My Starbucks Crush

Sunday May 14, 2017

It was an afternoon at the house of Elena when my friend Gillian invited me out for coffee to do our homework. I had nothing planned so I figured why not? We went our own separate ways and I got there first of course. As I walked into starbucks I started to look around and I saw that almost every seat was taken beside two at the rectangular table in the middle of the room. So I sat down and looked around the room. It wasn’t until my eyes got to the seat by the door behind me as I saw someone that captured my attention. I had to take a double look at this handsome face. That was when I met Joe Princeton. I saw his face look directly at me and we just glanced at each other for a quick second there. It was like the first meeting of a couple in the movies. I turned away quickly because I didn’t want to look creepy of course. However I wanted him to notice me more. So me being the smooth smart woman that I am, I turned over to him and pretended to stare out the window besides him. I can see he was staring at me from the corner of my eye. I turned back and smiled to myself as I knew part 1 was completed...get him to notice you. After Gillian had arrived, she sat down for 2 minutes and decided she wanted to go somewhere else. I was at that starbucks for a total of 7 mins. On our way out I walked past him as he sat by the door. Both of our eyes went to each other so I went on to part 2...make the first move. While both of our eyes caught each other, I gave him a quick little wink. I winked so fast that I wasn’t even sure if he saw it...but he did. As soon as he saw me winked, I saw from the corner of my eye that he had removed his earbud on his left ear. I left and I knew he would follow as I had gave him a reason to. I turned by and saw him in his blue tank top and shorts following me. “Excuse me” I heard from behind me and when I turned around, there he was. I forgot what he said to me but it went something like “You winked at me, I can’t let you leave without me getting something”...I'm sure he meant my phone number. We introduced ourselves and I shook his hands, his hands were huge...and so was he. I asked him if he wanted my phone number but he rushed out so quick he forgot to grab his phone...classic and I love it. So instead I got his number. While I was calling his phone so he could have my number, he told me how insanely gorgeous I was….I was flattered. After I had left to another starbucks, Joe and I remained texting. I hardly got any work done as I was so distracted with him. We made plans to see each other again that night. He rushed through his homework so he could meet me at 8:30. We went to a starbucks that was closing in 30 min. I believe we got there at 9 and they were closing at 9:30. As Gillian and I pulled up into the driveway of starbucks, There was a car in front of us and we both asked each other “Is that him?” We watched that car parked and what do you know, he came out of the car. Perfect timing my friend. Gillian noticed his license plate was from Maryland, and who would have known that Maryland became a very important part of this story. However we will get back to that later. I got out of the car and approach him. He welcomed me with a hug and place his muscular arms around me and he kept them there. He opened my door like a gentlemen and we sat down. We spoke and he held both my hands on top of the table. Joe and I barely sat down for less than 10 min. We got deeper into our conversation and I found out he was only 19, 1 year older than me. The barista came by and told us they were closing soon. So of course Joe and I had to leave however we stayed and talked for a bit in front of the starbucks standing there in the night. That was when I noticed how tall he really was so I asked him how tall he was. 6’4 was the answer that I got. My eyes widen and the smile on my face got deeper. What a lovely height. We saw a Walgreens that was open 24hrs right next to the starbucks so I brought him there. We walked around the store and started to talk some more. After a few rounds around the store we decided to sit at the photo printer station. We discussed our future plans, Favorite music, food, places, etc. Turns out he lives right down the street from me and was attending the same college I was applying to. That was when we both realized we had almost everything in common. He loved country music as much as I did. That was a big one. The night was getting late and we had to leave. I suggested that I walked home since I didn't live that far from where we were at, but like a gentlemen, he insisted that he drove me home. We arrived at my house and I can see he was hoping for a goodnight kiss however I avoided that situation as he didn’t know I was transgender yet. After we both got home we snapped chatted for a bit and I knew I had to tell him sooner or later. 1hr after we parted our ways I told him how there was one more thing he needed to know about me. “I wasn’t born female” were my exact words to him. Of course he was shocked, he asked a few questions and I answered them. After that he told me he needed to think about it because i’ve made some good points but then again, it’s against his mindset. We both wished each other goodnight and went to sleep.

