I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had seen him before.  He was friends with Donnie and Scott.  The three of them had decided to put their pants on backwards, like Kriss Kross, at a dance a few weeks before (he and Donnie were wearing baggy pants, so it worked; Scott, in his fitted jeans…notsomuch).  But he was a Freshman and I was a Sophomore, and I was oblivious to most of the kids in the school younger than me, unless we had a class together.  We didn’t.  But he and Donnie had lived down the road from each other for years, and Donnie had been folded into our group when he became friend with Scott and started dating Heather.

Scott was one of my best friends, and I was also enormously, unhealthily infatuated with him, which was, of course, unreciprocated.  I hadn’t even considered liking someone else in a year and a half.  And since Scott’s locker was on my way to the cafeteria, I stopped by everyday on my way to lunch.  That day, he was also there.  I had no idea who he was, and probably would have remained oblivious to him for several more weeks, despite the fact that he was adorable (it was a very unhealthy infatuation).

But as I stood there talking to Scott about some undoubtedly stupid bullshit, this adorable kid I had never met took my bottle of Pepsi out of my hands.  I felt a small, confused smile spring to my lips, and I started watching him from the corner of my eye as I gabbed with Scott.  He had full lips, huge beautiful brown eyes under a heavy brow, short dark hair with long side burns and a big nose (how I love big, nicely shaped noses).  Without saying a word, he looked at me, looked at the Pepsi and then nonchalantly stuffed it down the front of his baggy jeans.  I laughed and shook my head in bewilderment and continued talking to Scott.

A minute later, Scott left for his next class.  Now it was just the two of us.  He smiled, but still said nothing.  I smiled back and said, “Can I have my Pepsi back?”

With very convincing innocence, he replied, “What Pepsi?”

Still smiling, I said, “The one you just stuffed down your pants.”

He attempted to look appropriately chagrined, but his playful smile crept back onto his face.  “Oh.  You saw that.”

“Yeah, I saw that.”

With a shrug, he reached into his pants and pulled out my bottle of Pepsi.  “Thanks,” I said when he handed it back to me.

“Anytime.”

He headed toward the stairs.  I headed toward the cafeteria, the smile on my face growing as I made my way.

When I told Chessa the story that afternoon, it started with, “I have a new crush.”  She told me his name was Nick.

Over the next several weeks, he would become a part of our ever-expanding group.  And though my crush on him would grow stronger every time I saw him, it would still be a year and a half before he found out how I felt, and another 9 months before we finally started dating.  A little over 8 years after he stuffed my soda down his pants, I would marry him.  We just celebrated out 10th wedding anniversary.  He’s still adorable, he still makes me laugh every day and I still have an enormous crush on him.