John & Katie

Finally, John

KATIE.

“They’re brown.”

I tilted my head, a puzzled smile touching my lips.

“Your eyes,” he said, holding my gaze a moment longer than necessary. A slow smile spread across his face. “They’re brown, I have been wondering about the color of your eyes.”

A warm blush crept into my cheeks. I looked down, suddenly fascinated by the ground beneath my feet, trying to ignore the way my heart had begun to race.

When I glanced back up, he was still smiling.

“I’m John, by the way.”

“Katie.”

“It’s really nice to finally meet you, Katie.”

His voice was warm, almost effortless. The sound of my name in his voice sent an unexpected flutter through my chest.

“You too,” I replied, unable to hide my smile.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. We simply stood there, caught in the kind of silence that didn’t feel awkward.

“We’ve been waving at each other for months, and I’ve been trying to figure out when I’d finally get the chance to talk to you.” John slipped one hand into his pocket as a sheepish smile tugged at his lips. “I’m glad today turned out to be the day.”

“I know this is going to sound forward...”

I raised an eyebrow, waiting.

“...but I’d probably regret walking away if I didn’t ask.”

My curiosity grew.

“Can I have your number?”

I simply stared at him, my heart fluttering wildly in my chest. His question lingered between us, but my mind refused to form a response.

“Katie?” he said, a hint of concern slipping into his voice. “You okay?”

His voice snapped me back to reality.

“Yes... yes,” I stammered, laughing nervously at myself. “You can have my number.”

His smile widened as he unlocked his phone and handed it to me. I typed in my number before passing it back.

“I have to get back to work,” John said, slipping his phone into his pocket. “But I’ll call you later.”

“Okay,” I answered, unable to hide my smile.

John smiled before saying, “I get off work at six, so I’ll call you when I get home.”

I nodded, trying to appear calm, then turned and walked away.

The truth was, I felt like I was floating on air.

After crossing the street, I couldn’t resist looking back. John was still standing there, watching me. When our eyes met, I smiled and gave him a small wave before continuing toward the subway station.

My heart was soaring.

It finally happened.

I had spoken to him.

I repeated his name silently to myself over and over, savoring the way it rolled off my tongue.

John......John.....

And now... He has my phone number.

The realization made me grin from ear to ear.

I couldn’t keep this to myself. The girls had been listening to me talk about my handsome doorman for months. They deserved to hear the news, and Susan was the first person I wanted to tell.

I waited until I got home since the subway service was always spotty.

The moment I walked through my apartment door, I grabbed my phone and sent Susan a text.

Katie:Call me when you can. You won’t believe what just happened!

A few minutes later, my phone rang.

I answered immediately.

“Wait... what?” Susan blurted out. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“No,” I laughed. “I texted you earlier to let you know I left work early. Didn’t you see it?”

“Sorry,” she said. “I’ve been caught up with the baby. She’s finally asleep, and I’m grabbing a bite to eat. Now stop stalling and tell me everything.”

I smiled and leaned back on my bed.

“Well... there’s not much to tell,” I began, though I knew that wasn’t entirely true. I walked her through everything—from the moment I saw him outside the building to our conversation, he asked for my numbers, and the way he stood there watching me as I walked away.

“I just had to tell someone,” I admitted. “I’ve spent months hoping I’d finally get the chance to talk to him, and today it actually happened. Meeting him completely made my day.”

Susan laughed, the excitement in her voice matching my own.

“I can’t believe it! After all this time, you two finally had your moment.”

She paused before asking, “How long has it been since you first noticed him?”

“Five months,” I answered.

There was a brief silence.

“Wow,” Susan breathed. “Five months.”

Then she laughed.

“I need you to call me the second you get off the phone with him tonight.”

I smiled.

“Yes, ma’am.”

At exactly eight o’clock that evening, my phone buzzed with a text that read.

John:Hey, it’s John. Can you talk?

A smile spread across my face before I could stop it.

Me:I sure can.

Almost instantly, my phone rang.

I stared at the screen, my pulse racing.

Don’t answer on the first ring,I told myself.You don’t want to seem too eager.

When it rang a second time, I finally picked up.

“Hello.”

“Hey.”

His voice was even deeper over the phone—a rich, gravelly sound that wrapped around me like velvet, sending an unexpected shiver down my spine.

“How are you?”

“I’m good,” I replied, trying—and failing—to hide the smile in my voice. “How are you?”

“I’m better now.”

The words were simple, but my cheeks warmed anyway.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he laughed softly.

“I’ve been looking forward to calling you all day.”

“You have?”

“Yeah.” He let out another laugh. “The funny thing is... I waited so long to talk to you that now I can’t remember what I wanted to say.”

I burst into laughter.

A second later, he joined in.

“That’s your opening line?” I teased.

“I know,” he groaned dramatically. “Not exactly smooth.”

“No,” I said between laughs. “But I have to admit... it worked.”

“It did?”

“It made me laugh.”

“I’ll take that as a win.”

“It is.”

Another comfortable silence settled between us—not awkward, just... easy.

“So...” he said. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You have an accent.”

“I do?”

“Oh, you definitely do.”

I smiled.

“Where are you from?”

“I’m from the beautiful island of St. Lucia.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone from St. Lucia.”

“Well,” I teased, “now you have.”

He chuckled.

“Fair point. What’s it like?”

I leaned back against my pillow, instantly picturing home.

“It’s beautiful. The weather is warm all year, the beaches look like postcards, and you can hear the ocean almost everywhere you go. Life moves a little slower there.”

