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.