The house was huge. I don't mean like a large apartment. I mean this was a little outside the city and massive. Much larger than the homes I saw back home. I could tell immediately that they were old money. 

I just took a deep breath and went up to the door, which opened as I reached it. Melissa stood in the doorway, motioning for me to come in. "I'm so glad you're here!" she said excitedly. "I haven't had anyone over that didn't freak out about my house or anything since I was in middle school. You can put your coat over here." She pointed at a seat next to a shoe rack. "Just lay it on top. No one's going to sit on it or anything."

What she didn't realize was that I was too scared to touch anything. Still, I did as she said and put my jacket on the bench with my scarf. While I was pulling off my shoes, my phone buzzed. "Are you living here by yourself?"

"No, my parents live here, too. My brother does too, but only sometimes. He recently moved to an apartment but comes back to stay in the guesthouse from time to time. I'm never quite sure when he's here, though." She started walking and I followed her to the living room. It was large but cozy with a faux fireplace. "Have a seat anywhere. I just finished a pitcher of sweet tea, so I'm just going to go grab it. I  sat out some cookies and chips, so get you a snack and make yourself at home. I'll be right back."

Once she walked away, I gawked at where I was. It was nicer than any house I'd lived in. This room had a modern feel, but there were some rustic elements that made it feel cozy. I carefully sat on their plush couch and sank in. It was crazy comfy. 

"I hope you don't mind if your tea is kind of warm," Melissa said as she walked back into the room. I tried to sit up straight, but I'd sunk so far into the couch that I was struggling. She giggled a little when she noticed. "I love that couch for that very reason. But, um, I forgot to make ice last night, so the tea is kind of warm. I put it in the fridge this morning, but it didn't really help."

"That's fine by me." I finally managed to escape the grasp of the cushions and slid to the edge of the sofa. "Thanks again for having me over. I'm grateful for the help."

"Oh, no problem." She sat delicately on the edge of the cushions and poured two glasses of tea. "What did you think of my brother? If you don't mind me asking."

I shrugged and was about to give her a dismissive 'he was okay' when I noticed that she was genuinely waiting for an answer. "I liked him well enough," I said honestly. "He seems nice and even the silence felt comfortable with him."

She smiled at me over the rim of her glass. "Good. He has a tendency to come off as a little bit shy, but I promise that he's not. He's just a bit quiet is all." 

"Anyone home?" a male voice called. 

"Living room!" Melissa shouted back. 

Andy walked into the room. "I was starting to worry when I heard voices and Mom and Dad weren't home." He noticed me on the sofa. "Oh, hello. Sorry for the shouting. Anything I could get you?"

"Oh, no, it's fine. No worries." I held up my glass. "Your sister already took care of everything."

"Good, good." He looked at her and then back at me. "I was actually about to take my car for a test drive. Either of you want to come?" 

Melissa and I looked at each other. Finally, I shrugged and said, "Sure."

"Come on," he said, gesturing behind himself at the door. "We can drive to our other house. It's down in Petersburg."

"Okay." That was pretty close. Maybe a half hour. We'd probably be back before too long and I could get in some studying.

"I'll go grab your coat," Melissa said, standing and hurrying to the foyer before I could say anything. 

I stood as well and took another sip of the tea. "She did a good job on this," I said as I sat it down. "I hate running off on her."

"You're not running off on me," Melissa said as she reappeared behind me. She handed me my jacket. "The snacks will be here when you get back." She plopped back on the couch. "I'll just be here whenever you get back. The snacks aren't going anywhere, either."

I gave her a small smile. "Good to know." I turned to Andy. "Ready."

---

Peak fall in Virginia, when you're driving through some of the smaller towns and the roads that don't have much on them, is almost breathtaking. I had seen it every year for the last four, but I still couldn't get enough of it. The air was so crisp, the colors were so vibrant, and the leaves falling made the ground as bright at the trees. 

Andy had his window down, so I could smell the wonderful forest scents in the car. I was tempted to put mine down as well since it was an unusually warm fall day. We'd left the city and were on a state highway, going a bit longer of a way to Petersburg, so if I did put my window down, at least it wouldn't mess up my hair as badly. 

