The mere sight of her took his breath away. His senses heightened. He could feel the breeze against his skin, smell a freshly mowed lawn and hear his own heart throbbing in his ears.
She was with friends, like they usually are, laughing in the sunshine. Her laugh seemed to float over the breeze just to him. It made him feel closer to her. God, her smile, it made him want to melt.
He stood there, mesmerized, rooted to the spot. He watched how the sun and shadows played with her features. Her eyes sparkled.
He wanted to go and talk to her, go and introduce himself. But it felt like there was something caught in his throat and he couldn't catch his breath. He needed to know more about her. There was no other thing to go but go over there.
His sneakers made a grinding noise on the concrete. He ran his fingers through his hair to brush it out of his face. He wiped his mouth to make sure he didn't have any food on it. He wanted a piece of gum, but he'd run out.
He discretely check his fly to make sure it wasn't down. He looked at his jacket and brushed some dirt or dust off. He wanted to make a good first impression. The only thing he had to worry about now was what he was going to say.
He got closer. His mouth was dry. He tried to swallow away the lump in his throat but it was stubborn and stayed put. He took a deep breath and quickly covered the remaining distance with his long legs.
"Hi," he tried to get her attention. "I'm Sam. I would like to know your name so I can ask you out."
She laughed and it was contagious. She had a beautiful spirit inside of a beautiful body. "My name is Jessica--Jess. Why should I go out with you?" she said teasingly.
"Because I love the way your eyes sparkle when you laugh," he was speaking from his heart and hoped it wouldn't get stomped in the process. "I would like to make you laugh more often just so see that sparkle."
"Sounds good to me," she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "So, when and where?"
He just smiled. He hadn't thought that far ahead . . .