String Cheese

Can I sit here?

"Can I sit here?"

 I nervously asked a counseling intern while pointing to the empty chair next to him. 

"Sure," he replied without looking away from his laptop screen. 

I wondered how my personal statement could be that interesting. As he read my essay, I unintentionally studied his face and gestures. His eyes were sharp and focused behind his glasses. His chin rested on his palm while his fingers were covering his cheek.

God! I could look at him for days. Some people are made to be perfect, I guess.

"So, I think you can omit this part because--" he explained to me as he finished reading my essay. 

I tried to listen carefully, but his eyes and his face were an absolute distraction. I nodded along as he talked but his words easily flew away from my brain. I can work in a crowded place; Heck, I can even study while binging Netflix. Why was it hard to stay focused when this guy talked?

"When you're done, I can take a look at it one more time," he finished. "Okay. Will you be here tomorrow?" I asked. "Not tomorrow, but Thursday for sure," he smiled.

I felt like I got a heart attack every time I saw him smile or laugh. Honestly, sitting close to him for 15 minutes a day was probably a great exercise for my heart.

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I first saw him two weeks into my senior year. 

He was a new intern for our school's College and Career Center. All seniors love the CCC. They come in to hang out, do homework, or work on post-high school plans. 

The CCC somehow always has the perfect temperature. I hate going to the commons because it's too warm and too crowded. The library, on the other hand, is too quiet and too cold. 

I saw him talk to our CCC adviser that day and thought he was a visitor. He had nodded at me and gave me a smile. That smile told me he was the one.

Thanks for reading!