We met on the dance floor. He slipped his arms around me and we danced our way into that cold winter night. His courageous gesture succeeded in flattering me and from that moment my every thought clung to him. The feeling of pure joy and the sound of the throbbing base silenced the persistent questions ravaging my mind. We left with thank-you’s on our lips, hope in our eyes, and longing desire in our hearts.

An eternity of anxious moments passed in the week following that fateful dance. I learned his name and things slowly fell into place for my very first date. On that day I primped my hair, painted my face, and hushed the rapid fluttering that threatened to unravel my stomach. I paced the six foot vicinity in my room until the dizziness in my head forced me to collapse.

Arriving early at the movie theater, I nervously picked at the fringe on my jeans. I concentrated on filling and emptying my lungs to keep from passing out. When he walked in and smiled, I could feel my heart begin to melt. We hugged and found our way to our seats. Once again I focused on breathing in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Endless movement filled my limbs while my legs grew restless and hopped over each other. How could I be expected to keep calm when, sitting right next to me, was my possible Prince Charming. I began to play with my fingers praying he would latch on to my pleading hint. At last, when he reached out his hand, shock tightened around me and desperate vacancy filled my head. My moment, and there I sat motionless! I willed my fingers to slip between his, and with a dazed smile, gently rested my head on his shoulder breathing everything in. The scent of his strong cologne tickled my nose and filled me with warmth as characters stepped and danced along the screen.

When the credits signaled the movie’s demise, I held on for just a bit longer, wishing with every aching fragment in me that it wouldn’t end. I let go and slowly rose to my feet fearing the romantic moment had ceased to exist. He put my fears to rest when he grabbed my hand once more and, together, we walked into a fantasy.