- is that Amber is writing this.

But did you expect anything else?

The second thing you need to know is that I’m operating with a firm word limit, which is unimaginably difficult, but - alas - God would not let us be tempted by more than we can bear. I will survive (feat. Gloria Gaynor).

The third, and last, thing you need to know is that I will be opening with a quote. I will not tell you where it is from. That is for you to find out. (I love an assignment)

…

“They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that when it starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up.”

...

I actually didn’t think it was her - at first.

Because she was wearing flip flops. And no self respecting woman would show up to a first date wearing flip flops (they would), so it couldn’t be her (it was).

But when I followed the flip flops up, I saw eyes. That’s what I remember the most, actually. Not the shoes or the jorts (jorts on a first date?) or the strappy tank top. It was her eyes.

I’ve collected my fair share of looks over the years.

“An acquired taste” (like a fine wine, they said) was an epithet often used to describe me - something I was perfectly content with. Like the looks.

The ones I cherish.

The ones I resent.

The ones I envy.

And this look had the beginnings of being just like one of those, except, that it wasn’t.

Her eyes grew taller - a look of recognition.

But not the kind of recognition that would come from matching me to a face from a screen.

But one that matched me to a face from another time.

Which I knew couldn’t be true.

My wild days weren’t that wild and I didn’t believe in reincarnation.

But maybe there was something else.

Maybe there was some truth to the stories you hear, ones that every culture has, about their deity making souls together, then sending them out to Google Maps themselves to each other, (or whatever the ancient version would be).

Maybe there’s some kind of energy. Whatever you want to call it.

God (my preferred explanation).

The planets.

My feverish good looks and above average deeds.

But it was there. In that moment. In her eyes.

Where time stopped for just a second as her mouth slid into a grin and her flip flop donned feet moved toward me.

And then -

time soared.