Oh, my gosh! I'm going to meet Eric.

I bet Carolyn never had palpitations this bad. And she drank enough caffeine to kill a small horse.

Helen led me down the hill towards a T-shaped brick building with a perfectly landscaped entrance. The place reminded me of that suburban community in Edward Scissorhands.

"This is Stein Hall, the center for languages and the humanities," Helen said as she held open the door for me. It opened into a wide foyer with beige walls, light-gray carpets, and soft lighting from overhead fixtures. "The MRC is on the third floor."

"MRC?"

"Multimedia Resource Center," she replied. "The language labs."

We took the spiral staircase. My head was in the clouds, and somehow I managed to trip over my own feet.

"Are you okay?" Helen asked with a concerned look.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied with a casual wave of my hand. "Just a bit absentminded."

Way to be cool, Jess.

She descended a few steps towards me. "If it helps, I'm sure guys are even more scared of us," she whispered with an encouraging smile.

I chuckled. "I'm excited about seeing the labs. That's all." Helen gave me an incredulous look. "No, really. I'm serious. Like him and me...it's not what you think."

"Perhaps," she said in a faint whisper, "but I bet he's nervous too."

"He probably has a girlfriend anyway," I said in a vain attempt to calm my nerves and return to Planet Earth. "He's just being nice and showing me the labs."

Helen chuckled.

"Wait, sorry. Oh, gosh. Are you guys...?"

Helen gave me a puzzled look when we reached the landing. "What? Eric and me?" She burst out laughing and shook her head. "Hon, we're great friends." She winked. "But I bat for the other team."

"Other team...?" Realization slowly dawned. "Ohhh...Oh!"

She gave me a broad smile. "No competition here."

"Well, between us, I don't bat for any team," I said in a muted whisper. "In fact, while you all are at the ball game, I'm playing D&D with friends or watching a Star Wars movie marathon."

"Then you and Eric are perfect for each other," she said with an excited squee.

Wait, when did this become about Eric?

It was always about Eric, my conscience growled in reply. Dumb-ass!

It was always about the language labs, my rational mind retorted. This isn't a date.

He needed some excuse.

Ugh!

Admit it, you like the guy.

Online perhaps. But that doesn't mean--

"Hey, are you okay?" Helen asked as we entered the upstairs corridor. "You look a bit pale."

"Yeah, I'm just going to go to the ladies' for a sec," I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

"Sure, it's straight ahead at the end of the hall."

After speed-walking to the restroom, I gripped both sides of the sink to gather my composure. I splashed cold water on my face and scrutinized my pasty reflection under the harsh, fluorescent light.

I should have worn makeup.

No, dummy. Your grandparents would have known something was up, my rational mind growled.

My clothes are a mess. I mean, did you see Helen's outfit?

I exhaled a long, steady breath as I tucked a stray lock behind my ear.

Stay positive. You got this, Jess.

I returned to Helen, who was staring at her phone and giggling. She quickly tucked it away and sobered up when I approached.

"Ready?" she asked.

"I guess?" I cleared my throat. "I mean, yes."

We entered the lab, and Helen spoke to the attendant seated behind glass to get me a pass for the computers. The Multimedia Resource Center was divided into groups of eight stations, with two sets of four oak cubicles facing each other. Each section had a plastic chair with a metal frame. Foreign language posters dotted the beige walls.

On a sunny day like today, only one guy was working in the lab, staring at the screen with a puzzled expression.

The guy from the coffee shop.

It was Eric.

My heart leaped into my throat and I took a step backward before he could see me.

"Holy..."

"Told you it was a makeover," she whispered. Helen pulled me into a corner and gestured towards him with her chin. "Made him ditch the glasses for contacts, suggested a new style, and helped him shape up his posture at the gym."

"Wow, I didn't even recognize him."

"It's a hobby of mine," she said. "I can't put meat on Eric's bones to save his life. He's a pure ectomorph. But--"

"That doesn't matter."

"Voilà." She beamed with pride. "Behold my magnum opus."

We wandered into the main computer area, and my throat dried up like the Sahara. Eric glanced up from his computer and stood to greet us.

"Jess?" he said in a deep baritone.

"E-Eric?"

He held out his hand to me, and Helen cleared her throat. Just as I went to shake it, he pretended to comb it through his hair.

My cheeks burned like they'd been set on fire. Both of us gave an awkward scoff. Eric decided to shake my clammy hand anyway. A nice, firm handshake. Not too rough.

His hands were ice-cold like mine.

Helen's look betrayed a mixture of pride and pity. One that seemed to say, Awww, look. The dorks found each other.

"I'm so glad you could make it," he said. "Shall I show you one of the language programs I'm working on?"

"I'd--I'd like that very much," I replied.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to it," Helen said with a knowing smile. "Just text me when you're done, and I can arrange lunch and a library tour."

Oh dear. I have only three texts.

Blend in, Jess. Blend in.

I nodded with a smile. "Will do." Helen turned to leave, and I walked beside Eric as he returned to his desktop. "So what are you working on?"

