"Hey"

Tomas had been thinking about the garden when he heard a lovely voice in his thoughts, realized it was someone in real life (cough cough) and turned around promptly to get a look at them.

What he saw was a sight to behold-a stunning redhead female who wanted to talk to him.

It was enough to make his numbers-based mind freeze. Unfortunately, not his mouth.

"Uh..ah...eh...I mean Hi!" he stuttered over his words like the bubbling buffoon that he is.

How to describe this angel from heaven? Her skin glistened in the sunlight as her soft warm eyes and kindhearted smile...wait, were her lips moving? WAS SHE SPEAKING AND HE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS GODDESS FROM ABOVE? So of course, he had to do the most sensible thing and excuse himself at that moment from her presence. He would tell her he had an event to go to and that would be that.

"I am sorry. Could you repeat that?" Fool. What was he doing? Asking a lady such as this to partake in chitchat with him? A self-proclaimed nerd who made friends with the math professors and studied in the business library? There was not even a slim probability that she could even be remotely interested in him.

Yet she stayed besides his bench and started talking again to him instead of at him like he was expecting.

Maybe he was wrong about his whole outlook? Maybe all she wanted was directions to the library and he was mistaking it as her asking for him to recite a Shakespearean sonnet to her.

In either case, he better shut his mouth, close his jaw and let the woman speak her mind.

"Hi, my name is Aila. Aila MacWhillan. I'm a transfer student here from another university and I...It's quite embarrassing to say this actually, but I got lost trying to go to the library. You know, the main library. I mean you know, not I know. Like why would I know at all. Oh my God, am I ranting? I'm so sorry. So could you give me directions to the library as I'm new here?"

He was speechless. This beauty could speak and...oh god he needed to get out more. His brother was right. He was hopeless when it came to interacting with a member of the opposite sex.

In that moment, he remembered some acting classes he had taken as a kid and decided to play off natural charm to her. Just don't mess this up, he thought to himself.

"Aila, may I call you Aila? You, my dear, are not ranting at all and I would love to tell you the directions to the main library. However, it is a long way off from here and a bit of a walk so would you like an escort?" he spoke without nervousness at all.

She smiled and quickly accepted his offer, seeming relieved at his kindness.

Inside, however, he was a mess. Why did I offer to escort her? What am I doing?

He thought that he must be out of his mind. This behavior was usually out of character for him.

Oh well. To an adventure with an austere stunning beauty at his side! At this point, his thoughts were in such a whirlwind that he missed her latest remark.

A hand swatted by his face and he stood up startled. "Silly. Let's get going!" she said excitedly.

As they began the walk to the library, he decided to start up a conservation as he knew the silence would kill him and make his thoughts continue to run rampant.

"Aila, I believe I have not properly introduced myself." He started to speak and she interrupted him.

"Oh my, I forgot to ask your name! What's your name? What's your major? Where are you from?"

She questioned him and while asking the last phrase, looked passionately into his eyes with piqued interest.

"Thomas. I mean Tomas." He stammered while keeping his composure as cool as a cucumber.

"I'm confused. Is it Thomas or Tomas?" she asked him while pronouncing his first name right which surprised him.

He grinned and answered, "Tomas. Tomas Althaus-Rodriguez at your service."

Continuing, he replied to her other two questions, "I am majoring in accounting and I am of German origin, but I was born in Venezuela. That's why my name is in another language."

"Really? That's interesting because my family is from Scotland. I was born there too and my name is in the Scottish dialect. But never mind me, I'd never met someone who wanted to be an accountant before." She told him with a hint of glee in her eyes.

"Strike that, I am majoring in accounting, but specializing as an auditor. I plan to be a CPA and work as an auditor at a corporation. The business world calls me...heheh." He chuckled at his last statement and saw understanding spring in her eyes as their walk almost came to a close.

Before losing his chance (and his nerve), he asked, "And what of you? What is your major?"

"Communications. I am naturally very good at speaking and writing. It's a broad field and so far the classes have been fantastic...I'm babbling on again aren't I?"

Aila looked at him as though there was no one else in the world and his heart ached.

For what, he did not know the answer to that question. At least, not yet.

"No. You're not." His response was sharp and to the point. After a few seconds analyzing his words, he decided to add in a few kind words to her as well.

"You do not need to explain to me the reasonings for your decisions or even prove that communications is the intended major for you. I believe that what you have chosen will suit you just fine."

With those last words, he saw her off at the entrance at the library and waved a parting goodbye to her.

He was about to turn around and head back to his Bench of Solitude when he heard something more.

"I would like to meet you again if I could."

So would he.