“Oh my God. The humanity.”
“It was okay—I went to an all-girls school so it’s not like I had lots of opportunities to date, anyway. But when I’d just turned fifteen, this boy who lived down the street asked me to the local public school’s dance, so I made this detailed Power Point and argued my case, and, finally, my dad relented and let me go as a ‘one-time dispensation.’” She laughs. “It certainly helped that the boy hadzerogame—oh my God, I could have been in a phone booth with that poor boy and not realized he was standing there with me.”
I laugh. “Did you at least have fun at the dance?”
“It definitely didn’t live up to the hype.”
“No first kiss?”
She shakes her head. “My first kiss was at age eighteen.” She shrugs. “But, hey, this isn’tmyPower Point yet. We’re still on yours.”
“I’ve already told you everything, unless you have any questions for me.”
“You mean, like, ‘Ryan, where do you envision yourself in five years’?”
I laugh. “Whoa. This reallyisa job interview.”
She giggles. “I was totally kidding. But now that I’ve asked it, I’d love to hear your answer.”
I pause, considering how best to answer the question without sounding like I’ve got no game, and finally decide to just let it all hang out. “In five years, I envision myself married with children and the owner of my own bar.”
Her cheeks flush. “Oh.” She opens and closes her mouth like a fish on a line.
I suddenly feel the distinct need to change the subject. “Oh, I totally forgot the most important item for my Power Point: I make the best guacamole in the world.”
She bites her lip seductively. “‘In the world’?”
“In the world. It’s another superpower.”
“That’s a really bold statement, sir.”
“Bold, but true.”
“Well, I definitely gotta taste this ‘world’s best’ guacamole of yours. Iloveguacamole.”
“One taste and you’re gonna fall head over heels in love with me.”
“Sorry, it’s gonna take a bit more than some amazing guac to make me fall in love with you. I’m extremely left-brained, I should warn you. Just gimme the facts.”
“Ah, give you the facts and leave the guacamole? Got it. Sounds like I’d better make a Power Point with a whole bunch of charts and graphs and statistics about what a great guy I am if I want to make you fall in love with me.”
“No, no. Show me a Power Point with numbers and graphswhileI’m tasting your guac.” Her face suddenly turns bright red. “That is, I mean,ifmaking me fall in love with you... is... your... goal.” She literally palms her forehead and quickly takes a gigantic sip of her drink.
And just like that, the only thought in my head is:I want to make this girl fall in love with me.
The song playing in the bar switches from “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran (great song) to a song I don’t recognize—but, by the way Samantha reacts to it, there’s no doubt she’s already a fan.
“What is this?” I ask.
“‘Bailando’ by Enrique Iglesias. It’s my absolute favorite.”
She sings along for a moment—and even though I don’t understand a word since the song’s in Spanish, the sight of her singing along to a song she loves is taking my breath away.
“What’s Enrique Iglesias singing about?” I ask.
“Oh, the usual,” she replies, smiling. “Lust and love. He’s saying he wants to be with her, live with her, dance with her, kiss her, have sex with her. He says she takes his breath away when he looks at her and that he’s having a chemical reaction to her. That sort of thing.”
My skin pricks.
