It is funny how random and coincidental life events can be. Or, perhaps things are not as random as they seem; could it be fate at work which leads us to our destiny? It's hard to say for sure, I suppose. Simply because my best friend needed help moving, my life was forever changed. But as I would find out years later, events had taken place years before which made that questionably fateful day a reality.

I was in my mid 30's (36 to be exact) and had made a very good living for myself. I considered myself successful when it came to my career. I wasn't independently wealthy, but I wasn't hurting for money by any means, either. I could buy just about anything I wanted within reason. But where I always seemed to fall short was in personal relationships. There was always just something lacking: either I wasn't into her or she was too into my bank account (which inevitably led me to not being into her). I'd been with plenty of girls, but when it came to real love, I was a bit of a loser.

But then one day, my buddy Stan asked me to help him move. I really didn't want to spend the day packing boxes and hauling furniture around; who does? I offered to pay to have movers do it, but he insisted on moving his things himself. Being the good friend, I agreed to help. He picked me up early on the morning of the move and insisted on buying breakfast. So we stopped at a little 'mom & pop' style diner near his place and grabbed a menu. Stan and I were looking through the menu when our waitress came up to take our order. When I looked up at her, I saw the most beautiful young woman I had ever set eyes upon. She was radiant; an absolute angel on earth. My usually quick mind went numb and I was unable to speak or even keep a coherent thought. What did I want for breakfast? Is it time for breakfast? What is breakfast? Suddenly a sharp pain struck my shin and I was snapped out of it for a moment; Stan had kicked me. I apologized and asked Avery (according to her name tag) what she recommended. She made a recommendation but I was barely aware of what it was, having decided to say yes to whatever she said.

"Sure: that sounds good—I'll have that," I said. She laughed, turned to Stan and asked for his order and his response brought me back to reality.

"I'm sorry: I've actually never seen him like this before," he said before giving his order.

"It's ok; I'm actually flattered," she said to Stan while smiling at me.

Avery's smile was beautiful beyond words and my heart was racing. She went to place our order and I watched as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Stan asked once she was gone.

"What? What did I do?"

"You gawked at her like a horny school boy."

"Oh, come on; I wasn't that bad!"

"Do you have any idea what she suggested you have for breakfast—which you agreed to?" Stan asked me.

"Ummm ... No, not really. Why?"

"She suggested a cold shower for you. I'm surprised she didn't turn the pitcher of water over your head."

"Well, that's a little embarrassing. But did you SEE her?! She is easily the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!"

Stan said, "Yeah, she's very pretty. But you could just about be her father. She's too young for you."

His words were lost on me; I didn't want to hear that. The rational side of me was trying to tell me (based on past experience) that girls her age were only interested in guys my age if they were after money. But my heart had that side on 'mute'. Avery came back out with our drinks and I did my best to collect myself.

"I'm sorry about how I acted before," I said while trying not to fall into that same spell again. "It's just, you are the most amazing girl I've ever seen and I know you must get that all of the time and that it probably sounds creepy coming from an old guy like me when you could get any guy you want and, oh my god I'm rambling. I'm sorry."

Stan just looked at me with a blank expression; I could hear his brain screaming 'WHAT THE FUCK?' at me, but he sat there in silence. Avery smiled and melted my heart.

She said, "Actually, you might be surprised to hear it, but I don't get that a lot."

I was blown away. "How can that be?" I asked.

She said, "And, between me and all of my friends, if any of us are going to be without a date on a Saturday, it will be me—and it usually is."

I said, "I find that impossible to believe." Even Stan agreed with me.

Avery said, "I guess most guys are too intimidated to say anything to me. Or, maybe they figure I'm already with someone; I don't know. I've tried flirting, but I guess they think I'm just trying to be nice. It's like a curse or something."

"If a girl like you has a hard time getting a date, the human race is doomed," I said.

