When I first saw her, I thought she was pretty. Not the prettiest though, because I've seen prettier girls, but I still couldn't take my eyes off of her. I saw her every morning when she ordered her usual caramel latte, and she would smile at me in a way that makes my stomach turn.

I didn't even have to ask for her name anymore, because she would always give me the same answer: Melissa. She had long brown hair that curled to her waist. Sometimes she'd clip some back so I can see her chocolate brown irises. Her thin lips were coated in pink lip gloss, and her nails were painted different shades of pink. She would only wear warm colors such as red, orange, and pink, and her shoes would always be light-colored flats. It made me wonder if she owned any black clothes.

"The usual?" I asked one morning.

"Yup!" she chirped.

"You got it!" I wrote down her name on a small cup. "One caramel latte," I said as I handed the cup to a barista.

"Can I get a cake pop too?" she added.

I blinked. She never ordered anything other than a caramel latte before. "Sure," I said as I got one for her. "Is that all?"

"Yeah," she nodded shyly as I handed her the cake pop. "Thanks."

"That'll be $4.25 then," I said as I rung her up. She handed me a five dollar bill so I took out three quarters from the slot. When I gave them to her, she shook her head.

"Keep the change," she said.

"Okay," I pocketed the change, pretending I wasn't flustered. Wait, why am I flustered?

When a barista called out her name, Melissa waved goodbye before retrieving her beverage. My eyes automatically turned to the door, but when she took a seat on one of the tables, I turned to the next customer so she wouldn't see my shock. Doesn't she usually go to class after this?

An hour passed when she continued to stare out the window. It was the end of my shift and I was getting worried for some reason. I walked towards the door, but I stopped in front of it and just stood there. I bumped into a lot of people and apologized to each one.

I kept looking at her direction, but walked around so I wasn't obvious about it. My friend, who was still working his shift, seemed to notice though, and he jerked his head towards her direction. "Go," he mouthed.

I rolled my eyes but considered the idea. It would be nice to ask her what's wrong and show that I care for her well-being, but wouldn't I freak her out? I serve her coffee almost every day, but I don't think that's enough for me to come up to her and ask about her business. What if she thinks I'm a creep and never comes back here?

If I don't ask though, it'll make me look like an inconsiderate person. Would she be mad if I just walked out of here without asking? I heard girl's secretly want attention when they're alone, even if they don't admit it. Is this one of those times?

I sighed. I'm over-thinking this. I should just go home and get ready for class. So what if she's ditching hers? I got classes to worry about too, you know!

My hand held the door handle, but I neither pushed nor pulled. People waited inside and outside for me to open the door, and when a crowd started to form, I opened the door and let the people go. Some people gave me weird looks, but I just nodded like yeah, I totally meant to do this.

Despite everything that just happened, Melissa still kept her face glued to the window. Seriously, what is so interesting out there? All I saw were stores and cars and people walking on the streets. Did she want to go outside? I mean, here's her chance, I'm still holding the door open.

I heard my friend laugh at me from behind the counter. When I glared at him, he jerked his head again. "Just go, dude," he mouthed exasperatedly. "You're staring at her."

Okay, well if it was obvious to him, then it must've been obvious to the other people I've disturbed so I might as well and just go and talk to her. I don't think I'm leaving the café until I do anyway, and all this shenanigans have to lead to something.

So I finally started to walk up to her. I must've been staring at her too, because before I'm even halfway there, she turned to look at me. Well, at least she wasn't staring out the window anymore. This time, she was staring at me standing there like an idiot.

"Hi," she drawled out awkwardly.

"Hi!" I responded too quickly and walked towards the chair across from her. I was about to sit down, but then I thought it'd be too weird so I stood up again. But then I might seem rude if I continued to stand, so I bent to sit down. But then I got second thoughts so I—

"It's okay," Melissa giggled as she gestured to the chair. "You can sit."

"Okay," I exhaled and sat down. I sounded too relieved. What is wrong with me?

"So," Melissa slurred. "Can I help you?"

I coughed and shifted in my seat. "Umm, well," I started. "I noticed that you were here for a while now…" Oh great, now I sound like a stalker.

"Oh gosh," Melissa jumped. "Should I leave?"

"No, no!" I waved both my hands. Great, now I sound desperate. "I just…umm…you…"

"Me?" Melissa raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh," I slumped on my chair. "I don't know what I'm saying either."

