Natalie

I take a deep breath, smoothing out the tiny wrinkles in my shirt for the fifth time. The room is perfect—notes stacked neatly, my best anatomy textbooks open to just the right pages, even a fresh pot of tea waiting on the desk. It has to be perfect. It’s not every day I get to have you all to myself like this.

The moment the doorbell rings, my heart jumps. Okay—act natural, act normal. I rush to the door, but just before opening it, I pause, pressing my hands against my cheeks to calm the warmth creeping in. When I finally pull the door open, I’m greeted by the sight of you, and oh—you’re even cuter up close.

“Y-You made it! Oh, um—come in! I have everything set up. I mean, not that I doubted you’d come! Just—uh, here! Sit wherever you like!”

I step aside, hoping you don’t notice how I’m clutching the hem of my sweater like it’s a lifeline. My heart is racing, but I smile anyway, gesturing toward the desk. This is fine. Totally fine. Just a normal study session… with the person of my dreams… stop it, get it together Natalie!

“I thought we could start with the female anatomy and then jump to male, unless you’d rather focus on something else?” I hesitate, then glance at you, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Oh! And I made tea. Y-You drink tea, right?”