Avery laughed and went to check on our orders. Stan just looked at me as if to say 'what the hell is wrong with you?' I asked him why he was looking at me like that and he just shook his head. I was subconsciously calculating the odds of me getting a date with Avery. I'd dated many girls around her age over the years—even recently. However, the girls her age were typically after money and that was always a deal breaker. But maybe I could make an exception in her case: she might be worth it! I was deep in thought when Stan snapped me out of it.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"What? What did you say?"

"Oh my god; really?" he asked.

I tried to explain that I was thinking about something and he was not a bit surprised. I was asking him to tell me what he was saying, but he just shook his head and said to forget it. Before long, Avery came out with our breakfasts and served us. The food looked good, but all I could smell was the light scent of her perfume. I knew I was going to ask her out before I left the restaurant; I couldn't stop myself if I wanted to. We ate our breakfast and Avery brought the check. Even though Stan had said he was paying, I insisted on picking up the tab; the experience was so good that I wanted to pay for it. When she came to pick up the tab, I had a question for her.

"Rather than stay home and be bored this Saturday, why don't you join me for a nice dinner?" I asked.

"Avery chuckled and said, "I think I'm washing my hair on Saturday," as she put the receipt folder down in front of me.

Stan laughed and I was a little crushed. "Well, I would have never forgiven myself if I didn't ask. I hope you don't hold it against me."

Avery winked at me and told us to have a nice day and to come back soon. Before she was more than a few feet away from the table, Stan said 'I told you'. I just shrugged it off and took out the receipt. I saw that she had circled her name which was printed on it and she wrote her phone number in large, looping numbers at the bottom. Stan didn't notice and I just put it in my pocket.

We left the diner (after I made sure to say 'thank you' and 'good bye' again to Avery) and got to work on getting Stan moved to his new address. While making the move, there was really only one thing we talked about: Avery. To be more precise, we talked about women in general. But for me, the subject of women boiled down to Avery. Stan went through the long list of girls I'd been with over the years and how every single one of them that was at her level of good looks was a gold digger. But his argument was flawed: NONE of those girls were on Avery's level. The one possible exception was a girl (Noreen) that I was with while in college, but that relationship was a completely different story and Stan didn't even know about her. But Stan's point was not without merit. I knew what he was saying had a lot of truth behind it and I knew he was just looking out for my best interests, but there was something unique about Avery; something that made her different from any other girl. I just had a feeling about her that I had never felt before and I couldn't stop thinking about her. With all of Stan's talk, however, I decided to 'play it safe' and not let her know that I had a lot of money.

The next day was a busy one for me. I took the day off of work and began my plan of hiding my financial status. I bought a used car that was in decent shape—something the average guy would be able to afford. Then I rented an apartment. It was a hole in the wall compared to what I was used to, but would do for what I needed. I boxed up a bunch of things from my place to put in the apartment to make it look like I've been living there for a while. And I bought some used furniture from a few people I found on line advertising items on a popular listing site; you can find just about anything you need on short notice from that guy's list ... A few phone calls had my new apartment set up with electricity, water, and cable TV. It looked like I had been there for at least a year and I felt pretty good about the accomplishment. And, if (god forbid) things didn't work out with Avery, I would keep the apartment any way to aid weeding out gold diggers (but I really didn't believe Avery would be like that).

I pulled the receipt with Avery's number on it and was about to call when I decided that it might be better to just go see her in person. So I got in my newly acquired car and drove to where she worked. As it turned out, I got there just as the restaurant was starting to serve dinner. Avery was about to leave when I walked in the door. She was surprised to see me and, even though I was there to see her, I was surprised to see her—mostly I was surprised to see her leaving. We both said 'oh, hey' at the same time.

"I just dropped by to ask you if there is anything you don't or can't eat. I am making reservations for Saturday and I don't want to mess it up by taking somewhere you can't eat."

With a teasing tone she said, "I thought I told you I was washing my hair Saturday..."

"True—you did say that. But I thought if you finished early and needed something else to do, maybe we could go out."

"I see. If we went out, what time would my hair need to be dry by?"

