasted so many hours.”

  Kristy shrugged.

  “What else are hours for?”

  “Well, I could think of a couple more useful things to do with my time,” Sam whispered, stepping forward and leaning down. His lips were angled towards Kristy's.

  Kristy ducked away from him, rucking her chin into her chest and letting her light brown hair fall over her face.

  “Oh, sorry..” Sam muttered. He took a quick step back.

  Kristy cleared her throat and raised her head.

  “It's fine,” she said. “Hey, do you want to take me out again?”

  Sam's eyes widened. He appeared startled by the abrupt change of subject.

  “Uh, yeah,” he said. “I'd really like that. How about Wednesday afternoon? Is that too random? I know it's the middle of the week, but I've gotta cram for finals next weekend.”

  Kristy supplied a soft smile and blinked up at him slowly.

  “Wednesday is great,” she said.

  And then she turned and climbed the steps that led up to her front door. As she pushed the door open, she turned back once more to gaze down at Sam. She brought a hand to her mouth and blew a kiss. She had just enough time to see him catch it, before flinging herself inside and throwing the door shut behind her. She sighed as the door met the frame.

  Chapter Six

  “Did you guys kiss?”

  “Oh stop it! A kiss isn't the only indicator that a date went well.”

  Lizette frowned.

  “So then... you guys didn't kiss?”

  Kristy sighed and rolled her eyes.

  “Well, he tried...”

  “Gah!” Lizette nearly jumped out of her seat. “Don't tell me you stopped him!”

  Kristy winced and nodded.

  “Is that bad?”

  “Well, damn! He probably thinks you aren't into him!”

  “No,” Krystal said. “No. He knows that I like him. I ducked my head when he tried to kiss me, but only because I don't like the pressure to kiss on a first date. It just feels so necessary. I don't want my first kiss with him to be like that.”

  Lizette raised her brows.

  “Did you explain all that to Sam?”

  “Obviously not. That would be weird. But I did ask him for a second date right after that.”

  “Wait, you asked him?”

  Kristy gave Lizette a pointed look.

  “Lizette, really? I'm the one to conform to gender norms?”

  Lizette gave a brisk laugh.

  “Fair enough, I guess.”

  “That's the other problem that I'm having,” Kristy said. “I just...I don't know how I'm going to tell him-”

  “Stop!”

  Lizette took her by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes, gave an encouraging squeeze.

  “He's a good guy and he's not going to freak out.”

  “But you know the way that men act sometimes!”

  Lizette shook her head.

  “He's not gonna freak out. I mean, I think he's really going to be okay with it.”

  Kristy bit her lip.

  “But if he's not? That's the other reason that I couldn't let him kiss me, before I've had the chance to tell him...it almost feels like lying.”

  Lizette blew a raspberry with her tongue.

  “Screw that. You aren't lying. You guys went on one date and you don't need to tell him everything yet. It's your business. Make him earn that info.”

  “I don't know, Lizette. I really like him. I want to do this right.”

  Kristy blinked rapidly as a wave of tears threatened to overtake her.

  “I really really just want to do this right.”

  Chapter Seven

  “She wouldn't let you kiss her? I'm sorry man, better luck on the next one.”

  “No, it's not over man.”

  Sam took a deep breath in through his nose and released it through his mouth. His feet pounded the treadmill beneath him, and he watched as Brad turned his own treadmill up a notch in speed. Sam had decided to meet up with Brad for his afternoon treadmill run. He wanted to discuss everything that had occurred on the date.

  “You see,” Sam said through his exertion. “She asked me to take her out again.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Actually, she asked me to take her out again right after she denied my kiss.”

  “I hate to point this out, Sam,” Brad said. “But is there any chance that she just did that to get away from the awkwardness of not letting you kiss her?”

  Sam shook his head, and then reached forward to turn his own treadmill's speed up.

  “No, we were already at her house. She could have just said bye and run right inside. I think that's what most girls would have done. I think that maybe she just didn't want to kiss. Do you think that could be it? Do some girls not like kissing on first dates?”

  “Yeah,” Brad said. “That could be it. Some women don't like to do anything on a first date. I don't know, some guys too probably. I think most people probably are okay with kissing when the date goes well. But you know, everybody's different. It's probably a good sign that she asked you to take her out again.”

  “I really like her,” Sam said. “I mean, I know I've only been on one date with her, but I'm seriously so sprung on her. She's gorgeous. She's smart. She laughs at all my jokes, and really just makes me feel like I'm the man, you know. You ever have a girl make you feel that way?”

  Brad wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, and shook his head as he increased his running speed.

  “No” he said. “But I guess that's why I'm still single. I take lots of girls out, but none have really given me a feeling like that.”

