"Yeah, sure," answered Michael. He thought back: there were at least seven other people and they were laughing and someone had made popcorn.
"*I* don't remember!" responded Victoria, disappointed. "It must have been a book club meeting at Brian's house. Well, your house. But it may have been at a poetry reading, or some other English department thing. Wherever you were, it was in the background."
"It was definitely Brian's book club meeting. There were more people than usual," Michael clearly had a better memory. He thought he did. "Oh, uh, I think? Wait, now I'm not sure if there was something before that."
"However we met, it wasn't memorable. Stars didn't cross, and my heart didn't stop... until-" Victoria swallowed her nerves. She was feeling weak and stupid. "Well, I read a poem at an open mic night, and then the next day we crossed paths on campus and you said something like 'Hey, thanks for coming, you were great!'."
"And that's when you fell for me?" asked Michael, not meaning to be arrogant. When he had said she was great, he was only being honest.
"Nope! I just thought 'well, isn't he a nice fellow!'. It made my day, but I wasn't in love. And then I went about my business without a care in the world," she reminisced. "But it was like some small seed had been planted. Sometimes I saw you in passing. Sometimes we'd say hello. Mostly I saw you reading your work, and-" she took a short breath and almost panicked "-and I slowly realized you were brilliant and happy and witty and honest and attractive and it was like someone threw a brick at my face. I just remember you at a poetry reading, standing with your arms wide, everyone applauding, and I thought 'Oh, I have a crush on that guy!'."
"I don't think any of that makes you insane," Michael reassured soothingly. He had never seen her so earnest; she almost seemed hurt. If he could only reach over and hold her, and run his fingers through her hair, because in all honestly it is very difficult to show a person how important she is using words.
"We exchanged maybe a dozen words. I saw you at most once a week, and even then only in passing," stated Victoria candidly. All facts considered, she shouldn't really be infatuated with someone she didn't know.
"*I* don't remember!" responded Victoria, disappointed. "It must have been a book club meeting at Brian's house. Well, your house. But it may have been at a poetry reading, or some other English department thing. Wherever you were, it was in the background."
"It was definitely Brian's book club meeting. There were more people than usual," Michael clearly had a better memory. He thought he did. "Oh, uh, I think? Wait, now I'm not sure if there was something before that."
"However we met, it wasn't memorable. Stars didn't cross, and my heart didn't stop... until-" Victoria swallowed her nerves. She was feeling weak and stupid. "Well, I read a poem at an open mic night, and then the next day we crossed paths on campus and you said something like 'Hey, thanks for coming, you were great!'."
"And that's when you fell for me?" asked Michael, not meaning to be arrogant. When he had said she was great, he was only being honest.
"Nope! I just thought 'well, isn't he a nice fellow!'. It made my day, but I wasn't in love. And then I went about my business without a care in the world," she reminisced. "But it was like some small seed had been planted. Sometimes I saw you in passing. Sometimes we'd say hello. Mostly I saw you reading your work, and-" she took a short breath and almost panicked "-and I slowly realized you were brilliant and happy and witty and honest and attractive and it was like someone threw a brick at my face. I just remember you at a poetry reading, standing with your arms wide, everyone applauding, and I thought 'Oh, I have a crush on that guy!'."
"I don't think any of that makes you insane," Michael reassured soothingly. He had never seen her so earnest; she almost seemed hurt. If he could only reach over and hold her, and run his fingers through her hair, because in all honestly it is very difficult to show a person how important she is using words.
"We exchanged maybe a dozen words. I saw you at most once a week, and even then only in passing," stated Victoria candidly. All facts considered, she shouldn't really be infatuated with someone she didn't know.