Monday May 15, 2017

The next morning I was in class when Joe texted me asking me what I was doing Friday. I had no plans so he offered to take me to the Griffith Park Observatory if I’ll let him. The Griffith Park Observatory was this big building filled with anything anyone could ever wonder about astronomy and it was up in the hills by the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. I thought that was very sweet since I had told him prior that day that I wanted to learn astronomy and how I've never been to the observatory before but he has. That was something we both took interest in. The astronomy part of course. We texted and snapped each other so much that day. It felt so nice. I got to know him more and more with every new text. I got to see him more and more with every new snap. Later that day he drove passed my house and I mentioned how he didn’t stop by to give me a kiss. So he came 20 mins later. I told him how I want to walk my dog, but instead i just gave him the leash so he walked my dog the entire time. The most strangest thing ever was that when my dog peanut went to go meet Joe, my dog didn’t bark a single bit. Normally Peanut barks at everyone he meets...except for Joe. I was so confused when I witnessed that as that was the first time that had ever happen. Joe was different. I noticed he was acting strange. He didn’t put him arms around me, there was no connection that following day after he found out about my situation. Of course I didn’t think too much of it, it was new and he needed time to get comfortable. Either way he made an effort and took time out of his day to be there with me so I was already content. After a few strolls around the neighborhood, we found a little park and sat and talk. I noticed still no physical attraction. Hands were kept to himself still. I had never met a man who had as much self control around me as much as Joe did. I was impressed. Joe had class soon and I didn’t want to make him late so we went back pretty early. As Joe and I were pulling up to my gate, he told me how next Friday was his last day. He mentioned he was moving but I didn’t think it’d be so soon. He got accepted into a school in Maryland. What did I tell you, Maryland played a big part in this story. I was a little sad as I had just met Joe and was so excited to see where this would go but now, the only place this is going is Maryland. However i’m a very optimistic person. Even though I had 2 weeks left with this guy, I’m going to make the best of it. We parted our way with a hug but still….No kiss. That night I told him how I had late start to school the next day and if he would be interested in grabbing breakfast in the morning. He said yes.

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Goodmorning, the time was 6:30am when I woke up, Joe got up at 7:15am with a bloody nose. That delayed our breakfast a bit but I still got to eat. We narrowed down our location to either Denny’s or IHOP. He asked me which one and like all answers, I said “surprise me”. Joe picked me up and I couldn’t help but notice he was wearing a baby blue hat that said “active” in the front of it. P.S I notice a lot of the little things. He looks like a baby wearing that hat. A cute baby. We drove down towards the beach and pulled into IHOP. I had a feeling he was going to take me to IHOP since he was wearing all blue that day. As soon as we walked in, he went to the restroom to grab some paper towels for his nose incase his bloody nose wanted to make an appearance again. He came back with the roughest paper towels for his nose. Tissues I told him, tissues were what he needed. He needed soft paper meant for your nose. Not rough paper meant for drying wet hands. I laughed so much when I saw him come back with the harsh paper. It’s no wonder his nose kept bleeding. We sat, we ordered, and we talked. It was the first we sat face to face and talked for a long time. I watched his handsome face as he spoke and stared deeply into those gorgeous eyes and even then I didn’t even know what color his eyes were two days later. That morning I saw more of his personality. He was sweet, kind, and genuine. He was inspiring. I don’t remember much of what we talked about. I was very distracted by his handsome face sitting across from me. After breakfast was over, he proceeded to pay even though I was the one who invited him out. I should have paid. We got in his car and the first thing he showed me was his tobacco. At first I thought he was kidding but apparently he wasn’t. Not gonna lie that did make me less attracted to him however I didn’t judge him because of it. His life so he can do whatever he wants. We pulled into my gate and we said our goodbyes. I thanked him for taking me out to breakfast and still no kiss. Third day and no kisses…..playing hard to get I see. I could only hope for next time. I had it all planned out. I told myself “Alright Friday kiss him at the Griffith Park Observatory and have a nice romantic cliche date there.” I made it official that was the date and place where our lips could finally touch. Then we would spend the rest of the friday cuddling and being very Nicholas Sparks type of feel with each other.

