Blaire and Sam

Blaire and Sam met in a dancing class. They were both regulars. Every Wednesday night at 7pm they would arrive in the same room hoping to dance with each other. It didn't happen every class but still often enough to keep them coming back. Sam was 26 years old at the time and was still shy with women. It took him forever to tell a girl he was interested. Blaire was effortlessly beautiful and naturally had many suitors. She kept going out with fuck boy banker types but never really liked any of them. Bad people who were just as selfish in bed as they were outside it. She liked Sam though. He was tall and a really good dancer, which obviously made him a whole lot more attractive. She wasn't used to making the first move however, so all she could do was drop hints. Sam was oblivious to these hints. He was so in his own head that he regularly missed what was right in front of him.

One day in class everyone went around the room and shared one thing that was new in their lives. Blaire mentioned that she had just gotten a job at the brand new Samsung store in Meatpacking. She said they were doing some pretty sweet promotions and had some really cool VR rides. Anyone who was interested should check it out. Sam surprisingly took the non-hint as a hint and decided to pay the store a visit. He worked in the area so he went one day on his lunch break. There she was, dressed in the Samsung blue and black uniform. Her beautiful black hair was down, which was different than how she usually wore it in class.

"Hey Blaire!" he said as if he was surprised to see her there.

"Sam?! What are you doing here?" she was genuinely surprised.

"You mentioned the new store in class, I wanted to check it out."

Sam was the king of never saying anything that mattered until you actually got to know him. Blaire was excited though. She was happy that Sam heard her and decided to pay the store a visit.

"Enjoy the store, the VR rollercoaster is my favorite," she continued.

"Will you go with me?" he asked. This was his big move.

"I have to work Sam." Sam felt like a doofus. As he should. But hey, at least he tried something.

"Oh yeah. Haha I guess I'll go check it out now," said Sam trying to brush it off.

"Okay, have fun! I'll see you around." She was a bit disappointed but, hey, he might ask her out on the way out.

He didn't. Sam walked around the store for 15 minutes, went on all the rides and did all the things but never did he once walk up to Blaire to ask her out. Instead, on his way out, he looked at Blaire and waved.

"See you in dance class!" said Blaire with a wave.

"Yeah! See you!" he replied half heartedly. How disappointing. Classic Sam.

The next day Sam had had enough. He was sitting at his desk at work but he couldn't think about anything but Blaire. He was tired of always being the coward. He instantly pulled out his phone and decided to message Blaire on Facebook. They were Facebook friends. Honestly, as far as moves go, messaging a girl online is better than nothing but no one would mistake it for brave or bold. He sent the following message:

"Hey Blaire, it was really nice to see you yesterday. Would you want to hang out sometime?"

Message sent. Honestly, Sam felt like an idiot. Who writes a message like that? Idiot. Five minutes later Blaire responded.

"Sure!"

Sam felt like a genius. After a little more messaging they were on for Saturday night.

It was fall in New York and Sam had the ingenious thought that coffee and a sunset walk through Central Park would be a great first date. Now this is an all around terrible idea for a first date. Central Park is huge and it can often get too intimate too quickly. Plus there is no alcohol to break the ice. Blaire obviously knew all of this but she obliged none the less. She must have really liked him. They met at Columbus Circle. Blaire looked too good to be with Sam. She was wearing a black dress with black leggings, black boots, and a black leather jacket. She barely wore any makeup and could still stop traffic. Sam wore a blue shirt and his nicest pair of pants. And some sweet Nikes. He got a haircut just for the date.

"Nice haircut!" were the first words Blaire said.

"Thanks, you look beautiful," replied Sam. Regular Casanova over here.

And they were off. They got their coffees and started their walk. The first 30 minutes of the date was just them walking through the park getting through the basics. She grew up in Virginia. He grew up in NYC. She moved to city to become a writer. He was in marketing but didn't really love it. He also didn't know what else to do. She was into martial arts. He was really into sneakers. She had recently stopped speaking to her parents because they were too judgmental. He still lived with his parents because they had a sweet apartment in Manhattan. In short, they learned the facts about each other. Not only where each has been but also where they are in their lives right now. They bonded over the tragic state of modern dating.

"How come it took you so long to ask me out?" asked Blaire.

"I was scared you'd say no," replied Sam.

"Why would I say no?"

"I don't know, a million reasons."

"Well you should have let me say no then."

"Huh?"

"You should have let me say no, at least I would have known you were interested."

"Blaire, the whole world is interested." Blaire couldn't help but laugh.

They grew closer and closer as the date went on. Sunset had turned into night and now they were sitting on a park bench in front of a piano player.

"Hey you guys are a beautiful couple, you want to do something cool?" asked the piano player.

"What do we have to do?" asked Blaire in return.

"You guys want to lay out under the piano? I'll lay down a bed sheet and some pillows. You'll hear music like you've never heard it before," said the piano player. Sam and Blaire looked at each other and smiled.

"You want to?" asked Sam.

"Yes," replied Blaire.

Soon they were laying under the piano. The piano player put another bed sheet over the piano so no light could get in. Then the music started. Blaire was in a state of pure bliss. She was not prepared for such romance. Sam was in a state of pure shock. Not only was this awesome girl totally into him but he was lying next to her! Boy was he out of his depth. For the next five minutes nothing happened in the literal sense but a lot happened in the hearts and minds of Sam and Blaire. Often times you don't really know the exact moment you fall for someone. But for Blaire and Sam, it was clear, this was that moment. The exact moment both of them knew how into each other they really were.

After the song was done they tipped the piano player and continued their walk.

"That was awesome," said Blaire.

"Yeah it was," replied Sam.

He wanted to kiss her right then and there. Actually he wanted to kiss her the second he saw her in that black dress. But in classic Sam fashion his thoughts often stayed as thoughts and never materialized into action. A few minutes later they were sitting in front of another park musician, a saxophone player this time. They were sitting there listening to the music when an older man with a beard made eye contact with Sam. Blaire was too busy listening to the music so she didn't see the older man. The man tilted his head to side and mouthed, "Go for it!" to Sam. The whole world knew Sam should kiss Blaire. Including Blaire, Sam, the saxophonist, and obviously this strange older man with a beard. Sam dropped eye contact with the man, pretending that the entire interaction never happened.

Eventually they made their way out of the east side of the park and were standing in front of Blaire's subway. She lived downtown, he lived uptown. Blaire looked into Sam's eyes. Sam didn't want the date to end.

"Can I kiss you?" he blurted out of nowhere.

"Yes!"

And then they kissed. Now there are kisses and then there are KISSES. This was one of the later. An all encompassing kiss that can only be described as the first sip of water after being thirsty for hours. A kiss that feels like a breath of fresh air. Lips, tongue, hugging , touching, pulling, squeezing. A kiss for the ages. A moment so special and pure that neither Sam or Blaire wanted it to end.

And, just like that, two souls had met for the very first time.