I met and talked with Tessa a lot after that first meeting. We'd chat up each other before class and meet up at the Food Court after we'd had our brains wracked by another bout of Calculus. It certainly helped that she was often the one asking me about the problems.

I kept up a steady chatty attitude towards her, trying to see if it was the right moment to ask again. She had saidmaybe some other time. I mean, the ladies of the world couldn'tallbe liars? Right?

Right?!?

Slowly, it seemed like my efforts were paying off. She began to open up, to let her hair down, so to...