“Sorry Man, I don’t have any money” I lied.

I was standing on one of Portland’s trendier neighborhood’s streets, waiting when a homeless person had approached me.

“Have a good day…” he mumbled, wandering off into the evening’s gathering darkness. These people were as integral to Portland’s urban fabric as roses, bikes or beer. In truth, my wallet was straining with cash. I had swung by work after class and picked up my weeks’ worth of tips for tonight. It was date night.

Checking my phone, I saw Alyssa’s message: “Be there in 5! My friend is lost lol”.

“No worries, do you need the address again?” I texted back.

It had been 2 weeks since I had last seen her, our date postponed by a surprise visit from my parents who insisted on dragging me to a family reunion in California. Now we were finally having our second date. A fancy one at that; she had suggested we get dressed up and make it fun, so in the spirit of the evening, I had dusted off my sport coat, collared shirt and cleaned up fairly well.

I smiled to myself as I waited near the restaurant, a bouquet of fall flowers in my hand.

Just as I was starting to feel the October chill, a Toyota Rav4 pulled up across the street and came to a stop. I saw the door open and a familiar flash of black and pink hair popped out. I caught the faint laugh from the driver who then looked at me, smiled and waved before pulling away revealing Alyssa. I instantly smiled; a grin brought on by her mutually electric expression as we made eye contact. She stood on the curb, waiting for a break in traffic to cross. Her hair was pulled up in a tight donut on the crown of her head, her glossy black hair streaked with pink highlights. She wore a black sweater over a silky, shimmery light pink dress that spoke in a simple elegance that balanced exhibition and imagination, it must have been expensive. Her outfit was drawn together with her shoes. Light pink wedge sandals with black trim. This girl certainly knew how to dress herself.

“Hi!” I smiled as she trotted across the road “You look wonderful!” Up close I noticed all the detailed effort she had put into her appearance. Her earrings and necklace complimented each other, glittering in the evening light.

“Thank you! I tried!”

“These are for you, lovely lady” I said with a flourish as I presented my bouquet to her.

“Wow!” her mouth dropped open in shock “These are amazing!” She looked at me with a dewy-eyed expression. “Nobody’s ever given me flowers before…”

I smiled back, proud of myself for thinking of the spontaneous romantic gesture at the last second. “I’m glad you like them”.

Stepping closer, she kissed me hard. Her lips pressing against mine while her hand grabbed the front of my jacket and pulled me in. It only lasted a second but made my heart jump feeling her against me. She stepped back and smiled, flashing her braces. I had been waiting for that moment all week with great anticipation.

Alyssa had driven with her friend to Roseburg to get tattoos, and conveniently been able to get her braces fixed after breaking them the week prior. I hadn’t thought much of it until I had gotten a snap chat from her from the orthodontist office, asking what color she should get while holding a large key ring of all the different colors they offered. I had assumed she’d go with clear again as her braces were ceramic and designed specifically to blend in with the enamel of her teeth. From a distance, one could barely notice them except for the thin steel wire spanning her smile. I had suggested baby blue, partly because I had heard it didn’t stain as easily, but mostly because I thought it would be cute and she wouldn’t be so bold as to choose a brighter color. An hour later she sent me another photo announcing she was “all tuned up” while puckering, blowing me a kiss. I had tried to seem nonchalant when asking what color she had chosen, and was teased with “find out on Friday ;)” which had driven me crazy, she was such a tease.

In her beaming smile I saw that she had picked a bright pink that shown almost iridescent in the low light of an October evening. My stomach flipped and I felt a twitch in my nether regions. I was turned on almost instantly. They matched her outfit and complimented her hair. This girl really knew how to accessorize.

“So, where are we going?” she asked, bringing me back to the moment. “I’m so hungry”

I swept my gaze around to the little Italian place on the corner. “Right this way” I gestured, and we set off down the block making conversation about the week.

***

“So, How was work today?” I asked as we sipped sparkling water in the dim light of the restaurant. Alyssa rolled her eyes as she sipped her drink.

“Uhhg” she scoffed “I’m pretty fed up with my manager.”

“Uh oh, what’d he do this time?” I asked as the waiter placed a basket of bread between us with a dish of oil and vinegar. I smiled at him with a nod of gratitude.

She huffed, grabbed a slice of bread a tore it half with an exaggerated motion that conveyed her emotion.