Colin

I slammed my cell phone down on my desk. It was Friday night and I was almost ready to head over to the Tech Gala. I even brought my tux to work so I wouldn't have to head home to change. Except the service that provided my date said she canceled and they didn't have anyone else available. Now I get to be a miserable loner all night while trying to pretend I'm not. I had half a mind to just not go altogether.

A wolf whistle brought my attention to the front of my office where I found Alicia watching me. "Don't we clean up nicely." She wiggled her eyebrows.

My neck warmed at the comment. "Business event," I mumbled. I focus on trying to fix my bowtie to stop my face from turning too red at Alicia's teasing.

She sauntered over and slapping my hands away began to fix my bowtie. "You don't sound too pleased about it."

It took all of my willpower to keep my chin lifted and my eyes situated on a spot on the wall. I barely registered her words as her proximity was muddling my senses. "My, uh, social skills are little to be desired."

"I'm sure it can't be that hard."

"It is when you're standing all alone feeling like a loser."

Alicia took a step back once she was done fixing my tie and I almost grabbed her by the waist to keep her close. She might make me an incoherent fool but her presence was too intoxicating for me to care.

Tilting her head up at me, Alicia gave me a once over. "You don't have a date to go with you?"

I snorted and walked away to my desk. "Guys like me don't easily get dates Alicia." I hate to sound self-deprecating but it was the truth.

As I gathered up my things to leave, I heard so softly, "I can go with you."

I turned sharply towards her, thinking I must have misheard her. "What?"

Alicia looked down abashedly. "I could go with you, you know, as a thank you for the coffee machine." She rolled her eyes. "And for catching me when I fell off the barstool."

"That hardly seems like a fair trade."

"Then as a favor for a friend."

What if I didn't want to go as just friends? Of course, that idea would be preposterous. It's not only the fact that I don't get dates, but especially not a date with someone like her. Still, if I accepted, not only would I not have to attend the event alone, but I got to spend it with Alicia. I had really enjoyed our time together out at the restaurant. "Okay, if you're sure. I would really appreciate the company."

Her eyes widened for a second like she was surprised by my answer. It's soon replaced by a toothy grin. "Great! I'll run home right right now and get ready. Pick me up in half an hour."

Without another word she dashed out of my office, leaving me bewildered at what just happened. Did I just land a date with Alicia Hannigan?

I waited about twenty minutes then made my way over to her apartment. I double checked my phone and made sure I had the right address. Although the apartment was in a desirable location in the downtown core, I could tell it had seen better days. I always imagined Alicia living the high life, not settling for anything less. Yet I was seeing the exact opposite.

Part of me still could not believe that I was waiting to pick up the most beautiful girl I knew for a formal event. I kept wiping my palms onto the leg of my pants because the steering wheel kept getting all sweaty. I couldn't keep my head on straight over coffee with Alicia, how was I supposed to survive a fancy gala? If Alicia's formal wear was going to be anything like how she looked at prom, then Lord help me.

I tapped the bottom of the steering wheel to a beat, feeling more nervous by the minute. The event would have started by now and if I wanted to hear the speeches from the industry's top leaders, we really needed to get going.

My frustration was beginning to rise at how long she was taking. I should have known that someone of Alicia's caliber would need ages to get ready for an event like this. That was a high maintenance woman for you.

Just as the thought entered my mind, Alicia in a floor-length black gown exited the high rise. My body went completely still as I took in the sight of her. Spotting me through the windshield, Alicia turned and began to make her way over.

I had never been so thankful to have the opportunity to drink in her appearance without being caught staring. As she came closer, my breath hitched at her understated beauty. Her dress was simple, almost plain really. It came off one shoulder and rested just under her clavicle. The hem just rested above the ground but with a slit on one side that stopped mid thigh. I knew this night was going to be a bad idea, but if I could do it all over again, I would make the same decision in a heartbeat.

Opening the passenger door, Alicia climbed in beside me. "Sorry to keep you waiting, my roommate Cameron insisted on helping me with my hair."

That snapped me back to reality. "You have a male roommate?"

Alicia laughed. "No, thank goodness. She is very much female."

I felt my body relax. Of course Alicia wouldn't have a guy for a roommate. "Well she did a great job. You look beautiful."

Her eyes softened towards me, even misting over slightly. "Thank you. That always meant a lot coming from you."

I thought back to another lifetime when I had complimented her. Let's hope this time it didn't end with her boyfriend assaulting me.

