Chapter 51

A/N Finally meeting

Here we have some laughter and happy moments. Hope you all enjoy it.

Elizabeth walked into Giovanni's and stopped in the doorway and breathed in deeply. The smell of the place hit all her senses. The smell of oregano, garlic and onions assaulted her. Pizza was one of her favorite foods and being away in Connecticut away from good pizza made her appreciate this place even more. She had been coming here her whole life. Family dinners, celebrations and then later with her friends. It felt a little like home and gave her a warm feeling everytime she came here. She looked around and a little sadness creeped in. She saw the booth that her family always sat at and the smile her Mom always had when they were here. She got her love of pizza from both her parents. Her Dad growing up in New York and her Mom here. There was always the argument of who had the best pizza. It was all in good fun. She liked both styles of pizza and would happily devour them both given the chance.

The hostess showed her to her booth and she was deciding what to get. Should she go on the light side of just a salad and a slice or go for the gusto and order a medium pizza? She decided on the salad, but 2 slices would be what she needed to quell her hunger. She placed her order and waited on the waiter to bring her iced tea. She was contemplating ordering a glass of wine when he brought it. She decided to throw caution into the wind and ordered a glass of red.

She retrieved her plate and went to the salad bar to fix her plate. She looked over the selection and was deciding on just what would satisfy her hunger and want.

She heaped a pile of multiple choices on her plate and retrieved a bottle of dressing. She turned to return to her table and her plate met the stomach of another person. It startled her and the plate went flying in the air.

The other person was trying to avoid her plate and his plate went into the air also.

Elizabeth crouched down to avoid the inevitable. All the ingredients were going to come down and most landed on top of her head and on the other person.

She was trying to compose herself when she looked up and saw who the other person was. Oh great, really it just had to be HIM? Blushing started at her hairline and was creeping down her neck. Of all the people she had to bump into a 3rd time today it was him.

She heard a gasp and mumbling under his voice. "Crap" finally came out of his mouth. She reached up and found salad dressing running down her hair.

The hostess and a waiter were rushing over to help them. They had made a tremendous mess of the floor and themselves.

She stood up and finally looked him in the eyes. She had never really looked at his eyes before and he held her gaze. His eyes were a soft hazel with flecks of gold and currently had her mesmerized. The corner of his lips were turned up into a half smile and he looked amused. She would have thought he would be mad after her salad landed on him. Suddenly he threw back his head and started laughing. A deep belly laugh that went all through his body. She smirked at him and started laughing also. It had been a long time since she truly laughed like that.

They stood there laughing at each other much to the amusement of the employees. They could not understand what had these two laughing so hard at.

They finally composed themselves and began to pick the pieces of salad off themselves. Elizabeth excused herself to go to the restroom so that she could try and get it out of her hair.

Henry was still wiping down his shirt when she returned. They had yet to speak to each other and he decided it was time to change that.

"I guess fate has decided it is time we meet. I am Henry McCord." he said, reaching out his hand to her.

"I guess it has, Elizabeth Adams," she said, taking his hand in hers.

They both felt the electric current running through them when their hands met. Neither had ever felt this before.

"Well now that that is out of the way, do you want to join me for dinner or would you rather leave and go home and clean up?" he asked her.

She thought leaving to go shower was a good idea until she saw almost pleading in his eyes to join him.

"Yes, I would be glad to join you. I am starving. Should we try again to make a salad and hopefully this time get to actually eat them without sharing them with our clothes and hair?" she laughed.

He laughed and handed her a clean plate. They made their salads and after telling the waiter they would be eating together he moved Henry's drink to her booth.

Henry took a fork full of salad and looked over at her and smiled. Her stomach quivered. His smile was something she noticed about him first.

"So do you come here often or is this your first time?" he asked her.

She laughed at his cheesy line. "I have been coming here for years. They have the best pizza for 100 miles. What about you, what brings you here?"

"Well, I was trying to study and my stomach reminded me I had not eaten since breakfast. I usually eat lunch late, but I got distracted today so I forgot," he said with a half smile. He picked up his pizza slice and hoped she would not catch on to his distracted comment.

"Hmm, distracted. You do not strike me as the type to get distracted. What had you so distracted you forgot to eat? Me personally food is a priority and I try never to let things get in the way of that," she stated.

"Well if you must know. A certain beautiful blond has been invading my head. First on my morning run, then at the coffee shop and finally at the library," he told her kind of sheepishly. He didn't want to freak her out telling her he was thinking about her.

She looked up at him, shocked at his words. He had been thinking about her. Wow, she did not expect him to say that and it kinda left her speechless.

He smiled to himself as he watched her reaction to his words. He was really enjoying spending time with her and he secretly hoped this would not be the last time.

She regained control of her emotions, but decided not to comment on what he said. Instead she went back to eating. They ate in silence for a while until it got to be uncomfortable.

He decided he had to know more about this beautiful person sitting across from him. "So you said you had been coming here for years, so I assume you are a local?"