"Do you think it will be dry by 6:00? Because if it isn't dry by that time, I can wait longer."

"I think it will be dry by 5:00, actually. And I need be home by 11:00; I have to work breakfast the next morning so..."

"I said, "Say no more: I promise to have you home on time."

Avery was smiling just as wide as I knew I was and that made me feel really good. She said to text her Saturday and she would send me her address. I said that I would and we parted ways for the night. I went back to my apartment for reasons I didn't fully understand. It just seemed to make sense. I suppose if I was going to make it believable that I had been living there, I should probably be familiar with where all of the light switches are and all of the other miscellaneous oddities of the place. It wouldn't look right if I was trying to figure out how to use the ice maker in the refrigerator or how the shower knobs work.

The rest of the week seemed to pass unusually slowly, but Saturday finally arrived and I was beside myself in anticipation. It took a lot of self control not to text her for her address first thing in the morning; I waited until shortly after noon so that I wouldn't look like a panting dog. I kept the text simple; saying 'I'm looking forward to tonight. Please send your address when you get a moment and I'll see you at 5.' Within just a few moments of sending the text, I had a reply from Avery saying 'can't wait!' followed by her address. I started getting ready for the most anticipated date of my life. I knew that this could be a onetime thing; she could be just going out with me out of curiosity, so I wanted to make it count. I left early enough so that I would be able to find her place by 4:30. I didn't show up at 4:30: rather, I just drove around for a bit until it was nearly 5:00. But I did that just in case there were any problems with finding it, I'd be able to call for better directions than what the internet provided and still be on time.

A few minutes before 5:00 I was parked in front of her house and I knocked on her door. She answered almost immediately. When she opened the door, I was once again stunned by her beauty. She looked amazing when she was just wearing her waitress uniform, but now she was dressed to the nines with her hair done up, makeup, sexy black dress, heels—the works. I was speechless for a few moments and she smiled at my reaction.

"Do I look ok?" she asked.

I said, "No, you do not look 'ok': you look absolutely fantastic! You are the picture of perfection."

She blushed a little and said, "Oh sure: I bet you tell all the girls that line."

I held my hand up and said, "Honestly, I've never told anyone that before."

She said, "Well thank you. And you look quite handsome, too."

I thanked her for being overly generous and asked if she was ready to go. She said she was and we left. Of course, I opened the car door for her and 'helped her in the car'. As we set out, she asked where we were going and I said "Kennedy's" if that is ok. She said she had never heard of it and asked where it was. I told her the street and she just looked at me; still not knowing where it was. I explained that it was in the city and she became really excited.

"We're going to the city? I've never been to the city yet!"

"You got to be kidding me?" I asked genuinely shocked. "How can you live around here and have never been to the city?"

She said, "Well, I haven't been here that long. I just moved. It's a long story, but the short version is I transferred schools and I'm staying with my aunt until I finish."

I said, "Oh, you are going to school: good for you! What is your major; do you have one?"

She paused for a second before saying, "No, not exactly."

Sensing she was embarrassed to not have a major yet, I said, "That's not a big deal; I finished my second year before I chose a major. What year are you?"

She paused again and said, "I'm a sophomore."

"Well, there you go: you have some time yet. Do you have any thoughts on what you might want to choose for your major?" Since she was a sophomore, I now had a better indication of her age: she had to be right around 19 which was perfect.

She said, "I was thinking about being a teacher; math, most likely."

I said, "That is a very noble profession. It's a tough road, but I have so much respect for those that teach. Teaching is a calling..."

This was good news for me, I thought. If she wanted to be a teacher, then she was not a 'money whore'. It is well known that teachers don't make a lot of money and if she is going to college to be a teacher, then I was pretty sure she was not going to be a gold digger. We continued talking during the drive into the city, never hitting a moment of awkward silence. I stopped at the closest parking garage to the restaurant and Avery was shocked at the parking rates.

"Is that for real? They want that much per hour?!"