"We better get moving if we want to make the speeches." I changed the gear into drive and pulled away from the curb, leaving all the bad memories behind.

"So, what's our story tonight?" I said after driving in a few minutes of silence.

"Our story?"

"Yeah, you know when people ask how we know each other." Whenever I used the dating service, we would fabricate some sort of story of how we met. It sounded better than "she's here because I'm paying her to."

Alicia thought for a moment. "Well, we do work together. But I think it would be better to just say we knew each other in high school."

My lips couldn't help curving up into a smile. "I don't know if anyone is going to believe that you knew me in high school. They're going to end up calling us Beauty and the Geek."

"They can call us whatever they like. It's the truth and I'm sticking with it."

My chest warmed at her carefree attitude towards being associated with me. It led me to a question I had been dying to ask her. "When you texted me last Friday, you mentioned something about church."

Flipping her hair over one shoulder, Alicia pulled down the visor to check her makeup. "Yes, I attend Guildwood Fellowship."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but in high school you didn't seem too interested in God."

Pushing the visor closed, Alicia sat back and stared out her window. "It's simple really," she said. "Growing up in church, I knew about God but I had never experienced God."

She must have seen the confusion on my face that I wasn't following, so she continued.

"My faith wasn't my own growing up. I believed in God because it was expected of me to." She turned her body towards me to more fully face me. "What happened at prom shook me to the core, Colin. It completely challenged the person I had become and it left me wanting."

I gripped the steering wheel till my knuckles turned white. That night had been a taboo subject between us, neither wanting to bring it up. It was too painful to talk about. "So what did you do?"

Alicia chuckled to herself. "Well at first I tried to use the world to make myself feel better. During my one semester in the accounting program I would go to parties and revel in the attention. But..." Alicia's eyes dropped. "I still felt so empty. And the shame of what I had done wasn't going away."

"I'm guessing you never finished the accounting program then?"

Alicia shook her head. "No, I dropped out, much to the chagrin of my father, and did some soul searching." She gave me a small smirk. "When I had finally surrendered everything over to God, it was as if this great burden I'd been carrying suddenly fell off. And for the first time I felt completely free."

I focused my attention on the road, not sure how to respond. In truth, it was nothing I hadn't heard before. My mom constantly touted bible verses at me and coupled with having grown up in the church as well, Alicia's words were not new to me. But hearing them come out straight from someone's heart with such a feeling. That, I'll admit, was a new experience for me.

The venue came into view, with lights sparkling out into the night. Alicia leaned forward, her eyes wide in wonder. I pulled into the queue of cars waiting for the valet service. "Thanks for sharing Alicia," I managed to say. "I'm sure it wasn't easy talking about such a personal subject."

Alicia spun a silver ring on her right hand. "I shared my testimony not for your sympathy but to show that you can have that same freedom Colin."

I stared out my window, refusing to meet her eyes. This conversation was hitting way too close to home. How could I explain to her that the one time I had decided to step out in faith, I was sorely crushed. What kind of God allowed that? None because God didn't exist.

I inched the car forward, now with only one left in front of us. "How about we leave the theological discussions for another night? For now, let's just focus on enjoying ourselves."

"Agreed, though I just realized, I have no idea what this event is about."

I chuckled. "Let's just say it's a bunch of nerdy businessmen coming together to flaunt their latest technology."

"Well it sounds like you should fit right in then."

A laugh bubbled out of me at her sauciness.

As we pulled up to the entrance, I quickly hopped out and waved the valet off so that I could open Alicia's door for her. We might only be here as friends but that didn't mean I couldn't play the role of her date. I offered my hand to help her out of the car. She flashed a shy smile as she placed her hand into mine. A shock rippled throughout my body at her warm touch that I'm surprised I didn't jump at the contact.

Setting her hand into the crook of my arm, I led her through the hotel lobby towards the ballroom.

Watching Alicia's eyes light up as we entered into the fray of dazzling lights and live music, was almost just as rewarding as having her walk in on my arm. Almost.

I didn't miss the side glances from fellow peers. As if to say, "She's with him?" But I ignored them all. Even if we did look like beauty and the geek, Alicia didn't seem to care, so why should I?

After finding our assigned seats, we settled at one of the tables surrounding the dance floor. I pulled out Alicia's chair for her before taking my own. She nodded in greeting to the six other occupants already sitting. But there was no time for introductions as the emcee took the stage to start off the night.

Try as I might to focus on the words being said, I was keenly aware of Alicia's presence beside me. I constantly had to refocus my attention.