He reached over and turned up the radio. "I love this one," he said. Ariana Grande's voice filled the car. He started singing along with her. It was adorably off-key. His deeper voice didn't line up at all with her notes, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Like you can do any better," he said, also laughing.

I took a deep breath and, even though I couldn't quite reach her notes, I came closer. I just grinned at him while he laughed and shook his head. 

That moment, I think, was the moment that I began truly falling. The whole afternoon I was out with him, his eyes kept turning to me, and I soaked it all in. Was this what it felt like to captivate someone? His attention made me feel like I was the only person he would ever think to look at. Like I was the only girl for him.

I loved it.

At some point near dusk, we finally reached his family's house. It was outside the city, but was as beautiful as the one they were currently living in. According to Andy, they rented it out as an Airbnb regularly, except when they came down to get away from the bigger city. 

The house had a small pond in the backyard and leaves were floating on the surface like small boats. There was a pathway leading to it from the front of the house. The house itself was like a log cabin and had a rustic feel to it. He led me to the front door as he fished out a key and let us in. 

I walked in and immediately it took my breath away. The back was made up of several small windows, making a large window that revealed the gorgeous fall foliage in the woods behind the house. The evening light coming in the bathed the room in reddish gold. 

"Beautiful," I said under my breath.

"Just like you," he told me. I looked over at him, blushing. He had a small smile as he watched me. "You can look around if you want to. I'm using the bathroom and then we should probably head back."

"Okay." I watched him walk away before walking into the kitchen. The lights came on as I entered. Crystal glass in the chandelier overhead cast some small rainbows around the room. I walked around and ran my hands along the cool marble counters. While I never considered myself as having much prowess in the kitchen, I was pretty sure that anything I made in this room would look good. Everything looked like it was top of the line. 

I made my way back into the living room as I heard the bathroom door open. "Like it?" Andy asked.

"Yes," I said quietly, taking one last look at the view before joining him in the foyer. "Did you grow up in this house?" 

"No, I grew up further down the coast. We didn't move this far north until about ten years ago. I was glad we did, though. School down there wasn't the best thing, so moving up here was kind of like a saving grace for me." He looked at the giant window. "I just don't understand people sometimes. Never have, probably never will. Especially the bullies in this world. Still, I just can't bring myself to actually hate them because they're also people." He shrugged and turned to me with a faint smile. "Let's go."

I followed him out the door into the evening air. It was beginning to cool off and I could feel the change in temperature. I pulled my jacket closed and reached up to readjust my scarf, but there was nothing there. My scarf was somewhere else. I mentally retraced my steps and realized I left it at his parents' house.

"Want me to drop you off?" he asked as we got into his car. 

"Actually, I left my scarf at your place. Would it be too late for me to stop by to get it?"

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Probably," he said, turning his attention to the front as he pulled out. "They're probably having dinner right about now."

"Okay. I'll just get it later."

We drove in relative silence, broken only by the songs on the radio. This time, he took the interstate and was pulling into my drive in 40 minutes.

He studied my parents' home as he parked. "Nice place."

Not as nice as yours, I though to myself. "Thanks. It's pretty modest since we were on a tight budget when we moved, but I love it."

"You're not from here?" 

I shook my head. "I grew up in Atlanta, but I've loved living here so far. The fall is amazing."

We chatted a little longer about where we grew up and why we now loved the area. My mom peeking out the window made me remember that I'd missed dinner and it was now pretty late. We'd been chatting for an hour, but it was an hour that I wouldn't take back for the world. 

I started to reach for my door, but Andy stopped me. "Can I see you again?" he asked. 

"Of course," I said, more confidence in my voice than I felt.

He smiled. "Is dinner, okay? Not tonight, obviously. We can do tomorrow, though. I can come pick you up around six."

I returned the smile. "Sounds good."

"It's a date, then. I'll take you somewhere nice."

"Okay," I said breathlessly. His hand slid down my arm and he lifted my hand, pressing his lips to the back of it. Even though neither of us said a word as he released me and I got out, the kiss felt like it spoke volumes.

As I walked to my house, I pressed my hands to my cheeks, hoping to get rid of some of the red before my mom teased me about it and my dad asked who he was. 

---

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