Time for a little college story. Let me take you back to my freshman year at the University of South Carolina in 2002 — the night a girl showed up at my dorm while I was watching Office Space.
The 1:30 a.m. knock
I met her at a resident hall association meeting, where we sat next to each other and talked. I was an extremely clueless 18-year-old at the time. One night I'm in my dorm room watching Office Space, my roommate asleep across the room, and at 1:30 a.m. she knocks on the door just looking to hang out. I at least knew enough to invite her in to watch the movie — and we ended up hitting it off, sitting together since there's obviously no couch in a two-guy freshman dorm room.
The comedy of errors
At some point I got the distinct feeling I was being watched, looked over, and made direct eye contact with my very-much-awake roommate. So, trying to be smooth, I suggested we go find some privacy in the study room. Looking back, that was a silly move — but I was 18. Then, at the worst possible moment, my dad's advice about being responsible popped into my head, and I realized I needed to run back to my room for a minute. In those two minutes alone, something shifted for her completely — when I came back, she'd cooled off, got up, and left, and at the time I was devastated.
Looking back
Now it makes sense — she had a moment to reflect, and whatever came up for her, she followed it. Part of me used to think "you should've just gone for it," but honestly, I think I probably dodged a bullet, and I'm happy with how my choices worked out. A funny, relatable coming-of-age story. If you enjoy stories like this, you can find more on my life playlist here.