When Stars Align

The Pick-Up

Sabrina's work day finally ended. A usually quiet and quick day at work turned into one that was busy and didn't seem to have an end. This was nothing other than pure excitement for the evening she had planned with Oliver. In her head, she imagined how the date was going to unfold. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face, no matter how hard she tried. Her eyes widened and her heart was beating out of her chest, nothing could bring her down. As she stepped into her apartment, she twirled like a ballerina around and around her home, making her way quickly from the door to her bedroom where she begins the process of getting ready. She had an hour before being picked up, which was plenty of time for her.

Makeup was a breeze, as she applied her red lipstick she thought back to the day she wore it on the train. Her dimples began to show, and she hid her face behind her long blonde hair, feeling herself begin to blush uncontrollably. Humming along to her favourite song, she tip toed to her wardrobe, and plucked her baby blue dress from the hangers, putting it lightly against her body. She tilted her head, did a twirl and smiled at herself in the mirror. This is what she was going to wear. She pulled the dress on, fixed her hair, and was ready. With fifteen minutes to spare, she lay peacefully on her bed, awaiting the ring of the intercom by the front door of her apartment. Surely enough, it rang within a matter of minutes. She pushed herself up from her bed and ran to the front door. It was him. She signalled that she would be down shortly, ran back to her room, quickly put her heels on and grabbed her purse, then dashed to the door and downstairs to the front of the building.

There he was. He paced up and down the street outside her building, and although he kept looking inside, he never saw her. He wore trousers, a button up shirt and a black tie, all covered by a black winter coat. His hair was a mess from the wind and his glasses sat gently on his nose. Sabrina stepped outside, leaving behind her a hard slam of the front door to the building. With a fright, Oliver stopped pacing and stood directly in front of her, scanning in disbelief. "You're beautiful," he said, a smile crawled onto his face. He slowly walked towards her, and from behind his back pulled out a small bouquet of red roses. She kindly accepted the roses and curtsied. As he walked up to stand beside her, he let out a small laugh.

In the heat of the moment, he kissed her lightly on the cheek. She felt those sparks again; the ones she had never felt before meeting him. He offered his hand, and she took it, and was lead down the stairs to his car that was parked out the front of the building. She sat in the passenger seat of the car, and altered her skirt while waiting for him to jump into the car. Before she knew it, they were off. The crisp New York air rushed through her hair, and she raised her hands above her head, having the time of her life. She glanced at him, concentrating on the road. She got the butterflies. My God, she thought to herself, wondering how long she could resist the urge to press her lips against his. "So, how come you don't drive to work?" she asked, beginning the conversation.

"Too much of a hassle," he said. "Public transport is more convenient for me."

She smiled and nodded, agreeing; not that she had a car, nor her license.

"Besides," Oliver continued. "I would never have met you if I drove everyday," he winked at her, grabbing her hand while they sat at the light, awaiting the red to turn to green. They both sat in silence, in absolute awe of each other. Sabrina felt her happiest, and in that moment, felt like the luckiest girl in the world. She began to lean in, as did he. But before their lips could touch, a car horn sounded close by. The light had turned green and they never realised. He cleared his throat, and she giggled. "I'm glad you don't drive to work," she turned and looked at him.

He smiled, "Me too."