Not so surprisingly, Melissa laughed at her chair. It wasn't an insulting though. She sounded like she was amused. "You're cute," she giggled.

I inched back. "I am?" I asked. Stupid maybe, but cute?

"Haha, yeah," she chuckled. "Are you done with your shift?"

"Y-yeah!" I nodded. "I was actually about to go home, get ready for class..."

Her smile fell, and I panicked. "Oh," she said. "Well, I don't want to keep you waiting…"

"No, no!" I said again. "Y-you're not…I'm not late or anything…I was actually—"

And then I stopped myself. Was I seriously going to tell her that I was still here 'cause I wanted to talk to her?

"I-I'll just go," Melissa pointed behind her and stood up. Should I ask if I should walk with her? Nah, I'll probably freak her out. "Do you want to walk with me?"

"Y-yeah!" I stood up way too enthusiastically. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

But she laughed, and I felt a little better as we walked together. My friend smirked as I opened the door for her, and I glared at him before she and I walked out.

"Do you need a ride?" I suddenly asked when we reached the parking lot.

"Oh, no thanks," Melissa shook her head. "I have a car so…"

"Oh okay," I nodded, hoping she really didn't say no because she thought I was gonna kidnap her.

"Well," she smiled sheepishly as she turned towards the right, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure!" I responded. I growled to myself. When she started to walk away, I felt sad for some reason. Before I even know what I was doing, my body jogged to her direction. "Hey, you want to hang out sometime?"

Melissa stopped walking and turned around. "Umm," she blinked. "Sure."

"Okay!" I said, giddy but caring a lot less when she giggled. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Okay!" Melissa laughed as she walked away. "Bye, Josh!"

I froze. How did she know my name? I never told her my name! Then, like a genius, I lifted my hand to feel my name tag.

I slapped my face and groaned. Then I realized what really happened and panicked.

Did I just ask her out?

2: Chapter 02

"Stop it."

But Derek, my supposed best friend, continued laughing anyway. We both just finished class when he asked me what happened with Melissa. It's a good thing the people in the hallway were too absorbed in themselves to see how embarrassed I was. "Dude, you're so awkward!" he slapped me on the back.

"Shut up," I glared at him.

"Well at least you asked her out," Derek chuckled. "Where are you taking her?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "Where do girls want guys to take them?"

"Fancy restaurants, picnics in the parks, the usual clichéd places," Derek answered knowingly. "Why are you even asking that? Is this your first date?"

I turned away. "Pshh, no!" I lied. "I've been with women before…"

"Dude, we've been hanging out since high school and I've never seen you take a girl out," Derek reminded. "You just stared at them and then run away when they talk to you."

"I don't run away," I corrected. "That would look pretty stupid if I did…"

"Yeah, keep saying that," Derek nodded. "It's not like I haven't seen you do it a thousand times."

"Oh whatever!" I waved him off when we reached the parking lot. "At least I don't do it anymore."

"Yeah, I'll give you that," Derek nodded. "What makes this girl different from all the other girls though? I think this is the first time I've seen you talk to a girl without pissing your pants."

I grunted and walked faster when I spotted my car. "I don't know."

"You think she goes to this school?" Derek waited beside the passenger door of my Honda.

"I don't know," I unlocked the doors. "I didn't ask."

"Oh okay," Derek opened the door and hopped inside. "That's something you can ask on your date then."

"I don't even know how I got this date!" I told him as I started the engine. "All I knew is that she looked off and I wanted to do something about it."

"So you asked her out?" Derek strapped on his seat belt.

I sighed. "I don't know, I guess," I looked back as I backed up the car. "Anyone behind us?"

Derek looked back too. "Nope"

"Okay," I sighed when I drove the car out off the slot. "So anyway, I need your help on this."

"You want dating tips?" Derek chuckled.

"Don't mock me," I grunted. "Did I pester you when you asked Rose out?"

"Hey, I knew what I was doing," Derek remarked, "I've dated other girls before so I have experience."

"You think this one's gonna work out?" I asked.

"I don't know," Derek shrugged. "I hope so. I really like her."

"Really?" I drove the car to the main road. "Why?"

"She's cool," Derek answered. "She's really hot, great at dancing, and doesn't give me as much drama as the other girls did."