"Yes, I have lived here my whole life," she didn't tell him about being gone from there for boarding school. She wanted to play her cards close to her chest for now. She wasn't comfortable talking about herself to a practical stranger, so decided to deflect it back to him. "So what about you, where are you from?"

He told her about growing up in Pittsburgh and coming to UVA on scholarship and being in ROTC. He regaled her with stories about all the ribbing he took from his ROTC buddies for being a Religious and Ethics Major. He was in his first year of his masters program. He told her of his big family back in Pittsburgh and how he was the first to go to college. He wasn't sure about telling her about his struggles with his Dad, but figured in for a penny in for a pound.

She listened intently as he talked and even asked a question or two in between. She leaned back and laughed a healthy laugh when he talked about the ribbing he received. She was really enjoying herself with a guy for the first time in a long time. Henry made her feel at ease.

"So tell me your story Elizabeth," he said as he placed a gentle hand on her arm.

Just as she was about to speak, the waiter walked up and placed their checks on the table and informed them they were closing.

Henry reached to pick up both checks, but she insisted on paying for her own meal. He was not happy about it, but gave in. They paid and walked out.

Henry held the door for her and they walked out onto the sidewalk. "Did you walk or drive here and can I escort you home, it's kinda late?"

"How about we take a walk and walk off dinner?" she said. She was not opposed to him escorting her home, she just wasn't ready to say goodnight to him.

They walked around the downtown area talking about all kinds of subjects. She had avoided talking about her family and was not ready to tell him about them yet. It had been almost 3 years, but it was still raw for her. She did tell him about being from Charlottesville and her family farm.

They circled downtown 3 times, when Henry noticed the time. "I think we should get you home, it is getting late."

She agreed and they started walking towards campus. She lived in the dorms and he lived in an off campus apartment, but it was located within comfortable walking distance.

They arrived at her dorms and Henry looked down at his feet. He desperately wanted to ask her out on a date, but didn't know how she would respond.

He decided to just go for it. "Elizabeth, I have had a wonderful time tonight. I was wondering if you would let me take you out on a date."

The question caught her off guard and she didn't answer right away.

"Oh god, I am sorry. That was probably inappropriate. Your boyfriend probably would not appreciate me asking you out on a date," he said embarrassed. He turned and left her standing by the door.

Elizabeth thought for a second and then said,"Henry, wait." She walked over to him. "What makes you think I have a boyfriend?"

"A girl as gorgeous as you must be taken," he said.

She blushed and looked down at her feet. "I don't have a boyfriend and I would really like to go out on a date with you. When do you want to go?"

"How about we do this? I will meet you here in the morning and we can run together, instead of away from each other. We can decide on our run when to go on a date."

She really liked that he was trying to put her at ease and quickly agreed. "I will see you in the morning at 6," she said as she walked up the stairs.

Once she was safely inside her dorm, he turned and walked towards his apartment. His heart was light and the smile on his face was very genuine. He thoroughly enjoyed his night with her and he hoped it would be the first of many.

They met up the next morning and after a good stretch set off on their run. He told her he usually ran 10 miles in the morning and 5 in the evenings. This caused her to stutter and nearly trip. He reached out to keep her from falling.

"Ten miles, man you are a machine. Five is my limit and that is a stretch some days. How do you put in that many miles?" she asked.

"Well, I have to stay in shape for ROTC, but I truly love running. I started when I was young and now it helps me clear my mind. When I am having a stressful day it centers me and helps me get back on track," he explained.

She just nodded and they continued on their run. At the 4 mile mark he could tell she was starting to get tired. Her stride was getting shorter and she was struggling. He suggested they walk and cool down for a while.

"So when do you want to go on our date?" he asked.

"I was just thinking about that, how about on Saturday night? I have quite a bit of studying to do this week to get ready for midterms and I don't want to get behind on that if that is okay with you?" she asked.

"That sounds perfect to me, although Saturday is a long way off," he laughed.

She laughed back and they agreed. They were back at her dorm. She needed to shower and get ready for class. "I guess I will see you later, I need to get to class. Bye for now Henry."

He waved bye as he turned and ran away. He needed to finish up his run and get to class himself.

They continued to meet up every morning and run together. Once they finished their run they would go to the diner and get breakfast. Henry would shake his head in wonder as to how she ate so much and stayed so thin. She would often pack away an omelet, a side of bacon, hashbrowns and toast.

"How do you eat like you do and still stay so thin and beautiful?" he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I burn a lot of calories."

He wondered just what that entailed besides her running. The smirk on his face gave him away as did the redness that was creeping over his cheeks.

She smiled her mega smile at him and thought the blushing was adorable. She thought she knew what he was thinking and winked at him. "I sometimes get so caught up and don't eat like I should, so when I do I eat a lot."

He laughed at her antics and decided that each minute he spent with her was more enjoyable. He could not wait to take her on their date Saturday night.