I hadn't noticed the parking rate in years but agreed with her anyway. "I know; it's ridiculous, huh?"

"Can you afford parking here? Maybe there is a cheaper one nearby?"

"They all charge the same thing for the most part. But it's ok: I have it covered. I might have to turn off the cable TV for a few months, but it will be worth it," I joked.

We walked the short distance to Kennedy's and Avery held my arm as I escorted her. The streets were full of the typical city traffic sounds, but all I noticed was the sound of her heels on the side walk as she strode next to me. And everyone noticed the beauty on my arm; it was a wonderful feeling. We arrived at the restaurant and were seated right away even though there were a dozen people waiting out front. I said it was because we had reservations (which was partly true) but the real reason was because I was known here. I knew everyone here on a first-name basis. However, I had called ahead and told them to act as though they didn't know me from anyone else in the house (while filling them in on the reason why). This was a highly unusual request from me, so they knew there was something special about my guest; and they treated her special! Our meals were served and we continued learning more about one another. The more I learned about Avery, the more I liked her. Her views on life as well as likes/dislikes were so in line with my own that I found it almost impossible to believe. Before we were finished with dinner, we could finish each other's thoughts and we were both laughing comfortably at the instant connection we had made. It was starting to get late and I knew we had to go so she could be home on time. I paid the bill, leaving a large tip (as per my usual) and we made our way back to the car.

The drive back to her place (her aunt's place, actually) was no different from the rest of the night: we continued to talk, laugh, and learn more about each other. I could tell I was falling for her already, but I didn't want to play that hand too strongly for fear of chasing her away. We pulled up in front of her place and I walked her to the front door. I knew if she asked me in, that there was no way I'd be able to say 'no'.

"Thank you for such a wonderful evening. I had a great time," she said.

"I should thank you: this was the best night of my life," I said in all honesty.

Avery moved in closer to me and I knew that she either wanted to just hug or maybe a kiss. I moved in for the hug (being the safer bet of the two options) but she turned her face up to mine and closed her eyes. I knew I would die a happy man because I was about to kiss an angel! I leaned down slightly and gave her a gentle kiss, not sure how long to make it. She kissed me back; her silky lips gliding on mine felt like the most natural thing in the world and I could feel every cell in my body come alive. We kissed for a few moments and time seemed to stand still. She stopped moving her lips and we slowly broke our first kiss. Her eyes were still closed and she was rolling her lips together as if to continue the sensation.

"Wow..." she whispered.

"Yeah, that was amazing," I agreed.

Avery looked at me longingly for a few moments and then said, "I'd invite you in, but..."

"You have to work in the morning," I finished.

She said, "No, it's not that. It's just..."

"This is your aunt's house and you don't want to disrespect her," I finished, understanding her position.

"Yeah ... and she'll be home in a few minutes," she said with a bit of regret.

"Yeah: I understand," I said a little disappointed. "It's more than ok. Can we go out again—soon?"

She nodded her head definitively, "Yes, of course! I'd like that!"

"I'll call you tomorrow then. Is that ok?" I asked.

"You better..." she said.

I promised that I would and gave her one more kiss good-night. The second kiss was just as magical as the first and I knew I was falling for her fast. She went inside and I turned to go back to my car. I stood at my car, looking at the house as lights came on. A light upstairs came on and I could see her through her semi-opaque curtains. She began jumping up and down like she was using an invisible jump-rope and was grinning ear to ear. Then she grabbed a stuffed animal from her bed and began waltzing around the room with it. I smiled and said out loud to myself, "I feel the same way!" Seeing her reaction in the 'privacy' of her own room was almost as good as the kisses we shared because I knew she was feeling the same way about me as I was feeling about her. The drive back to my apartment was quite, yet her sweet voice still filled my ears. Her perfume hung in the car and it was like she was still there with me—arguably she was. I started to plan our next date.

