The spark // Art Donaldson

002. Him

Cadell, 2005 

"Can we see the tennis court?" A boy asked their tour guide who smiled.

"Of course we can. As you may know, Stanford has a great tennis team."

Cadell looked curiously at the boy who had asked, who had floppy curly blonde hair. He was her age, obviously, as he was doing the school tours with her. He, like her, had gotten into stanford, and was now doing a tour of the school to make final decisions on picking his school.

Was he also a fanatic tennis player, like her?

The group walked towards the court, which was large and clean-- Cadell could already imagine herself on the court, wearing the red stanford uniform. 

The woman opened the door with a smile, letting a dozen students in.

"Now, Art, the school knows how much you love tennis, and how good you are," she complimented. The boy's cheeks flushed as he looked away nervously. The girl smiled, gesturing towards Cadell.

"This is Cadell Hwang. Do you two know eachother?" She asked. The two both shook their head at the same time.

"Well, the two of you are both prominent tennis players that stood out in hundredsd of applications. The two of you could probably become acquainted considering your many similarities in age and interest."

The tour guide's invitation lingered in the air, a subtle nudge for Cadell and the boy named Art to connect over their shared love for tennis. Cadell glanced at Art, noting the nervous energy that danced in his eyes and the slight flush that colored his cheeks.

He seemed hesitant, uncertain, much like herself. Summoning her courage, Cadell stepped forward, her smile warm and inviting.

"Hey, I'm Cadell," she smiled. Art's gaze flicked to her, surprise evident in his expression. Her breath caught as his eyes gazed into hers. They were brown and blue, mixing together beautifully.

He was breathtakingly beautiful. A type of beauty she had never seen before.

"Hi, I'm Art." He held this quiet type of confidence in his gaze despite his outward shyness.

"We're both here because of tennis, huh?" Cadell remarked, her tone light and friendly. "Must mean we've got something in common."

Art nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Yeah, I like tennis a lot," he admitted.

"Same," Cadell replied, her own excitement bubbling to the surface. 

The tour guide, sensing the budding connection between the two tennis enthusiasts, chimed in with a knowing smile. "Well, it seems like you two have a lot to talk about. Now, we'll continue on with the tour, if anyone else has anywhere they would like to see."

As the tour concluded, Cadell turned to leave, content with the tour.

"Bye, Art. See you next year, hopefully... I mean, if you decide to come."

He nodded, "you too."

She turned to leave.

"Hey, Cadell?" Art's voice caught her attention, and she turned to see him approaching with a hint of uncertainty.

She gave him a warm smile, her curiosity piqued.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have Facebook?" Art's question hung in the air, his eyes meeting hers with a newfound resolve. Cadell grinned knowingly, "Are you asking for my number?"