I’m incredibly nervous as I step towards her. If I ask for her number and she says no – I’ll be crushed. And what if she has a boyfriend? I haven’t seen her with any guys here on campus, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have anyone waiting back home for her. Maybe she’d still give me her number as a friend.
A few more steps, and I’m standing next to her.
Kai: Hey.
Melisa: Hi, Kai. You okay?
I’m sure she can see my nervousness all over my face.
Kai: Yeah, but I don’t want to keep running into you like this.
Melisa: What?
Kai: I’m sorry – that came out wrong. I was wondering if I could call you sometime, that is – if you don’t have a boyfriend.
Melisa: Oh. Well, I don’t have a boyfriend.
That’s a start.
Melisa: And yes, you can call me.
I’m thrilled. But now I’m standing here frozen in place with a silly grin on my face.
Melisa: Um, do you want me to put my number in your phone?
Right! If I’m to get her number, I need my phone. So I try to play it off.
Kai: *quickly pulls out phone* You can tell me.
Melisa sits down at the table nearby as she recites her cell number. I add it to my contacts.
Kai: Can I text you mine?
Melisa: Sure
I desperately want to ask her out, but she’s now sitting at the table with other people. On a whim, I ask in my text, then hit send, hoping for the best.
She sits there watching as I cycle through various stages of panic. Maybe I should have just called her up later to ask? Her phone finally buzzes, and she pulls it out. I try to read her reaction as she reads my text. But her expression could be interpreted as either a rejection or surprise.
Then she smiles and sort of cradles her phone for a moment. Finally, her eyes meet mine.
Melisa: Yes, I’ll go out with you.
At least she’s bold enough to answer out loud. The only problem is that the other girl sitting at the table is now staring at me. I do my best to ignore her, but she makes herself very present.
Nosy Girl: So, where are you taking her?
Dammit! She’s put me on the spot. I haven’t thought that far ahead. I avoid the girl’s gaze altogether and address Melisa.
Kai: I’ll call you.
Melisa nods.
Rather than stand there being gawked at by every random person at the table, I step away to grab something to eat. But, by the time I return to the table, everyone has left. That’s a good thing. Now I can focus my attention on planning a date with Melisa.
I realize that I don’t know enough about Melisa to plan a date. What does she like to do? Should it be a study date? Or do I take her out to eat? Everyone has to eat, right? But does she like seafood, or is she vegetarian? I could take her to a club, but I don’t know if she enjoys dancing, or if she hates a particular type of music or even if she likes to drink. I know she likes rocket science, but how do you plan a date around that?
All I know is that I like her, and she seems to like me enough to agree to hang out with me. So maybe that’s enough for now.
I get up and leave the student center. If I want to have time for a social life, I need to tackle some of my bigger school projects first. It’s time to go back to the house.
I have a big presentation coming up for my Building With Cells course. It’s not due for a few days, but working on it helps keep my mind focused and away from panicky thoughts about my upcoming date.
I put a few things up on the board. I’m satisfied that I’ve answered the five w’s of cell building, but it won’t hurt to ask for some feedback. Fortunately, my roommate Jayden leaves his bedroom just as I’m finishing up.
Kai: Jay! What’s up, man? Can you help me out for a sec?
Jayden: *walks over* Sure, what’s up?
Kai: What do you think about this?
I nod towards my presentation, and he studies it for a moment.
Jayden: It’s meh
Kai: Meh?
Jayden: Yeah, it’s just alright. It looks like a high school science fair presentation.
Kai: But this is college.
Jayden: Exactly. We’re here to become experts in our field. Your presentation is the work of someone who just watched a SimTube video or two. You need to dig deeper – teach me something that I didn’t already know.
Kai: Okay, I think I can do that.
Kai: Thanks, Jay. Uh, by the way – if you were going to take someone out, where would you go?
Jayden: There’s a pub not too far from campus. I’d go there.
Kai: I don’t know if she drinks.
Jayden: There are games upstairs, and there’s a good pizza stand outside.
That might work. I thank Jay for the suggestion as he walks away.
I turn my attention back to my presentation and add to it until I’m so tired that I can barely see. Finally, it’s better, but it still doesn’t feel quite good enough.
I give it a few more hours, then head to bed. I’m exhausted, but my presentation is something I can be proud of.
(Generation 3 Chapter Summaries)
Thanks for reading! Please hit the “like” button below to let me know you were here! Keep scrolling if you’d like to leave a comment. 🥰
