Both of our shifts ended at the same time. Aleks stepped back and let me clock out first. When I turned around to tell him thank you, he winked at me and reached to clock out. He said, "You ready?" Am I ready for what? He couldn't possibly want to go on a date right now, could he? He told me to call my mom and make sure it was okay that he take me to go get coffee. My mom approved (she had seen Aleks a few times herself while shopping) and we went to his car.

The drive was filled with awkward silence and the occasional clicking of his turn signal. Aleks pulled up to the coffee shop and told me to hang tight. He ran around his car and opened the door for me. I have never had anybody open the door for me aside from my dad when I was a kid.

After ordering and finding a comfy chair for each of us to sit in, we started asking each other questions. I learned he was 18, born in Russia and had just moved here with his mom from Kansas. We talked for three hours before my mom called. The time flew by and neither of us had realized exactly how long we had been chatting.

I had never felt like this before. Aleks was so intriguing and all I wanted to do was continue talking. Before we were even back in his car, we already had plans to see each other again.