The next morning I called her just as she was about to leave for work. She was thrilled that I called as promised. Truth was: I'd have talked to her all night if she didn't have to go to work. I asked her when we could go out again and she said she was off on Mondays and Tuesdays. I couldn't wait until Tuesday, so I told her I'd pick her up tomorrow after I got off work.

While at work, all I could think about was Avery. The plans for our second date were much simpler. I'd decided that I couldn't go 'overboard' like on the first date or she'd get wise to my lack of financial problems. Avery texted me (knowing I was still at work) and asked what she should be wearing for tonight. I texted back 'very casual' and she sent back a smiley face. I cut out of work a little early and went back to the apartment to change before picking up Avery. She wore a cute tank top and a pair of stretchy yoga shorts with flip-flops. She also was carrying a small backpack that I assumed she was using as a purse. It was clear that Avery would be smoking hot no matter what she was wearing.

"Avery, you look amazing as always." I said.

"Now I know you are just being nice: this is me 'slumming it'."

I shook my head and said, "Then no one pulls off 'slumming' the way you do! Are you ready to go?"

She nodded and said, "Yeah, where are we going?"

I told her that we were going to the state park which was not far from where we lived. From our first date I had learned that she loved the outdoors as much as I did. And since it was an inexpensive thing to do, it seemed perfect. She thought it was a great idea and the weather was perfect for it, too. It was mid afternoon when we got to the park and we set about exploring some of the many nature trails the park had to offer. There weren't a lot of others in the park; perhaps because it was a Monday. We were hiking, chatting, and just enjoying the company. We got to a part of the trail that had a stream flowing across it and she took my hand to help steady herself as she crossed to the other side. When we were safely on the other side, she simply continued holding my hand. It occurred to me that she never NEEDED my hand to cross the stream; she just used it as an excuse to take my hand. I certainly was NOT complaining! We were at least a half mile into the trail when Avery told me something that was a little surprising.

"I feel like I've known you my entire life. I hope that doesn't freak you out," she said.

"That doesn't freak me out at all. In fact, I've wanted to tell you the same thing for a while now."

She said, "I knew there was something about you from the moment I first saw you in the diner—before you even saw me."

"Are you making that up?" I asked.

She just looked up at me and I could see from her expression that she wasn't even exaggerating. I said, "Well, you know what my thoughts were when I first saw you..."

Avery said, "Yeah: you wanted to get in my pants!"

I said, "It wasn't even about that. I just couldn't believe my eyes. I thought 'Angels must be jealous of this beauty'—that's what I was thinking."

Avery wrapped her arms around my arm as we walked, resting her head on my upper arm and shoulder. We reached a patch of grass in the sun and stopped. We seemed to be the only two on the planet; certainly the only two within a mile radius of where we stood. We shared another kiss and that same feeling as before over-took me. Avery and I began to make out and soon we were sitting in the grass and things were getting pretty hot. Her hand had found my crotch and mine found her breasts. She made no attempt to get her hand inside my shorts, so I followed her lead and stayed 'outside' of her top. I figured she probably wouldn't want to go too far in the woods and in 'public'. Grass could have a way of really irritating the skin as any outdoor type person knows. So we just continued to make out there in the sun and it was amazing. The age difference between us was a distant memory; we were completely in tune with each other on every level. We must have made out for an hour before we noticed the sun was starting to go down. And we had a way to hike before we would get back to the car. So we headed back and I was sorry to see this date drawing to a close so soon. But we still had time if she didn't have to be home until 11:00 again.

"What time to you turn into a pumpkin tonight?" I asked making a small joke.

"Tonight—I'm free. I told my aunt I was staying at a friend's place. You don't mind, do you?"

"Are you joking? No; I don't mind!" I couldn't believe my luck! Avery wanted to stay the night with me already! I'd won the lottery!

"I just don't want you to think I'm a slut or something. Seriously—I've never done this before—jumping in with both feet like this. But I feel this overwhelming connection with you. I can't explain it but it feels so ... right. I hope you know what I mean."

I said, "I know precisely what you mean. I feel it too. I feel like we..."

She cut me off and finished my thought saying, "We belong together?"

