We were in desperate need of a fifth person for our Information Systems class project to fill the final role. I posted a bulletin announcing our opening and got a response from our Number Five who stated he could make our meeting. I checked out his personal webpage we were required to create as the first step of our project.

He was far away in the picture and wearing a hat.  Hard to tell, but my first impression--not cute.

But this was not group membership based on looks alone, of course. Not like the other four of us were much to look at.

At our first meeting, I kept an eye out for him, with a limited idea of what to expect.  Then, I spotted him.

And damn, he was good looking.

Our project went on throughout the semester as normal. The five of us became close and sat together in class, discussing school and our personal lives, getting to know each other pretty well.

Was I imagining things or was Number 5 flirting with me? Touching my arm, playful shoves, calling me about group details that had been well worked out at our previous meeting.

Then, two weekends from the end of class as we were filming our video portion of the project, he made it very clear that we had to be finished by 3pm so he could attend a sorority formal ... with his girlfriend.

Well, I was wrong. No big deal. He got on my nerves occasionally anyway, complaining about small project issues. Then, he went over the top at our video editing session when he went on and on about how he felt about his girlfriend and all the disgusting details of their relationship. 

Ew. Yeah, definitely wouldn't be able to handle a guy as mushy as himself.  Good thing I had given up crushing people's relationships just to get a makeout session with a guy I would be bored with by the end of the week ...

I had completely forgotten about the whole thing until last night, the night of our final, when we all agreed to meet up and take the exam together.

The two of us arrived first at 6pm and began the test. After we finished and helped the others through it as well, we all got up together to leave and said our goodbyes. It had been a great semester together. I was going to miss them.

"Michelle, I have your hole puncher in my car.  Walk out with me to the deck so you can get it."

I agreed, and as I followed him, we carried on one of our typical conversations.  I didn't think anything of him asking me what I was doing that night or what I was having for dinner.  It was stuff we normally talked about ...

"You want to go get some food?" he asked.
"Sure," I said, slightly surprised, but still thinking very little of it.

And I thought very little of our dinner conversation.  It was completely typical, but the statement that threw me off was, "Yeah, I thought about calling you Saturday night to see if you wanted to get out and do something."

Switch to Analysis Mode:  Why would he call me to hang out on Saturday?  Why would you want to hang out with a group project member unless absolutely vital to the project?  But then, wasn't he the type of guy who would have actual girls for friends and not have any other motives ... ?

He went into Analysis Mode himself when he discussed with me a text message he received from his girlfriend at 4am Sunday morning:  "Don't take this personal, but it's not a good day for you to come visit."

"She's ch--" eating, I almost said, but I realized that he was in some delusion that his girlfriend was whole-heartedly into their relationship.  She obviously wasn't.  Instead, I settled for, "I can't help you.  I don't understand men or women."

He paid for dinner and dessert and dropped me back off at my car.  I didn't have any cash on me to pay for half so we agreed ...

I owe him ...