Chapter 1

48... 49... 50 ... I pant as I set my weights down and walk towards the only free treadmill for the cardio portion of my workout. I set the treadmill, put in my earbuds and start running. Wait, is the girl beside me trying to talk to me? Or is she on the phone? I casually pull out an earbud and turn my head to her. “Oh, sorry!” she says while panting, “I didn’t see your earbuds, they were under your headband.” “Hey, no big deal” I reply. “I just moved into town and I figured going to the gym would be a good way to meet new people. I’m Cassandra” she said enthusiastically. “I’m Samantha, it’s nice to meet you” I say. “Maybe we could go for coffee sometime? Get to know each other? You seem fun!” Cassandra exclaimed zealously.

Two days later I agree to meet her for coffee. I’m not sure if she meant to go for coffee as friends or as a date but she was very eager when I agreed. Either way, she seems like a nice person so why not give it a shot?

I have only ever dated guys in the past. Dating a girl didn’t even cross my mind until I ended my last relationship with Dylan. He was a great guy, but I just didn’t feel that spark you’re supposed to feel when you’re in a relationship. He was more like a friend to me than a lover, but he fancied me, so I agreed to date him for a bit. I broke up with him after two months because I just didn’t feel anything for him. I tried dating a few guys after him but never felt any attraction towards any of them. So, I gave up dating for a while to figure myself out. Maybe this is my chance to find who I am.

We are going to my favourite coffee shop in Oakland, The Roasted Coffee Bean Co. They make coffee the way it should be. No fancy toppings, not a lot of sugar, just simple coffee. The best part about the coffee shop is that they have an authentic Italian coffee maker, so all their coffees are rich and flavourful.

I step inside the shop and there she is, looking very nice in a pink floral dress. I sit down and we order. Cassandra orders a small caramel latte and I order a plain simple black coffee. As soon as I order my coffee, Cassandra asks me why I don’t order something else, maybe something a little more exciting like a latte. I contemplate it for a second but decide to stick to my usual order.

While we sip our coffee we talk, I notice Cassandra stuttering a lot, as if she were nervous. I ask her if everything is okay and she replies with “yeah yeah everything’s fine” in a nervous manner. She then gets up and walks briskly to the bathroom.

It’s been 10 minutes and she’s still not back. I’m gonna go see if she’s okay. I walk into the restroom and there she is, standing at the sink, her face soaked. “I’m so sorry Samantha, whenever I spend time with a girl I find attractive I get all jittery and flighty” she tells me before I even say anything, “so I like to splash my face with cold water to calm me down.” I pull a tissue out of my purse and wipe her face dry. She hugs me and I decide to reciprocate. After a moment she pulls back and we stare in each others eyes; hers are a caramel brown. Her lips are also lightly covered in a pink lipstick; she really put effort into her outfit today.