Friday May 19, 2017

The day had come, The date that I’ve been waiting for was here. Actually I don't even know if it was considered a date however it was cute so let a girl imagine. We schedule our date for 3:00, he texted me at 3:04 and was on his way. He parked by the side of my gate and I went out to him. I got in the car and I had never been more excited to see this man. It was more so knowing I'll have the whole day with him. The small talk came out and so did the country radio station. Driving there was a little tedious. Took an extremely long time and it was quite the distance. We got a few laughter here and there along the drive up to the observatory. He was such a handsome man. I remember at one point I leaned my seat back, not because I was trying to lay down, but because I was trying to get a nice sight of him. Without having to be turned the whole time of course. Every detail on this man from his shiny sunglasses that made it so hard to make eye contact with when we speak to his baby blue hat in the back seat made it a trip worth remembering. Out of nowhere he had this insane idea to order a whole pizza for the trip back. I laughed because again I thought he was joking...he wasn't. He suggest Pizza Hut, I like Pizza Hut. 37 min and 14 miles away he saw the observatory from the street. He tried to point it out to me but I couldn't see it. I think he was pranking me. As we got a little closer I started to see the observatory just sitting so peacefully on that hill. My eyes glowed up and it felt like my heart was going to fly out of my chest. I demonstrated to him how I would catch my heart if it did flew out from excitement. He laughed of course because duh… I’m funny. We then started talking from one topic to another. I believe I mentioned something about me being a lightweight when it comes to alcohol because I'm very small. He then proceeded to mock me and said exactly what I said in a very cute voice. “Because I'm very small” and he smile, and that made me smile. I kept replying that exact moment over and over in my head. We’ve arrived and we drove higher and higher into the hills of Los Angeles. We drove straight up the hill of a one way lane and we searched for parking. We go to the observatory and I saw it up close, I felt my heart just wanting to jump out of my chest. I was so excited. Sadly there wasn't any parking so we went another round and this time we found one. It was quick a hike to get there but worth it. I ran into a few trash cans to avoid running into people. Joe called me the trash can bully. As I got closer to this place, I didn't know where to start. Joe brought me to the top of the building where the view was killer. That was the moment I wanted him to wrap his arms around me and BOOM our first kiss. That didn't happen. We got to the very top and he did his own things which I don't blame him at all. It a beautiful view. As I was standing there watching the view, I felt so relaxed and content in that very moment. I couldn’t help but smile the whole time. After that he invited me inside the observatory. I was amazed with everything that I saw. I didn't know where to start. I remember I was quiet a lot of the time in there. I was taking it in. Every corner that looked, I saw a planet and facts about it. I loved that so much. Joe and I went around and explored some more. It felt so nice just having him by my side. I think I'm crushing on this boy hardcore. I recorded some bits of it but not all of it. I honestly regret that so much because that could have been my memory of my first time being there. I felt it would be so awkward for Joe to watch me talk into a camera and I felt a little shy Vlogging in front of him. After browsing the observatory we went on these stairs. He was about two steps down below me so our height lined up perfectly. We spoke and he moved in closer. “This boy better kiss me right now” I thought to myself…..he didn't. So we went outside to the telescopes and I saw this big telescope. There was a man moving it around and it felt so nice. Just looking at him work on it made me feel so satisfied. When that was over we went downstairs into the front of the observatory and he showed me how far away the planets are from each other. We stood and watch the sun for a bit. Silly little Joe was trying to find a mountain lion. While he was doing that I was flicking off one of the many hundreds of flies that landed on his white shirt. The flies loved him. We started to people watch and we saw these two Korean girls. One of them had her friend take a thousand photos of her doing the exact same pose multiple time. Joe and I thought that was very entertaining to watch.He would switch back and forth to tan each arm. God he was cute ! We stood there in the sunset just watching it, very romantic. Still nothing...NO KISS ! Eventually the time came where we would had to leave. We had a second destination he wanted to take me where there was a great