Various tech giants took turns to the podium to discuss their latest advancements. Alicia whispered the odd comment in my ear about how CyberSecure could benefit or utilize similar strategies. I'm not sure if the shivers down my spine were from her warm breath caressing my neck or that I was having the same thoughts.

When the emcee came back to wrap up, the part I always dreaded was upon us. Mingling. Attempting to have stilted conversation with mostly strangers while trying to not come across as a shallow schmoozer. The evening started off like a fairy tale but I feared Alicia was about to realize that it was about to turn south quickly.

With the presentations over, the room grew in noise as everyone started to talk amongst themselves, a few others heading onto the dance floor. I never knew how to insert myself into conversations without appearing rude. So instead I focused on my glass of water, trying not to look awkward and failing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alicia stick out her hand to an older gentleman beside her. "Alicia Hannigan. I run a marketing company called Hope Digital."

"A pleasure Miss Hannigan. Clark Stanton, COO at Cisco's Toronto division and this is my lovely wife Rose." Alicia shook hands with both of them.

I was sitting next to the Chief Operating Officer of Cisco? How badly I wanted to pick his brain on the workings of a multi-million dollar tech security company.

"Tell me Miss Hannigan," Mr. Stanton continued, "How does a marketing firm end up at a gala for tech companies?"

"By coming on the arm of a tech company owner," Alicia said without missing a beat. She reached over and placed a soft hand upon my shoulder. "This is Colin Evans, CEO of CyberSecurity. I'm currently doing some consulting work for Colin and he was kind enough to bring me along as his plus one."

I reached around Alicia to shake Mr. Stanton's hand, while giving a polite nod to his wife. My arm settled on the back of Alicia's chair as I joined in the conversation. It just felt...natural.

Mr. Stanton's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, Mr. Evans. Your invention of malware to inhibit any breach is unprecedented."

I flushed slightly under his praise. It was no secret that the key to CyberSecurity's success had been my patented technology, still, it was different to hear it out loud.

We fell into easy conversation about emerging advancements, as well as what the speaker's shared tonight. Alicia surprised me by having her own input into the conversation. And I gotta say, she held her own.

After about thirty minutes, Mrs. Stanton nudged her husband that they better head over to the buffet table before all the crab cakes were gone.

Before Mr. Stanton left, he handed me his business card. "I foresee a possible partnership between Cisco and CyberSecurity Mr. Evans."

After Stanton's departure, Alicia beamed at me. "See? I told you it wasn't so hard."

"Only because you instigated the conversation."

"But the rest was all you Colin. You just needed a little help."

I could feel the wall around my heart begin to break down bit by bit. She was wiggling her way in and I didn't mind at all. "Are you hungry?"

"Famished. I just need to freshen up first. I'll meet you in the line for the buffet."

As we went our separate ways, I found I had a bounce in my step. How different the evening was turning out then I had originally thought. And it was all because of Alicia.

Waiting in line, a familiar voice startled me from behind.

"Where did you hire that babe?"

I turned to see Russell Walsh, a fellow comrade whom I had met a few times at events over the years. My shoulders stiffened however at his comment about Alicia. "No service," I bit out. Russell was the one who told me about dates for hire. "She's a friend from high school."

Russell laughed and the sound grated on my nerves. "I knew that there was no way she could be your date. Though are you hoping for some extra benefits?" He gave me a cheeky wink.

Russell did always err on the side of crude. I may not share my mom's faith but she raised me to be a gentleman. And though I badly wanted to put Russell in his place, it was that same upbringing that stilled my wrath.

At my stony silence Russell slapped me on the back. "Well, if she has any friends, be sure to send them my way."

Unlikely but thankfully Russell moved on, saving me from having to give a reply.

The encounter left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It was exactly the response I expected from people though. A girl like Alicia wouldn't be caught dead with a guy like me. It was the same way back in high school.

A bit of my air that had me flying high, deflated. So much for a perfect evening. My gaze couldn't help scan the room for Alicia. I caught her crossing the dance floor towards me. When our eyes met, a smile graced her face and all my insecurities melted away. Alicia chose to be here with me this evening. No one forced her to.

Just as she reached the edge of the dance floor, a hand reached out and brushed against her arm. The action caused her to stop and I could see her smile falter at a gentleman. I stepped to the side trying to see who it was. When a few people moved out of my line of vision, my heart dropped at the sight of Zach Kinesman.