"The French subjunctive," he said with a sigh. "It's a nightmare. I was acing the class until this. Didn't expect to have any issues today."

"I thought you studied Math?"

"It's a core requirement," he replied. "We all have to take at least eight classes in various subjects in order to get a well-rounded education. And two foreign language classes."

"You've got this," I said with a smile. "You're super smart."

"Continuity and differentiation are one thing." He ran his hand through his hair as he sat before the terminal. "But this? We don't even have this in English."

Yes, we do. Sort of. But it's an archaic form.

Don't show him up, my rational mind said.

You already said you love languages, my conscience replied. You could help him.

He'll hate you for it.

"While you're having fun," he said, "I'll just puzzle this out. Unless you understand it..."

See? Told ya. He's trying to connect, dummy.

"I'll give it a try first," I said at last. "To make sure I remember it right."

The computer booted, and I signed in with my visitor ID login and password. I almost died when I saw all the computer-assisted learning software, not only for Spanish and French but also for less common languages like Gaelic or Norwegian. They didn't simply offer flashcard exercises or fill-in-the-blanks, but multimedia exercises and state-of-the-art speech recognition.

I gave an impressed squee.

"You'll have to take a C-test first to get a placement," Eric said with an apologetic voice.

"That's fine. It'll be like a word puzzle."

He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "You must really love languages."

When I submitted my test, I got an automatic result: Placement in FREN 301.

"Is that good?" I asked with a puzzled look.

"Good?" He scoffed. "That's a year above me."

"Oh!" I stared at the screen, surprised. "What exercise are you doing?"

He showed me how to access it, and I finished the exercise in five minutes. The side panels of my cubicles obstructed his view, so Eric couldn't see my result.

Ninety-eight percent.

With a groan, I realized that I missed an accent aigu. "For God's sake!"

"Hard, isn't it?" he asked.

"We can work it out together if you like," I said, deflecting his question.

"Sure, if you don't mind."

After I'd dragged my chair over to his terminal, we exchanged an awkward smile. I explained the subjunctive to him like an equation, thinking that might suit his strengths better.

But I didn't just give him the answers. Harking back to my knowledge of Socrates, I asked him a series of questions to lead him towards the answer. He often corrected himself.

All Eric needed was a little nudge. Once the knowledge was wrapped up in a box he recognized, he processed it with dizzying speed.

Eric got a hundred percent on the next exercise.

"Yes!"

I gave him a gentle tap on the arm. "See? You can do it!"

His hazel eyes locked onto mine. "Thanks to you."

"It was fun."

"No one teaches us like that," he said. "Even here."

My cheeks burned.

"You're logical and rational about languages. Most people just say we have to memorize, but you've helped me recognize the patterns."

"It's the same method I use to teach myself."

"Thanks, Jess." He smiled. "Now let's have some fun. I didn't invite you here for free tutoring. We can learn a language or watch a foreign film."

"You have foreign films here in the original?" I asked, astounded.

"In any language you prefer," he said with a nod. "Lady's choice."

"Oh, gosh!" I said, scrolling through the long list of digitized films. "How will I ever decide?"

He chuckled.

"I just hope you don't get bored," I said.

"Are you kidding?" He returned my playful jab. "I love movies."

"Me too. But they have only one set of headphones per station."

"Pick one with subtitles," he said.

"What do you think about..." I scrolled through the options. "Die Brücke? It's a postwar German film about a group of teenage soldiers during the last few days of World War Two."

"Ha! No rom-coms for you, I see."

Awww, cute! So that's what it sounds like when he says 'Ha!' online.

"Heck, no!" I exclaimed. "Not when I have all these gems at my fingertips."

"It has subtitles," he said, handing over the headphones, "so I'm game."

While we watched the movie, Eric stared intently at the screen. But every once in a while, I caught him stealing glances at me out of the corner of my eye.

Get a grip, Jess. Focus.

When the film drew to an end, I turned to Eric with the broadest grin. "This was amazing! Thank you!"

I almost reached out to hug him without thinking.

Wait, Jess! Abort, abort! What are you doing?

At the last minute, I changed my mind and gave both of his shoulders an awkward squeeze. Like some alien who didn't know how to greet a human.

Way to go, idiot!

His eyes twinkled, and he quirked a brow. "Sure, I enjoyed it too. It was a thought-provoking movie we can discuss over lunch if you have time."

Our eyes locked briefly, and my breath caught in my throat. This close, I could see the flecks of brown and green and even the outline of his contacts. An alert, vibrant gaze gleaming with intelligence.

Come on, Jess! What the hell? Answer him.

"Sure, I'd love to."

Eric gave me his shy half-smile before we shut down our desktops. His buzzing phone ended the awkward silence between us. He scanned the message and showed it to me.

"Are you hungry now?" he asked. "We can make our way there."

"Sure, sounds great," I said. As if in agreement, my stomach gave an ominous rumble. "Oops, sorry. I didn't have much for breakfast."

"We can grab a coffee on the way if you like."

If I'd like? Can I get a hellz yeah?