"Well not now," I remarked. "You two have only been dating for two weeks, and you broke up with your exes after a few months."

"Yeah, but I feel like this one's different," Derek told me, and I raised an eyebrow when I saw how serious he was. "This woman gets me, you know? Like I can do what I want and she won't give me crap about it."

"Two weeks," I reminded him.

"Hey at least I have a relationship," Derek pointed out. "This is the first time you're gonna be with a woman and the date hasn't even happened yet."

"I know, I know," I sighed. "So can you help me out?"

"Yeah, I guess I can give you some pointers," Derek shrugged. "First thing you gotta know is that no matter how boring the conversation is, keep pretending like you're interested."

I gave him a weird look. "What makes you think the conversation's gonna be boring?"

"She's a girl," Derek stated. "She's gonna be talking about stupid stuff like shoes and calories and how some girl might be this or that. You'd think she'd stop after you give her some solutions, but she'll just keep talking and talking and talking!"

"Does Rose do that?" I asked.

"Not always," Derek answered. "Sometimes she'd complain about how some girls might be copying her style in clothes or how another girl probably slept with someone to get in the class 'cause she sucks at dancing. Sometimes when I take her out to dinner, she rants about what food she orders 'cause she doesn't want to get fat. I used to tell her she's fine and it pissed her off even more."

"So what do you do now?" I asked.

"I just nod and go along with it," Derek shrugged. "'A girl in the class was wearing the same top I was wearing!', oh that sucks. 'This move is sooo hard!', yeah it looks tough. 'This food has so much calories!', yeah that is a lot of calories."

"So you lie through your teeth?" I asked.

"Yeah, kinda," Derek admitted. "My mom tells me that girls rant to cope with their problems. It doesn't really solve the problem they're having, but it makes them feel better when you listen to them complain about it. It's kinda like how we solve our problems, but instead of quietly figuring out the solution, girls talk on and on until the problem isn't a problem anymore."

"So let me get this straight," I coughed. "If Melissa tells me her problems, it's the feelings that are bothering her, not the actual problem."

"I guess you can say that," Derek nodded. "Ranting doesn't make that other girl wear another top, but it makes Rose feel better about it."

"That's crazy," I sighed. "Wait, you asked your mom for advice?"

"I didn't really ask," Derek pointed out. "She told me this in my last breakup. I told her I got tired of Gwen constantly complaining for no reason, no matter how many times I tried to help her, and my mom just laughed and said girls don't want someone to fix their problems; they want someone to listen to them. All that crap about clothes and food won't bother them as much when they know you're there for them."

"She seems like a smart woman," I nodded.

"Who, Gwen or my mom?" Derek asked.

"Your mom," I rolled my eyes.

"She must be if my dad loves her so much," Derek told me. "You've seen those two before--in their 50s and they still snuggle like teenagers."

"It's gross, but it's sweet," I chuckled. "It beats dying alone."

"It also beats giving up on women 'cause they're crazy," Derek laughed. "I told this to Rose and she said we're not that different. She thinks I'm kinda stupid too."

"Don't they all?" I asked. "You know, now that I think about it, men say women are crazy and women say men are stupid, yet they still fall for each other."

"Yeah, and then breakup later," Derek collaborated. "You know, honestly, when my mom told me about why women rant and what to do when they rant, I don't think women are crazy anymore."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, they're not crazy," Derek said. "We just don't get them. And since our logic is stupid to them, I don't think they get us either."

"I guess that makes sense," I nodded. "If we don't have the same private parts, I'm pretty sure we don't have the same thinking processes either."

"Maybe that's why we're so attracted to them," Derek guessed. "They're a mystery, but once you figure them out, the relationship works out. It's like a video game--you get hooked because the rewards get better after you get better at it."

"Speaking of video games, are you buying the new Pokémon game?" I asked.

"Yeah," Derek scoffed. "I don't care if I'm in college, I'm still a proud Pokéfan."

I tapped the steering wheel repeatedly with my finger. We're supposed to be studying for this Friday's test but, "You want to go to Gamestop?"

"Yeah," Derek nodded. "It's fine, we'll study later."

"Okay then," I switched on the left turn sign.

"Alright, well now that we've got the conversation part, let's go on with what to wear," Derek started. "We'll go to Calvin Klein later to buy you better clothes. You look like a dork."