The Melding of Souls

College freshmen are awkward at icebreakers.

I was no different.

I got paired with a girl.

Brown hair, blue eyes

Shorter than me, but she would stare you down

With unwavering might.

--

I lasted about thirty seconds

Before giving in.

Laughing so hard she snorted,

She patted me on the back and said,

Better luck next time sweetie.

--

I walked into pre-calc, and saw her

Slapping the seat next to her,

Giving me that same stare.

By the end of class,

We had pages of notes,

To each other.

--

I took a chance and got her number.

From then on,

My phone was just a bell,

Constantly ringing,

And if it wasn't,

The screen was lit up from a new text,

All day.

We were both night owls,

Meaning many midnight runs to

TacoBell or Coney Island.

--

Then Fall Break decided to show up.

Every time I picked up my phone,

My parents asked,

Is that your girlfriend?

My dad always mocked me in a mushy voice,

While my excited mom kept asking:

What's she like? What's her major? Where's she from? What do you two do together? Have you kissed?

In a blink, we were back.

--

I ran into her right outside our dorm

Moonlight shined through her cascading hair.

Hey, she said in a soft voice,

Dimples pointing to her reddening cheeks

Hey, I said, stepping forward and embracing her.