Change Of Heart

      SCENE 1

"The truth is, you're only gonna love once ... “he winked.

As he walked away, every cell in my body knew that he was talking about me. His voice, his brilliant grey eyes, his smile and his everything else was meant for me.... Just ME!

That beautiful thought tingled me a bit and I broke into a dreamy smile. I had always been a believer of “LOVE".

My entire life was driven by this everlasting hope that I would find my Prince Charming some day and he would sweep me off my feet on his white horse! Well, the only difference is, it was a steel gray BMW, with a number plate that read 2420 and that will always be special to me because it was also "The day" (2-4-20) we first met.

He didn't look like Prince Charming from my childhood Fairy-Tales, bereft of a suit of shining armor. Although, he did pull off a really sexy image with a black leather jacket and an attitude that could make any girl's insides go wobbly.

But, it definitely wasn't love at first sight!

Racing into Starbucks, I went in and got my usual:  Mocca chocolate chip, no caffeine, extra caramel, but this time, I asked for some chocolate fudge 'cause I felt I needed that extra cheer.

I was one dollar short cause of the new addition and looked around helplessly not wanting to cancel the order. Luckily, there wasn't a huge line behind me, just a middle-aged couple arguing about their choice of flavor.

"He” came up to the counter like a gentleman and offered to pay for my coffee. Now you'd think that there was an instant connection and that I’d suddenly fallen in love with him and it had all ended in "happily ever after" with him buying me coffee everyday  ...

Well that was definitely .... not the story!

Destiny had already devised another plan for me, a plan involving me foolishly leaving my blackberry behind, that'd give away my home address and all my other little secrets *that should probably belong in a little black book* at the Starbucks counter top! Damn I blame his beautiful grey eyes!

(Scene 2 in my head)

*panicking in my room*

*retracing my steps and all the events of the day that just passed*

This was the 6th time that I was hunting for it all over my room , rummaging through the closet, the kitchen cabinets and even in Fifi's li'l bed. But I couldn’t find it. It was gone forever. As I decided to cry my eyes out, thinking of all the irreplaceable data that I had to let go off, because I'd lost my phone, the doorbell rang.

Thinking it was my annoying pervert of a neighbor trying to ask me out to dinner again, I put on my *sorry bitch but I got a date tonight* face.

*opens the door*

I would say my heart skipped a beat but it was only because of what I saw "HE" was holding in his hand. Overwhelmed with joy, I bear hugged him a little too tight and then realized what I was doing. He was in a white V-neck Tee, without his leather jacket on. He was warm and I could feel the six pack underneath his shirt. And boy did he smell good!

I invited him in after thanking him at least a million times (he counted).

Honestly, I was afraid to invite any stranger into my house because I'd grown up watching way too much of 'Supernatural' and 'CSI', and therefor I did have some holy water and a li'l m-16 to keep me safe at night.

.

At first, it was just casual talk and a lot of moments of awkward silence but after a while, when the initial tension had faded, we spent the rest of the evening trying to outdo the other's high score at minion rush and bonded as if we were long lost college mates. He projected a vibe of sheer awesomeness and had an overwhelming sense of humor, that almost caused me to fall off the couch, choking with laughter. He did not fail to keep his cool attitude, but did reveal a little of his quirky side. As the night progressed, he made sure he didn't have any evil intentions and left my appartment at a quarter past 9. His first impression couldn't have been any more perfect.

As the days passed, spending time with him became a duty just as the nation's triumph is to any Sergeant in the army. Long walks on the beach, coffee dates, and karaoke nights were way better than those candle lights dinners whilst wearing those hard to breathe in dresses and paying those ridiculously priced bills.

It wasn't like we couldn't afford it, but we just left all of that for special occasions.

I was still a post grad student completing my masters in psychology and also had a job as a part time counselor trying to knock some sense into our present youth. Surprisingly  I had managed to converse with many of my students through my lectures and when I thought of how I'd helped certain children go through very painful times in their lives, I'd feel the reward of my work more than any pay check could ever offer.

Conner on the other hand, worked three jobs to pay off his rent and more importantly, to afford his car. He was a stand-up comedian which explained his numerous jokes, a private dance teacher, he knew how to move, and a chef at some Italian restaurant whose name I could never pronounce, A.K.A. amazing food every other night. Don’t ask me how he managed them all because I didn’t know myself. All I knew was that, at 5 30 every evening, when I was free from  my classes and my sessions, he'd pick me up from Starbucks, hand me a rose almost every other day and we'd spend the rest of the day together either holding hands and strolling down the beach, or having those intimate conversations at my place. Whatever it was that was between us, I knew that we could both feel it and that we both really enjoyed feeling this way. There are always certain things in life, that only come once and you don’t know how long it was to last, so you embrace the moment and seek happiness in that blessing. And that was exactly what I did.

*Drifting back into the present*

It's been a year now and I never believed that Conner would ever exist in my life if it weren't for that extra bit of chocolate fudge. Really?

I laughed to myself.

After a while I walked around the room, feeling the mattress that we'd just shared, remembering my every memory with the person I decided at that moment ... Was MY FOREVER!