Chapter 1: Coffee Junkies and Jarheads

A twenty-something Elizabeth Adams was sitting in a booth at a diner near UVA in between her morning and afternoon classes sipping on a cup of coffee and doing some reading for her upcoming classes when she noticed a guy staring at her.

She had her blond hair clipped up messily and she was wearing very little makeup. So, she knew the guy couldn't possibly be attracted to her.

Still, he stared at her, but this time when she actually fully looked up at him, he smiled at her.

People could be so weird sometimes.

She turned her attention back to her book and completely forgot the strange, yet attractive man was even there.

A couple days later, Elizabeth returned to the same diner, thinking that the strange yet attractive man couldn't possibly be there again.

But there he was sitting at the counter nursing a cup of coffee and eating a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast.

This time, it was her that was doing the staring though as she looked at his muscular back as he sat at the counter talking with the waitress.

Maybe she'd been imagining things the other day when he'd stared and smiled at her from across the diner.

She shook off whatever she was feeling for this man and ordered a cup of coffee from one of the other waitresses before she settled in to do her crossword puzzle, occasionally stealing glances at the mysterious man.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of her staring at him, he turned around and caught a glimpse of the messy haired, bare faced woman.

He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone more beautiful.

She also seemed to be smart judging by the newspaper crossword puzzle she was attempting to complete.

Probably the same one he'd just finished completing at the counter in between talking to Rhonda, his usual waitress.

This was his chance to talk to her. Maybe help her figure out any answers she was stuck on.

So, he strode over to the blond woman and said, "I couldn't help noticing we were doing the same crossword puzzle. Stuck on anything?"

"Are you flirting with me? Cause if you are, that was really lame," Elizabeth smiled and eyed him as he stood next to the table.

"Ouch! My ego!" the man told her, obviously joking.

"Tell me something, funny man, were you checking me out the other day when we were both in here?" asked Elizabeth.

"That depends. Did you wanna be checked out? Cause if not, I was just enjoying the scenery and ambiance of the place. A woman who orders her coffee with cream was simply part of that," said the man as he sat down across from her in the booth.

Elizabeth was in disbelief, yet pleasantly impressed that he'd memorized her coffee order from that short encounter the other day.

"That depends. Are you a stalker? Should I call the police on you?" Elizabeth asked him.

The man put his hands in the air and said, "Whoa! No need to involve the police in this. Just a friendly guy, that's all. Now, you never answered my question: Did you wanna be checked out?"

"Maybe," replied Elizabeth cryptically, obviously making him work for it.

"Well, I'll take that maybe as a positive sign that maybe you're interested in me too," said the guy.

Elizabeth looked down as she blushed, before looking back up at the man as she said, "I don't even know your name or anything about you other than you like chatting up women and staring at them. How do I know you don't have a girlfriend in the next town over?"

"The name's Henry McCord. Jarhead. And if you talk to Rhonda over there, she'll tell you I've been single for over a year now. I tell her everything. Kind of like my version of a hairdresser. I come in every day. She pours me coffee-" Henry told her before she cut him off.

"Eggs over easy, toast, and bacon," Elizabeth finished.

"There. You know my breakfast order too and I haven't even learned your name yet," Henry told her.

"Elizabeth Adams. I'm a student at UVA," Elizabeth told him.

"Nice to meet you, Elizabeth Adams," Henry smiled his biggest megawatt smile at her

"You too, Jarhead," Elizabeth smiled back at him, knowing she was in deep trouble with this heartthrob.

They sat there in the booth talking for a couple more hours and drinking way too much coffee before Elizabeth had to leave for class.

After they'd exchanged phone numbers, Henry asked, "Can I take you out tomorrow?"

"Depends. What did you have in mind?" asked Elizabeth.

"I thought we might have a little picnic in the park. Don't worry, I've already got a plan for the menu and everything. It's all under control. You don't need to do anything," Henry assured her.

"Okay, Jarhead. I'll meet you outside UVA in the visitor parking lot at 12:30pm after my classes are over for the day," said Elizabeth

"Great!" exclaimed Henry.

See you tomorrow, then. I've got a class and then some homework to get done before then," explained Elizabeth as she smiled at Henry..

"Okay, see you then," Henry told her before they parted ways; Henry walking back to his apartment and Elizabeth heading back to the building her next class was in, and afterwards, to her dorm to do homework and ponder just what she'd wear on this picnic date tomorrow with the complete heartthrob who'd finally decided to approach her in the diner today instead of simply staring.