view. We hiked our way back down and proceeded to destination number 2! We stopped for 7-11 Pizza because I got him convinced at how amazing they are. He tried it and claimed it taste just like Georgina pizza. I got a coke and this is where things get fun. I found out Joe does not like soda….meaning COKE ! I love coke ! I spent the whole ride back trying to get him to sip a little bit of my coke. It was impossible. We made a deal that if I could find a coke with his name on it, he would drink it all. The search for that bottle is still on. We then had a little debate as to why coke is bad. Well he was trying to convert me to the healthy lifestyle but I didn't let him take me ! I love coke too much. We had arrived to our second destination. It was up up high in the hills in the dark road with no lights. Houses that looked expensive and super gorgeous. We got to the very top so we both got out of the car to look at the view. It was really cold. We went towards into the woods to get a better look at the view and my, it was gorgeous. I told him I was cold in hopes he would put his arms around me and keep me warm….he didn't ! We stayed for a good 5 mins if not shorter then we left. The drive back home was cute. I started to get more comfortable with Joe. I started stroking the back of his hair and he would turn over and just stare at me. Giving me a cute little smile here and there. I told him to give me a little smirk. I told him “now he's cute for the smirk” he asked was he not cute before ? I told him he was however I was trying to convince myself he wasn't only so I wouldn't get attached. The cutest moment from that night for me was when I would be staring at him and he would see from the corner of his eye. As soon as he turned over to look at me. I would look away. And when he looked away, yep you guessed it I did the exact same thing again ! It gave us both a cute laughter then he asked me “what are you 5 !”. He had only one arm rest and that was on his side. That was my excuse to get closer to him. I would rest my arm there and look directly up at him with my head tilted back so the only thing he saw would be my gorgeous lips. In hopes of him reaching down KISSING them…..he didn't. He would lean his head down towards me real close and talk to me but that was it. I felt like we bonded more on the drive back home. The night had to end of course and I made it back home. I told him goodnight and thanks for an amazing time. I expected a goodnight kiss this time for sure and guess what I got….yep you guessed it NO KISS ! I left his car and got into my lovely home. I then texted him saying “My god still no kiss ? What am I doing wrong?”. His response was “no you're not i just thought if we did it'll be harder on you when i leave.” And I had one of those Ah Haaaaaa moments. He didn't kiss me out of a good reason. This man has got the strongest self control game around me. I'm very surprised ! I basically threw myself at him many many times and he rejected it every time all for a good reason behind it. He didn't want me to be hurt when he leaves. Well that sweet gesture got my hooked on this boy even more. Now I see he thinks for others too. Hot damn ! Now why did I write this letter ? Well simply because I didn't get any of that day on camera, so I wanted to find another way to remember it. If I can't watch it in the future, I can at least imagine it again with the right details. Now what made me like this guy so much. It was the idea of him. I didn't meet him from a dating app like how I usually meet most guys. I met him in person. His intentions were different than how it would have been if we matched on tinder or something. Not only that, he found about me being transgender and was still open to taking me out and seeing me. That effort is the kind of effort you don't see in anyone else. He stepped outside of his comfort zone and was willing to be open minded. That by itself was so inspiring to me. Now I may sound like a crazy person expressing my feeling for a guy who probably only saw me as a friend and didn't think much of me. That's completely fine, because at the end of the day, I was able to have something to write about and discover I loved writing this story. If it wasn't for these experiences/feelings with him for the past couple of days, I wouldn't be here writing. Every since I started writing this, I couldn't stop. I think I love writing now. I love being able to tell a story. I wouldn't discover this about myself if it wasn't for Joe. Joe wasn't only a good friend, he was a crush and now he's an inspiration to me. All things come to an end, time caught up and so did our two weeks. Joe left and I stayed. Who knows if we'll ever meet each other again in the future. Time can only tell. For now, all we have are these memories that will soon be like a book we read long ago. Thank you Joe, for showing me how much fun writing can be. I wish nothing but the absolute best for you.