I listened to her and smiled. After thinking about it for another hour, I decided to go back to the drugstore. I stood in front of the cash register. I said I forgot the receipt, to which she replied, “Nice to have you back.”

We agreed to go out to a movie that evening. Six times she hoped we’d go to the new Angelina Jolie flick, and that I’d buy us a large popcorn with lots of butter.

We met by the box office. She was wearing a beautiful black dress. Straight off, I told her we were going to see the Angelina Jolie movie, and then I went to buy us a large popcorn like she wanted. Nurit said there was no need, and got truly annoyed when I told her I was going to buy it anyway. I was starting to freak out that maybe she had changed her mind and I was ruining everything, but I think I got it right because she ended up holding my hand the entire movie. As we walked out of the theater she told me she had a really great time, and I told her I did as well. I considered kissing her, but preferred not to before I knew for certain she was into it.

3.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING she thought it a shame I hadn’t put my arm around her during the movie. Then she thought it was strange that a guy like me had never been in a serious relationship, which actually made me happy, because I admit I was starting to worry about it too. Nine times she thought yesterday was truly perfect, twice that my shirt was kind of ugly, and four times that she couldn’t understand how she had gotten so lucky as to land someone like me. I found it slightly troubling that she had three negative thoughts, but mostly I was happy the date had been a success. Around noon she texted me to suggest meeting at a restaurant by her house, but I suggested we take a long lunch break and sit at the small café in the strip mall. I wanted to keep listening to the radio until the very last second. That way I was able to tell her “I get the feeling you just had a very annoying customer,” and she said it was incredible how well I read her. We order cappuccinos, and sixteen minutes later I told her I had just remembered Benny needed something from me at the shop, and darted back to the storage room to listen to her. She thought it was a little odd, me disappearing on her in the middle of our lunch date, but also that she was having so much fun talking to me that she didn’t really mind.