Colliding in the night, I bumped into Jesse, almost knocking my own self onto my butt. The ice beneath our skates was slippery, and the winds icy grip on my nose assured me I’d have a cold tomorrow. I looked up into his warm eyes and almost forgot where we were, and that it was fourteen degrees outside.

“Hey, Samantha.” He smiled down at me. It took me a moment to wrangle my words. Jesse was, after all, the type of guy that leaves you speechless.

“Uh, hey Jesse.” My curly red hair flowed out of my purple crocheted, hat. Courtesy of grandma. I felt a desperate need to remove the hat and throw it far, far, away, but decided against it, considering grandma was probably watching me out on the lake as I made a fool of myself. “You skating?” Okay, I’m not the smoothest when it comes to guys. I admit it.

“Well, I’m attempting at least. I’m not doing so well.” Jesse seemed nearly as embarrassed as myself, though I’m sure I was ten billion times more embarrassed than perfect Jesse could ever be. “Can’t say the same about you, though.”

I, seventeen year old Samantha Wayne, am not the blonde bomb-shell, beauty queen type. I’m not skinny, I’m freakishly tall for a girl, and I’m a red head with brown eyes. Consider me the antonym of the perfect girlfriend.

“Oh?” I manage to mumble out, still dazed that the most handsome guy at my school is talking to me.

“I saw you out here, you’re amazing! Like a professional skater or something. That’s why I was trying to make it over to you.” Jesse’s face held a genuine smile. I almost looked behind me to see who he was really talking to.

“You think?”

“You looked beautiful out there, Sam.”

Between Jesse’s sheer beauty, and how hot my cheeks were getting, I was sure the ice would melt soon and I’d fall to my death, sealing the evening as usual--with me looking like an idiot.

“Thanks, Jesse.” I said, smiling back at him coyly.

“Come, skate with me. Maybe you can keep me from busting my butt.” Jesse took my hand. My hand, not some dazzling princess behind me. It was getting late, and, as we skated to the center of the frozen lake, everyone began to clear. But not without noticing Jesse Summers with Samantha Wayne.

We skated together for some time, and I could tell we were both equally having a blast.

“Listen, Sam.” Jesse began, and I had a gnawing feeling in my stomach my night was about to fall apart. “I don’t want to seem like-”

“It’s okay, I understand.” I interrupted him rudely. “You don’t want this to continue after tonight. I mean, why would you? You could get any girl in school, why would you want-”

“But I want you, Sam.” He returned the interruption, a smile on his face. “I was going to ask you to go have some hot chocolate with me later. Or maybe go get some dinner with me Friday night. I didn’t want you to think I was weird for asking you on a date when we’ve only skated together. We‘ve never talked much in school, regrettably.”

My eyes lit up, and I’m sure I had a look on my face similar to the look someone would have if a stranger gave them five-thousand dollars--sheer, blissful, disbelief.

“You mean it?” I asked, Jesse nodded. “I’d love to.”

As we headed for our shoes on the snowy ground, I shivered lightly. My hoodie was not serving it’s purpose in the cold.

“You look chilly.” Jesse commented and removed his school jacket. “Here, take this.”

I grinned and graciously took the coat, thinking eagerly to myself about how I was going to excitedly tell this entire story to grandma later. But not until I got some hot chocolate with Jesse.