It was looking to be another boring shift that night. Connor was stuck on the beginner circuit, one of the few ways to guarantee a dull time as an intramurals sports scorekeeper. Connor’s first basketball game was wrapping up, so the teams slotted to show up next began signing in. It was a women’s team and he could recognize the cadets immediately. Boy, he thought, I would hate to be up against those ‘beginners’. He was thinking this would be another blowout…but wait! He recognized their opponents. Of course! These were the women who lived on his floor in Lee Hall! Engineers can surprise people with their athleticism. And it gave Connor a chance to learn some of their names (he was shy and typically avoided his fellow fifth floorers). One of them walked up to check-in. He accepted her I.D. without looking and began to check her in. He wrote down “Suraye Solis” on the check-in sheet and paused. A pretty name like that made pause. He looked up and smiled. She smiled back. Connor was curious to see how this very small (< 5’ tall) woman would help beat these tall and very fit cadets. NOTE: Suri would argue she is five feet tall.

Tip-off. The cadets win the ball and score very quickly. Then they intercept a pass and score again. And again. And again. Connor watched hopelessly as a young Suri Solis and her teammates were battered to an eventual 100-20 loss. They maintained their good spirits though and it was certainly a memorable introduction.

Suri and Connor grabbing lunch at Hokie Grill accidentally matching outfits

Fast-forward about two years. Connor and Suri had declared the same major. Although Connor moved out of Lee Hall, they see each other quite often. They’ve paired up as Fluid Mechanics Lab Partners. And what a team they made! Connor is an excellent scientific writer, but a complete disaster in labs. Broken glassware, leaking pipes: if you see it in a lab, Connor has broken it. Suri is a diligent student and manages to save each of their experiments by bypassing Connor’s abominations.

Connor and Suri have worked together in several classes now, often consulting each other for homework and projects. Outside of classes, though, they rarely talk. Connor was quiet and strange. He struggled to hold conversations with people he didn’t know well. Suri thought it was cute and was curious to learn more about her accident-prone partner. She approached him one day before class.

“Hi Connor! How was your weekend?” She said cheerily.

What the Hell? Alarms rang in Connor’s head. Oh shit she’s trying to talk to you. Say something not weird. “It was great! I had a lot of fun.” Nailed it.

“Oh yeah? What did you do?” She said, with genuine enthusiasm.

“Nothing.” Shit. Connor panicked to find something to say. So he settled on nothing and just stared at her. A weird moment passed and Dr. Ruder opened the class door. Thank God, Connor thought as he rushed into a desk near the back of the room.

Well that was incredibly awkward, Suri thought. But she was determined to make him her friend.

Suri and Connor on vacation in Louisiana at a wetland park (because of course)

Time passes. Despite their strange social interaction a few weeks ago, Connor and Suri have continued to work together in most of their classes. Suri overloaded her schedule Junior year. She was taking far more credits than most her classmates and nearly twice as many as what was recommended. She had begun losing sleep over all the assignments. She was forced to start several Transport Processes homeworks the night before they were due. She began texting Connor frequently. They understand each other’s thought processes well. And even though in reality Connor relied on her help as much as she did his, Suri felt bad. She felt like she only talked to Connor when she had a question, but she was still interested in learning more about him. So, she invited him to her sorority’s semi-formals. Dances are a great way to make new friends.

Suri and Connor at Central Park in NYC for Suri's birthday

Connor got the text as his parents arrived for a weekend visit. He stared at his phone. He put his phone down, then stared at it again. Connor was confused. He had never been asked to a dance before. Was this…a date? Connor began to panic. He liked Suri and appreciated the gesture, but he was terrified of being alone all evening with a classmate. He couldn’t even make it through a conversation about the weather with her without feeling awkward. He finally accepted the invitation but already felt anxious. He was bad at talking and he was worse at dancing…

A week passed. Suri arrived with her friends to pick up Connor. She was wearing a stunning dress that did not match well with Connor’s black suite and off-white shirt. Connor began to fret with his sleeves, a habit Suri knew meant he was nervous. He relaxed as she began telling him about the event, about the sorority, and about herself. He began talking back, and the two of them start to smile. Pre-game and dinner pass by quickly. Connor and Suri have a lot to say, classmate gossip to pass, background to share. But then…the dance. Suri had already mentioned she loved to dance, but Connor was not aware how good she was at it! She moved effortlessly to every beat and stood out clearly from the other people in the room. Connor made sure to give her some space as he did his best to keep pace with his classic white-guy rocking motions. Even though he hated dancing, Suri made it fun. Connor couldn’t help but laugh and smile the night away and they even stayed on the dance floor through the slow songs (they moved closer to one another but still kept a healthy foot apart).

Another week passed. Connor invited Suri to get coffee before one of their shared classes. He secretly meant this as a date. He told himself it wasn’t, that he just wanted to make a new friend. But he secretly meant it as a date. This was more obvious to Suri after she showed up. Connor was acting very strange. He was smiling and actually trying to talk to her. Trying being the keyword. He’d say something, then stare down at the table and begin to fidget. Unusual even by Connor’s standards. But, they passed the awkward hour at the coffee shop and had a good time.

Connor invited Suri out again to coffee. And again. The rest of the semester passed by as they continue having these pre-class coffees twice a week. They never hold hands, they never hug but Suri swore they had some chemistry. Finally, after exams end and a day before they left for Summer break, Connor invited her somewhere new. He wanted to take a walk on the huckleberry trail (an iconic Blacksburg walking trail that stretches some number of miles to nearby Christiansburg). She gladly accepted, patiently waiting for Connor to make his move as they walked mile after mile.

They walked a full 12-miles on the trail that day. Connor talked to her happily, but still did nothing. (Suri hadn’t noticed, but he had tried to hold her hand at one point; Suri was just very short and he couldn’t quite reach it). Finally, after their walk was over, Suri invited Connor to her dorm as she packed. The night ended and Suri had to go to sleep. As Connor headed for the door, she gave up waiting for him to do something and confronted Connor with her feelings for him. He immediately took hold of her hand and said of course he shared them for her. They kissed for the first time.