+++

Alicia

I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I walked off to the ladies restroom. The night so far with Colin had been nothing short of magical. They say chivalry was dead, yet Colin had been nothing but. Opening my car door, pulling out my seat, each one set my heart all aflutter.

I wasted no time freshening up. I was eager to get back to Colin's company. There was a part of me that really hoped he would ask me to dance. The other part screamed it would be a bad idea. I wasn't sure which side was winning yet.

Heading back into the ballroom, I spied the buffet table and made my way over. I cut across the dance floor and weaved through the moving couples. My eyes immediately caught onto Colin's through the crush of people, just like a magnet. My, but he did look handsome in a tux. I couldn't fathom why he thought we would look odd coming together. Beauty and the geek indeed.

As I was about to enter back into the throng, I felt something caress against my arm. My body instantly recoiled at the contact. Stopping to see who had touched me, I found a familiar face sporting greasy brown hair and an even greasier smile.

"Alicia," Zach practically purred. "I thought I saw an angel. Don't we look lovely this evening."

His words may have come across as sincere if it wasn't for the lecherous gaze roaming down my figure. "Mr. Kinesman." My tone was clipped with no warmth whatsoever.

"I'm sorry that our partnership had to be cut short. But we should get together to discuss other options."

I knew what options he meant and it had nothing to do with business. "I already have a client, thank you." I went to step around him, signaling that the conversation was over but Zach moved to block my path.

"How about a dance first?"

I cringed as he leaned closer, the pungent smell of too much cologne assaulting my senses. Alarm began to pulse through me that Zach wasn't going to take no for an answer.

A strong hand settled on my lower back as Colin came to my side. I almost sagged against him in relief.

"There you are Alicia, I thought I had lost you there." He turned his attention to Zach. "Kinesman, I'm surprised to see you here."

Zach's eyes narrowed at the barb. "I see you've wasted no time in picking up my leftovers Evans."

My hackles rose. Zach was taking it too far.

Thankfully, Colin stepped in before I could. "Let's be honest, Kinesman, you can't even afford the leftovers." Colin took me by the hand and led me onto the dance floor. "I think a dance might be nice before we eat. I've suddenly lost my appetite."

Sneaking a peek behind me, I saw Zach's face turn a slight shade of red as he glared at Colin. I couldn't help but grin at his countenance.

"Thank you," I whispered, wrapping my arms around Colin's neck. "I believe that's the second time you saved me from his clutches. You really are turning out to be my knight in shining armor."

Colin let out a laugh. "I hardly think the first time counts. That was purely coincidence."

"Well I don't believe in coincidences."

Colin's eyes tightened as he looked down on me. "Even if my intentions weren't entirely ...noble?"

I searched his face as I tried to think on how to answer. "They may have not started out noble, but I think you came around." Laying my head against his shoulder, I let my actions speak louder than my words.

"You have that effect on people Alicia," Colin murmured into my hair. "You always have."

"And you Colin have a way of surprising people."

+++

2010

It was the last day of working on my project. I had until midnight to hand it in. I couldn't believe the progress I had made and even all the things I learned about how to code. Under Colin's guidance, I flourished. I probably could have finished on my own, but I found I actually wanted Colin there. I had come to really enjoy our time together and found I wanted to prolong it for as long as I could.

When Colin entered my room for what would be the last time, I couldn't help but give him a big smile. "Ready to finish this thing?" I said with mock enthusiasm.

A dry chuckle escaped him at my forced zeal. "You bet," he said.

We tweaked a few things on my website and then all too soon the assignment was finished. I logged into the school website and uploaded the project. After clicking submit, I almost couldn't believe that I had just completed a coding assignment in five days. I turned to Colin with admiration in my eyes. "I have you to thank for this Colin, I wouldn't have been able to do this if it weren't for you."

I watched as his face turned beet red while looking down at his hands in his lap. "It was nothing," he mumbled.

I reached over and clasped his hands with one of mine. "I mean it," I said, "if there is anything I can ever do for you, just name it."

Colin got that look again that he wanted to say something but wasn't sure if he should or not. I rolled my eyes in fake exasperation. "Just spill it already Colin," I said with a laugh.

He blushed again and went back to staring at his fingers. He took a deep breath and looked up at me. It felt like I could have fallen into his eyes at that moment. I never realized how blue they were before, like sapphire gems.

When I realized that I had missed entirely what he just said, I snapped myself back to reality. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"

"I said, would you save a dance for me at prom?"