"Yeah, that's verbatim what I was going to say," I said.

Avery took my hand and we held hands in the car all of the way to my apartment. No sooner did we get inside did she remove her tank top. She had a really cute, lacy bra on but I barely had time to notice it before she slipped her black yoga shorts down to her ankles and stepped out of them. She was wearing a black thong which was mostly sheer. I pulled her to me and we began making out again. Her hands worked at the button and zipper on my shorts and soon my shorts where in a pile with hers. She pushed my t-shirt up and I helped remove it; never seeing where it landed on the floor. I picked her up by her waist and her legs wrapped around me as she put her arms around my neck and we continued kissing. I began carrying her towards the bedroom; one hand was under her incredible ass and the other was working the clasp on her bra. As we crossed the doorway to my bedroom, the clasp came undone. She pulled her bra away from between us and discarded it like it was yesterday's trash. Then I realized I didn't have any condoms.

"Shit," I said. "Do you have a condom?"

She said, "Birth control: don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Knowing that you can still get pregnant on birth control, she understood my question. She said, "Yeah, I'm sure: my period is also just a few days away. We're safe."

That was good enough for me. I went back to kissing her and now every cell of my being was on fire! Nothing in the world existed except for Avery in my arms. I gently set her on the bed and she started to move toward the center. I grabbed the sides of her thong and she wiggled out of them as she moved across the bed. Her pussy was shaved completely clean; not a hair or even stubble to be seen. And her breasts were spectacular! She was a very full 'B' cup; perhaps a 'C' cup. Her nipples were perfectly placed and they were the same color as her lips. My cock was making a tent in my boxers before I pushed them off of me and joined the most beautiful girl in the world who was naked in MY bed and waiting for ME!

Avery's body was perfect. If she had a flaw anywhere, I couldn't find it. My eyes drank in her vision. I hovered over her and we kissed. I slowly lowered myself on top of her and, as I did, her legs opened to get into position. I began kissing my way down her neck to her chest; I played with a nipple in one hand and with my tongue on the other. After a few minutes of flicking and sucking on her nipples, I began kissing her lower; I kissed her very sexy belly button and kept going 'south' until I found the very top of her most private crease. I let the tip of my tongue just barely make contact as it traced the line formed by the lips of her labia. My tongue slowly traced down, circled her vaginal opening and then traced back up; gradually increasing in pressure until it was pushing her lips apart and seeking out her clitoris. I found it trying to hide and played with it mercilessly.

Avery was moaning with pleasure as she rocked her pussy into my mouth. She had an incredibly sweet taste and I loved going down on her. Her juices began to flow from her and I lapped them up slowly and deliberately. Her pussy was just as smooth and clean as a pre-pubescent little girl—not a bit of hair or razor stubble anywhere; she clearly waxed herself. I went down on her for several minutes before making a return trip 'north', paying just as much attention to kissing her body as much as possible on the way back up. By the time I kissed her on the mouth again, her entire body was electrified and writhing in anticipation. I lowered my hips towards hers, my cock went immediately to the entrance to her vagina and I eased forward as her pussy lips spread open and cupped my rigid invader. Avery sighed with passion and moaned sweetly; our eyes locked together. A moment later, I knew just how truthful she had been when she told me she had never jumped in with both feet with a guy before: she was a virgin!

Having been with more than a few girls in my life, both virgins and experienced, I could tell the difference. And, I knew not to call attention to it while knowing to PAY attention at the same time. If I went too fast or too soon, it was going to hurt her and I didn't want that. I concentrated on playing with her breasts and nipples for a while, leaving just the head of my dick inside of her. After a few minutes, she began rocking her hips a little and I could feel her getting even wetter. I put a little more pressure behind my penetration into her and I could feel her hymen straining to keep me out. Avery's nipples were hard and pointing straight up at me. I flicked them with my tongue for a few moments before going back to kissing her. I began giving short strokes in and out of her, running into but not breaking her proof of virginity.