Everybody knows that snow is white and everyone knows that it's cold. For some, snow can be the cause of some great memories. For others, not as much. Little did I ever expect to live through a snowy night during my first semester away from home. Sitting in my dorm, my eyes looked out the foggy window when I should've been studying. Cold smoke came out of my mouth whenever I took a breath. And at that moment, I was thankful that I wasn't driving.
"It's quite a storm out there," announced my roommate. "You down to get hot chocolate at the student union?"
"Yeah sure, I'm down. If I bomb finals, I bomb finals."
He chuckled and we both left the dorm only to realize we needed to hurry our way to the union. Neither of us had any winter clothes. The only thing I had brought with me was a heavy jacket. All my winter clothes were at home. Guess I would have to pick them up when I returned from the break.
With the unexpected snow that night, it seemed like everyone was in the heated student union trying to catch a break. With my roommate in the bathroom, I ordered both of us a hot chocolate only to find out they were out. The only drinks that were available were coffee, a couple of energy drinks, and free water. With a loud sigh, I decided that I wanted water in a large cup.
"Sure you don't want coffee? You're looking tired," commented the cashier.
"Coffee tastes like crap. Just water please."
Wow, how do I survive finals week? The answer is simply water. Drink enough water and you won't be tired. You can also lose a lot of weight with water. As soon as I had my water, I checked my phone to see if my roommate was already sitting down. Apparently he got caught in a snowball fight. Maybe there was someone else in the union that I knew who I could sit with. Things took an interesting turn when I noticed Sara. Unlike that time in high school last year, she was sitting by herself reading a newspaper. My mind grew lost in thought
It was finally time for lunch and as usual, I met up with a couple of my friends and got in line. As always, we all got pizza and chips. The cafeteria never had any water bottles left and a trip to the water fountain with an empty water bottle was always necessary. My two buddies did their thing and saved a table. On my way to the water fountain, my eyes caught notice of Sara. About fifteen other girls were sitting with her laughing and joking around. Everything about her was vibrant. Her eyes, her smile, her hair. All I wanted to do was walk up and say hello, but today was not that day.
Nobody was sitting with her. It only seemed fair that I should walk up to her ignoring the fact that my heart was beating a little faster. For a moment I almost stopped myself thinking that she must have a boyfriend. No, she was too perfect to have a boyfriend. With all the overthinking that I was doing, my consciousness wasn't aware that I had pulled up a seat and was already sitting next to her.
"Hi Jimmy," she began speaking with a smile putting her newspaper down. "How are you doing?"
Oh, I'm great. I haven't seen you in such a long time."
She found herself laughing. "True. How long has it been? Since graduation in May?"
With a small chuckle, I quickly noticed that Sara was wearing five watches. Two of those watches were on her left arm, with three watches being on her right arm. And surprisingly, each watch was unique from each other. Each one looked like it actually cost money and I had to ask.
"What's with the watches?" I asked. Couldn't you use your phone to tell the time?"
She grinned. "I don't know. Guess I kind of like it that way. Might be a little weird, but who isn't?"
"No, I actually do something just as crazy." I took a drink of my water. "I'm actually wearing three rings on my right hand."
Lifting up my right hand, I showed her where each ring laid. Two were plastic rings from a cereal box while the third was a legit marriage ring.
"Interesting," she commented while touching the real gold ring. "You forget to get married or something?" We both found ourselves laughing."
"No, I'm not married. I don't know, I guess it's something I like to do. Long story. Can I interest you in a drink?"
Her vision pointed towards the counter where drinks were being sold. "Well, I'm pretty sure they're still out of Vitamin Water." Her eyes looked at my water. "I'm good." She smiled again. "You got something against coffee?"
I took another sip of my water. "Not really a fan of coffee. I always just stick to water."
She couldn't help but laugh again with a large smile. "How on Earth are you going to make it through finals Jimmy?" She placed a hand on my arm which sent a million shockwaves through my brain.
"I'll make it. I find that really ice-cold water in freezing weather really wakes up a man."
"Is that right? Maybe I should just stop putting sugar cubes in my Vitamin Water before I get diabetes."
We both laughed once more and continued talking for the next couple of hours. We mostly discussed stupid stuff and made a million dumb jokes. Half the things that I discussed with her would've scared away my roommate, but this girl was chill and down to Earth. I was every bit grateful that my roommate decided to go play in the snow. How would've I met Sara if he hadn't? With midnight approaching, Sara began growing tired and was ready for bed. And after a long day, I was also ready to get sleep. Tomorrow would be another day of studying. We would both be busy and would likely forget about this moment over the break. I couldn't let that happen.
"You on Facebook?" I asked in a bold move.
And with her quickness, she took my phone and typed in her number.
"Text me sometime." She smiled and walked away. About an hour later, she added me on Facebook and Instagram.
There you have it! The first chapter! Get wonderful for quite a love story. Remember to comment, vote, and share.
What do you think of Sara?
This chapter is dedicated to @A-BrooklynTM for being the first one to get this story in her reading list. Her excitement is encouraging.