  “Oh stop it, dude. You'll find your lady one day.”

  “Course I will,” Brad agreed. “In the meantime, it sounds like you think you might have already found yours.”

  “I really hope so,” Sam said. “If she doesn't have a problem with...well you know...”

  Brad frowned.

  “Just run it out, dude. Sweat that bull right out of you. If she's really special and she's really the one that you're gonna mar
ry, she'll understand and she's gonna accept you no matter what.”

  “I don't know. Some women get kind of freaked out.”

  “You gotta talk to her, man. It's not gonna help anything to get all freaked out before you talk to him. Seriously, don't be a chic.”

  There was a few seconds of silence, and then Sam began to laugh so hard that he had to shut his treadmill off.

  Chapter Eight

  Wednesday afternoon, Sam grinned as he stood outside of Kristy's building. He'd just sent her a text, letting her know he'd arrived and was just waiting for her to come down.

  As he gazed up at the building, a long black and white flag was suddenly flung from a third-story window. The skinny six-foot flag unfurled and lay against the brick of the building as the person inside shut the window sash, keeping the flag held in place.

  The door opened then, and Kristy's radiant face appeared. She was wearing a deep purple peplum shirt with a high-collar and capped sleeves. She had paired it with black shorts and a set of purple tennis shoes, in the same hue of her shirt. Sam thought she looked beautiful as always, but was disappointed in her choice of footwear. She had the sexiest feet he'd ever seen and he hadn't been able to shake the image of her in those pointed black stilettos. Her feet were larger than average, and something about the contradiction was absolutely captivating. She was small and yet her feet pronounced themselves, demanding to be seen. She also had incredible arches, and the way that her second toe was just a bit longer than her big toe, drove him wild.

  “Hey you!” Kristy called. She gave an energetic wave and hopped down the steps, taking two at a time.

  “Hey to you, too,” Sam replied.

  He jerked his head upwards, in the direction of the flag. The wind had evened out the folds of the fabric and Sam could now read the words emblazoned upon it.

  “Yoga of the People,” he read. “What's going on there? You live in a yoga studio?”

  Kristy laughed.

  “Not quite,” she said. “It's actually the apartment on the floor above me. They have this big studio apartment that they use for yoga. The class is ridiculously cheap too. It's donation based. So when I'm really broke, I just give like five or ten dollars. Then I try to make up for it when I do have money, because you know, they're doing something wonderful. They're providing yoga to people at a price that's actually reasonable. Then it's not just middle-class surbanites that get to do it. Like why should yoga be a class thing?”

  “You really love yoga, don't you?”

  Kristy smirked and threw her hands up, as if she were being arrested.

  “Guilty as charged,” she laughed. “Is it ridiculous that I picked this apartment because of the yoga studio? I mean, it wasn't the only reason that I picked it, but when I had to choose between this one and a two-bedroom at the same price, three blocks over, the yoga was the definitive tie-breaker. I mean, the other place had a dishwasher, but you know what? All the time that I save not walking three blocks to yoga, I can use that to do my dishes.”

  Sam laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “You are ridiculous, Kristy. But it's okay. I'm really enjoying listening to how ridiculous you are.”

  Kristy didn't shrug his arm away. In fact, she not only allowed him to keep his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders, but she lessened the space between the two of them, pressing herself into his side.

  Sam chewed his bottom lip as the smell of her floral perfume wafted up to him. He looked down at her, from the corner of his eye. Her hair was gorgeous and illuminated by the rays of the bright afternoon sun. Her hair was mostly light brown, but in the back, there was a small section at the nape of her neck that was darker. It was only slighter darker. The difference was not drastic at all. In fact, Sam wondered if that hair had been dyed, or if it was simply a natural variation.

  After a few minutes of walking in silence, Sam attempted conversation.

  “So, how was your morning?” he asked.

  “Oh, it was good,” Kristy replied. “I had a ballet lesson. I'm really lucky that my parents still pay for me to take lessons. It was tough finding an affordable teacher in the city, but eventually I found Madame LaFleur. She's great. I guess, she's more of a coach than a teacher. She helps me to practice so that I can audition with the New York Company.”

  “That's really cool,” Sam said. “You seem really dedicated. I bet you have a really great chance of making it.”

  Kristy gave a dry laugh.

  “That's nice of you to say and all, but it's definitely not true. Thousands of girls want to dance for the New York Company. Probably more than that. Girls come from all over the world to dance for them. Russia, Brazil, Ireland. They take the best of the best from all over the world. I'm also twenty-two and haven't ever danced professionally. So it's pretty likely that I'm not ever going to. I'm just going to try because I have to. I have to just to know that I couldn't. I can't just wonder what would have happened for the rest of my life.”

