It wasn't supposed to be a date. Elias had been trying to fix a jammed printer in the library when Sarah, a girl he’d seen exactly three times, offered him a spare ink cartridge and a sympathetic look. To thank her, he suggested coffee. They spent forty minutes arguing over whether a hot dog is a sandwich and another twenty realizing they both owned the same obscure 1970s sci-fi novel. When Elias walked her to her car, the air felt a little lighter.
The air in the small coffee shop was thick with the scent of roasted beans and the nervous energy of two people who had absolutely no idea what they were doing. Five Dates
By the fourth date, the "honeymoon phase" of perfect first impressions hit a wall. Elias tried to cook a complex Thai curry for Sarah. He burned the rice, forgot the ginger, and accidentally set off the smoke alarm. Sarah arrived with a cold and a bad mood from work. They ended up eating cereal on the floor, Sarah wrapped in a duvet and sneezing, while Elias apologized for the smoky smell. But as they laughed at the absurdity of the "perfect evening" failing so spectacularly, the pressure to be perfect finally vanished. It wasn't supposed to be a date