John & Katie

A Perfect Weekend

JOHN

I checked the time again.

Not because I was late.

Because I couldn’t believe how quickly the evening had arrived.

For months, I’d looked for the right opportunity just to speak to her. When that chance finally came, it had taken every ounce of courage I had to ask her out.

And now that day had finally come.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and adjusted the collar of my shirt for what had to be the tenth time.

“You’re going to wrinkle that thing before you even leave,” Alec said from the doorway.

I turned to find him leaning against the frame, arms crossed, wearing the same amused expression he always had when he was about to give me a hard time.

“I’m not nervous,” I said.

Alec raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve changed your shirt twice.”

“I changed it because the first one wasn’t right.”

“Sure.”

He pushed away from the doorway and walked into the room.

“You know, staring at your phone isn’t going to make the time pass faster.”

I glanced down and realized I was holding it again.

I quickly slipped it into my pocket.

“I’m just making sure I don’t miss a text from her.”

Alec laughed.

“That’s exactly what someone who is nervous would say.”

I shook my head, but I couldn’t stop the smile forming.

Maybe he was right.

I was nervous.

Alec gave my shoulder a small pat.

“You’re going to be fine.”

I looked at him.

“How do you know?”

“Because for once, you’re not trying too hard.”

I laughed.

“That’s your advice?”

“Considering who I’m talking to... yeah.”

He nodded seriously.

“Don’t overthink it. Just be yourself.”

I smiled.

Coming from Alec, that was probably the best advice I was going to get.

I arrived at the meeting spot before Katie.

I told myself it was because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t late.

The truth was, I didn’t want her waiting for me.

The station was busy, people moving around me in every direction, but I barely noticed any of them.

My attention stayed fixed on the stairs.

Waiting.

Watching.

Hoping.

Then I saw her.

For a moment, everything I had planned to say disappeared.

Katie walked toward me with a smile on her face, and I forgot every sentence I had rehearsed in my head.

She looked beautiful.

“Wow...” The word escaped before I could stop it.

Her cheeks immediately turned pink, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“You look absolutely stunning.”

The smile she tried to hide only made me want to say it again.

Katie had no idea how long I had imagined this moment.

Seeing her standing there wasn’t anything like the picture I had created in my head.

It was better.

“You clean up pretty well,” she teased.

I laughed softly.

“Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The fact that she could make me feel comfortable within seconds amazed me.

The nervousness I had carried all day slowly disappeared.

We started walking, and I realized something almost immediately.

Being around Katie felt easy.

When she asked where I was taking her, I couldn’t help but smile.

I had spent more time than I wanted to admit trying to choose the perfect place.

Not because I needed it to be expensive or impressive.

Because I wanted somewhere we could actually talk.

When she smiled after I told her we were going for Italian food, I knew I had made the right choice.

Throughout dinner, I couldn’t stop watching her.

The way she laughed when we answered the waiter at the same time.

The excitement that lit up her face when she admitted she’d made a list of places she wanted to visit before moving to New York.

I couldn’t help but smile.

She wasn’t here just to get by.

She wanted to embrace every part of the city.

“Well...” I leaned forward slightly. “I think I can help you with that.”

The smile she gave me in response stayed with me.

When she said she’d like that, something shifted inside me.

Because suddenly, I wasn’t thinking about whether there would be a second date.

I was hoping for one.

By the time I walked Katie back to the station, I didn’t want the night to end.

The goodbye felt too soon.

Everything about the evening had felt effortless.

When I got home, Alec immediately looked up from the couch.

“Well?” he said. “Are we celebrating, or do I need to start hiding the ice cream?”

I dropped my keys onto the table.

“Well, what?”

He gave me a knowing look.

“Don’t do that.”

I laughed.

“You mean don’t pretend you aren’t waiting for details?”

“Exactly.”

I shook my head.

But I couldn’t stop smiling.

“It was good.”

Alec studied me.

“Good?”

I knew what he meant.

At once, my mind drifted back to Katie sitting across the table from me.

Her laugh.

Her smile.

The way she made me forget about trying to impress her and simply be myself.

“It was better than good.”

Alec grinned.

“I knew it.”

My phone chimed from my pocket. I pulled it out and smiled when I saw Katie’s name on the screen.

She’d texted to let me know she’d made it home safely.

I wanted to see her again.

I took this opportunity to ask her out on a second date to Central Park.

When Katie agreed to meet me the next day, I spent the rest of the night thinking about the places I would take her.

The next afternoon, wearing a light green dress and the most beautiful smile, Katie stood infront of me looking radiant.

“You look beautiful.”

We walked through the park, talked, and teased each other.

The more time I spent with Katie, the more I realized how easy it was to like her.

She noticed little things.

She appreciated moments most people would rush past.

When she stopped to admire everything around her, I found myself watching her more than the places we visited.

At Bethesda Terrace, I watched her take everything in.

The look on her face reminded me why I wanted to bring her there.

To give her a memory.

And somehow, she was giving me one too.

By the time we reached the castle, I knew I didn’t want the day to end.

Standing beside her, watching her look out at the city, I just could not take my eye off her.

When she turned toward me, I couldn’t look away.

For a moment, everything around us disappeared.

I wanted to kiss her.

I wanted to close the distance between us.

But more than that, I wanted to do it right.

So instead, I reached up and gently moved a strand of hair away from her face.

“I’m glad I’m spending today with you.”

And I meant every word.

I slipped her hand into mine during the cab ride, and I held on a little tighter than I probably should have.

When the cab finally pulled up outside the train station, I already knew I didn’t want the evening to end.

When I hugged her goodbye, I struggled to let go.

But eventually, I had to.

I watched her walk toward the train entrance, and even after she disappeared, I stayed there for a moment smiling.

When I met Alec later at his resturant, he didn’t even need to ask.

He already knew.

“You’re smiling like the Kool-Aid guy,” he said.

I looked at him.

“Am I?”

He shook his head laughing.

“I’ve never seen you like this.”

I didn’t have an answer.

Because I didn’t know how to explain it.

I just knew that somewhere between a dinner in a small Italian restaurant and an afternoon walking through Central Park, Katie had become more than the girl I had been hoping to ask out.

She was the girl who made me wonder what could happen next.

I couldn’t stop smiling as I looked at my phone, already wondering when I would see her again.

Maybe it was too soon to know where this would go.

Maybe I was getting ahead of myself.

But one thing was clear.

Katie wasn’t just someone I wanted to take out again.

She was someone I wanted to keep discovering.