“So what kind of movies do you like?”

“Action, thrillers. Oh, and my all-time favorite movie is Star Trek: First Contact!” he said, excitedly.

“Star Trek!” I feigned shock. “I had no idea you were such a nerd.”

Zain pretended to look hurt. I giggled.

“You know, normally this would be the point where we would go our separate ways, but I’m trying this new thing out where I actually give people a chance.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “I feel so lucky.”

“Also, I’m really hungry, and the food hasn’t arrived yet.”

Zain laughed. “You know what I like about you, Leila?” He leaned in as if to tell me a secret. I took in the smell of his skin—clean and sharp, like the cool air right after it rained.

“What?”

“I like that you make me laugh,” he said, his eyes creasing at the edges.

The heat from Zain’s body closed in the gap between us, and everything stood motionless as our eyes locked for a few still moments. My heart pumping in my ears, I felt like I was under a spell. Is he thinking of kissing me? I thought as he reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers lightly caressed the outline of my chin, the soft touch lingering even after he drew his hand away. Zain playfully leaned his shoulder into mine, and I turned away. We both laughed just as the waitress walked in with our food.

We spent the next couple of hours in the privacy of our curtained enclave enjoying each other’s company. We swapped embarrassing childhood memories—like when his mother dressed him up in a gold sequined shirt and had him perform “Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast” onstage at his school talent show. Or when he found out that the marshmallows in his favorite Lucky Charms cereal were not halal and he locked himself in his room and cried for half a day.

Through the night, I had to keep reminding myself to play it cool because the last thing I wanted was to end up disappointed. But every time I heard the sound of his laugh, or felt his body close to mine or his fingers press against my knee, I felt fireworks inside. I was engrossed by his presence. I wanted to know everything about him. Even when he was sharing the most mundane details about his work, I found myself captivated, hanging on his every word. I liked Zain. I liked who he was. I liked how he made me feel, how I could be entirely myself around him.

At the end of the night, Zain walked me back to my car, and just as I was about to turn away, he pulled me in close, embracing me with a tight, lingering hug. I could feel myself melt into his arms, the sound of our hearts synchronizing into one steady beat. As I mentally went down the list of all the traits I could remember, I couldn’t believe how easily I was able to check them all off: #2: HONEST—check. #4: SENSE OF HUMOR—check. #8: SUCCESSFUL—check. #10: NORMAL—check. #17: CHARMING—check. #46: SEXY—check, and on and on. Never had someone come so close to everything on that list. He might not have been Mr. Perfect, but he was pretty damn close.