“It sounds incredible.”

“It really is.”

There was a softness in my voice I couldn’t hide.

“No matter where life takes me, St. Lucia will always have a piece of my heart.”

He was quiet for a moment.

“I’d love to see it someday.”

“You should.”

“Only if you’re willing to be my tour guide.”

I laughed.

“That’s a bold request.”

“I figured I’d ask.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll consider that progress.”

I smiled to myself.

“So what made you leave paradise for New York?”

I laughed quietly.

“You’ll probably think this is silly.”

“I doubt it.”

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’d watch movies and television shows set in New York. I dreamed about the skyscrapers, the lights, the people... everything. I wanted to experience it for myself. So one day, I packed my bags and came.”

“You know what?”

“What?”

“I don’t think that’s silly at all.”

“No?”

“No.” His voice became gentler. “Most people spend their lives talking about their dreams. You actually had the courage to chase yours.”

His words settled somewhere deep inside me.

No one had ever looked at it that way.

“Thank you.”

“So...” he continued, “how long have you been here?”

“Almost a year.”

“And how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-one.”

“Do you live alone?”

“I do.”

There was a tiny pause before he asked his next question.

“So... are you seeing anyone?”

A smile tugged at my lips.

“No.”

Silence.

Then I heard him quietly exhale.

I laughed.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“John...”

He groaned.

“You heard that?”

“I definitely heard that.”

He laughed, sounding almost embarrassed.

“I was just... relieved.”

“Relieved?”

“I wasn’t looking forward to hearing some guy answer your phone one day.”

I couldn’t stop smiling.

“So you’ve been thinking about that?”

“More than I’d like to admit.”

Before I realized it, we were both laughing again.

When the laughter faded, I said, “Now that you’ve interrogated me, I think it’s my turn.”

“Interrogated?”

“You asked all the questions.”

He laughed.

“Fair enough. Ask me anything.”

“Were you born in New York?”

“Born and raised in Brooklyn.”

“Nice.”

“It’s loud, chaotic, and sometimes crazy... but it’s home.”

“How long have you been at your job?”

“Five years. Started right after high school.”

“Do you live alone?”

“No.”

He chuckled.

“I share an apartment with my best friend, Alec.”

“How long have you two been friends?”

“Since middle school.”

“So he’s basically family.”

“Exactly.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-four.”

I hesitated before asking the question I was really curious about.

“So...”

“So?” he echoed.

“I’m guessing you’re not seeing anyone?”

He laughed.

“Nope.”

“No girlfriend?”

“No.”

“No secret fiancée hiding somewhere?”

He laughed harder.

“I promise.”

“So you’re really single?”

“I’m free, single, and completely unattached.”

“I see.”

“I have a feeling that’s the answer you were hoping for.”

“Maybe.”

He laughed again.

“I’ll take ‘maybe.’”

The conversation drifted effortlessly from one subject to another. We talked about our favorite foods, music, childhood memories, and all the little things that somehow felt important when you were getting to know someone you genuinely liked.

Time slipped away without either of us noticing.

Eventually, John cleared his throat.

“I’d really like to take you out this weekend.”

My heart skipped.

“You would?”

“I would.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking dinner... and maybe a movie afterward.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

“I guess you’ll have to impress me.”

“Oh?” he teased.

“I have very high standards.”

“I noticed.”

I laughed.

“Don’t worry,” he said confidently. “I’ll make sure it’s a date worth remembering.”

Butterflies erupted in my stomach.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Neither of us hung up.

For several seconds, all we did was breathe into the silence.

Finally, he laughed softly.

“I guess one of us has to end the call.”

“I guess so.”

“Goodnight, Katie.”

“Goodnight, John.”

After the line went dead, I stared at my phone with the biggest smile on my face.

Somehow, a conversation that had started with forgotten words had ended with butterflies I couldn’t explain.

Then I flopped backward onto the cushions, kicked my feet into the air, and laughed to myself.

I couldn’t believe it.

John was single.

He had asked me out.

And judging by the way he talked to me, he genuinely seemed interested.

A smile refused to leave my face.

I wonder if he’ll text me tomorrow while I’m at work.

After months of exchanging stolen glances and wondering if he even knew I existed, I finally had a date with the handsome doorman who had occupied my thoughts for so long.

There was only one person I needed to tell.

I quickly saved John’s number before calling Susan.

She answered before the first ring had fully ended.

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “What’s the scoop?”

“We talked for over an hour.”

Susan gasped.

“Wow! I’ve never been on the phone with anyone for that long. The conversation must have been really good.”

I smiled, unable to stop replaying every moment in my mind.

“It was. Honestly, I didn’t want to hang up, but we both had to get ready for tomorrow.”

“So... is he taking you out?”

“Yes!” I practically squealed. “This weekend. He wants to take me to dinner and a movie.”

Susan laughed.

“Look at you! You’ve been smiling this whole time, I can practically hear it in your voice.”

“I know.”

“You’ve already started planning your outfit, haven’t you?”

I laughed.

“Maybe.”

After we said our goodbyes, I ended the call and let my phone fall onto the sofa beside me.

My thoughts immediately drifted to our date.

What should I wear? I need to go shopping.

I closed my eyes and pictured seeing John in the morning.

Just the thought of him made my heart race.

Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

I rolled onto my side, still smiling to myself.

Then, without warning, another face flashed through my mind.

Steven.

My smile slowly faded.