  “I think that's really brave,” Sam said. “You don't want regrets and you're chasing your dreams. Even if it doesn't work out, you're a pretty amazing human being.”

  Kristy glanced shyly up at him.

  “Thank you, Sam.”

  They made their way to the train station, to catch a ride to Central Park.

  By the time they were exiting the train, and making their way out into the vibrant sunshine outside, they were holding hands. Sam relished the feeling of Kristy's small hand in his own. Her skin was warm and soft.

  “So, which area of the park should we head to?” Sam asked.

  “Wherever is fine with me,” Kristy said. “We could just go find a patch of grass to sit on.”

  She gestured to the large shoulder bag that she carried.

  “I brought a blanket,” she said.

  “Great!” Sam said. “Well, let's just walk around until we find somewhere good.”

  Ten minutes later, they settled down under a large oak tree. Kristy pulled the blanket from her bag and spread it out across the damp ground.

  “I have something for us too,” Sam said. “Here.”

  Sam pulled the orange backpack from his shoulders and removed a large brown shopping bag.

  “I hope you're hungry,” he said. “I've got a bunch of sandwiches, roast beef, turkey, and ham. I also brought some fruit salad, chips and humus, and one more special surprise.”

  Kristy raised her eyebrows as she sat cross-legged on the red patterned quilt.

  “A special surprise?” she quipped. “And what would that be?”

  Sam smirked and pulled a plastic Seven-Eleven bag from his backpack.

  Kristy laughed.

  “What is in there?”

  “Taquitos,” Sam replied. “I would have brought nachos and hot dogs too, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to transport them without making a mess. Plus, they probably would have gotten soggy. Taquitos, though, these seem to keep pretty well.”

  “Oh my goodness! That's so thoughtful! Yes, I'll take one of those.”

  Sam sat down beside Kristy and handed her a taquito. The two of them ate in silence for a bit.

  When Kristy had eaten two taquitos and a ham sandwich, and Sam had eaten a roast beef sandwich with a generous helping of fruit salad, they put the remaining food back in the bag.

  “Hey, I brought something else too,” Kristy said.

  She grinned mischievously as she reached back into her purse.

  “Look!” she exclaimed, holding two cylindrical containers out to Sam.

  Sam laughed.

  “Are those bubbles?” he asked.

  “Yes!” Kristy exclaimed, and then her smile fell momentarily. “That's not weird, or lame, is it?”

  “No!” Sam reassured her. “I think it's fun and silly. I like that you can be silly. Here, I'll take the green bottle. You're about to witness my bubble-blowing skills. I used to play with bubbles all the time when I was a kid. I could blow the biggest bubbles on the block. You're ab
out to be amazed.”

  “I never got to play with bubbles when I was a kid,” Kristy said, tapping her bubble wand against the containers interior.

  “Why's that?” Sam asked.

  “My dad's a bit old-fashioned. He said that bubbles were for wimps.”

  Sam shot her a quizzical look.

  “That's kind of weird, right? Why would he worry about his daughter looking like a wimp?”

  Kristy's eyes widened and she sat up a bit straighter, clearing her throat before speaking again.

  “My family is a bit weird. Maybe we can talk more about it another time.”

  “Oh yeah, sure,” Sam agreed. “Whenever you want.”

  Kristy bit her lip and nodded.

  “I just haven't ever really fit in with them. They were especially disappointed in me a few years back. I, um, I just made some decisions that they weren't too pleased with. But they supported me in the end. They try. They're not always the most open-minded people, but they love me.”

  “It's good that they try,” Sam said. “It must make things easier that they try to understand you and your point of view.”

  “Oh, absolutely,” Kristy said. “Hey, what about you? Do you like your family?”

  Sam shrugged.

  “It's a really similar situation. They don't always get me. I stopped talking to my dad for a couple of years. We had a falling out right after me and Brad moved out here. Now, we're talking again, but it's still tense. They actually just moved out to Long Island. I told them that I probably want to stay in New York after I graduate and they're retired, so they made the move. It's been weird though. Everything is till pretty awkward and now they've gone and uprooted their lives for me.”

  Kristy nodded.

  “Disagreements with family can be really hard to deal with. I hope that you all start to feel comfortable around each other soon.”

  “Hey,” Sam said, in an attempt to change the subject. “Let me show you one of my infamous bubbles.”

  Sam held up the freshly-dipped bubble wand, pursed his lips, and began to blow. The bubble formula began to form a convex shape, protruding from the plastic. This half-circle stretched and grew, until it was nearly the size of an apple. Then with one final great puff, the bubble was released from the wand and began to drift lazily across the air.