Thank the lord, we're on the ground again. Flying is one of my least favorite things in the world. I hate the feeling of ascending and descending, I hate that weird airplane smell, and I HATE sitting next to strangers who might touch my arm on the shared armrest. At least I had a window seat, so only one side of me is accessible to middle seat guy, who kept trying to draw me into conversation. The whole time. Even though I was clearly reading. Ugh.

And more stranger anxiety awaited because an old family friend's son was picking me up at the airport. I hadn't seen him since I was about 7 and he was in high school, but he was the only person in DC my parents knew well enough to escort me to campus. Hopefully we'd recognize each other.

After waiting for seemingly everyone else on the plane to get their gear from the luggage compartments, I was approached the arrival gate area, looking for anybody who might be looking for me. Then I saw him.

Craning his neck to see through the passenger herd, he smiled and waved when he caught my eye. He was, in a word, gorgeous. I would not have recognized him, that's for sure. Tall and broad-shouldered in a fitted navy suit with wavy brown hair and tan skin, he reached out for my arm and extracted me from the tide of travelers headed to baggage claim. "Hi, Bella? I'm Emmett, didn't know if you'd remember me. It's been a long time, I'd say."

"Yes, definitely! Thanks for doing this, I wasn't sure we would recognize each other," I said with a smile as he transferred my carry-on to his shoulder.

"Well, I had the same concern, but your folks sent me a photo. You're, uh, even prettier in person. Definitely not a kid anymore," he grinned as we turned to start walking.

I tried to stop the flow of blood to my cheeks. Wow, is he flirting, and is this ok? He's in his early 30s, if I'm doing my math correctly. I'm a month shy of my 18th birthday. This is weird, right? I decided to ignore it and assume he's just being nice.

"So, I hope this wasn't a big imposition to drive out here," I said. "I have no idea where anything is in the city, I just have the address of my dorm!"

"No big deal, it's my lunch hour, and we're a lot slower on Fridays at the firm," he said. "So this program at GW is pretty exciting. Sounds like a great honor that you were selected, and if you're interested in law, it'd be a great school to look into when you start your applications. That's if you're planning on getting out of Florida for school."

"Yes, I was lucky to get in. My grades aren't tops, but I think they liked my extra-curriculars, and I'm checking it out for undergrad," I answered. "I think I'd like to go out of state, and look into college in a big city. And for sure, law is one of the careers I want to investigate."

"Well, that's my field, so if you have any questions, or want to come by the office to see some real life attorney digs, I'm your man," he said with a wink. "I could take you out to dinner after an office tour one night. I know some fabulous little places. Do you like Italian? Sushi?"

Now it seemed clear he was flirting, and I was feeling nervous. I'd had boyfriends, and I got plenty of looks from men whenever I went out with my friends, but I was by no means prepared for this. I felt around for the bottle of water in my purse, uncapped it, and took a swallow to consider my response. He was so handsome, but, come on, technically I'm not legal. I know his family, but not him. But, I'm about to get into a car with him and he's going to help me get my stuff into my dorm. I need to play this safe.

"That's really sweet of you, and maybe I'll take you up on that once I get settled," I said with a smile.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," he said, then walked ahead of me to clear the path toward the baggage.

I exhaled the breath I had been holding, and followed him.