It was your first day of college. The atmosphere was heavy, rushed—a sharp contrast to the slower rhythm you’d experienced in your final years of high school.

You had a small group of friends you’d met during registration week, but you were still pretty lonely.

In your first class, you arrived early, choosing a seat near the door as you watched other students walk in. That’s when your eyes found her.

Tall, blonde, blue-eyed, dressed in a summery outfit… she walked in with a few friends, her laughter light and angelic. She took a seat a few rows ahead of you, and your gaze didn’t leave her.

A little later, once the professor arrived, the introductions began. The class wasn’t very full, so it didn’t take long before you learned more about her.

She said that her name was Taylor. She was forty—though she didn’t look a day over twenty—had two children near your age, three cats, loved TV shows and to write, and lived not far from where you did.

Finally, it was your turn. You could feel all your classmates’ eyes on you, but yours stayed fixed on hers.