The young man didn’t appear to more than twenty years old and his creamy, bronzed skin blushed as he smiled, his dark brown eyes twinkling up at her. “Miss, a picture would never do your beauty justice. Forgive me for staring, but I found that I could not look away. Please forgive.” He replied.

That threw her. The irritation that had driven her from her half-eaten teriyaki chicken began to fade as a smile replaced her brooding scowl. “Are you serious?” she asked.

The dark-haired stranger nodded, a few strands of straight black hair falling down into his eyes. “Very much so.”

Alice watched him then, finally noticing how handsome he was. His deep complexion and accent told her he was probably South American. She watched his long, slender fingers pull the hair from his eyes. He had chiseled features with eyes that seemed to glow and a small dimple in his left cheek.

Unable to walk away, Alice took a seat across from him. “You’re certainly a charmer.”

He blushed again and she could tell he was shy. That only boosted her confidence. She stuck out her chest a little more and batted her eyes at him. “What’s your name?”

The stranger licked a set of perfect lips and replied, “My name is Paulo. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Alice extended her hand and they shook. “Paulo, I’m Alice.”

When they separated, he leaned back against the small booth and said, “I hope you do not think I was being rude. You really are very beautiful.”

She leaned forward; her elbow bent on the table. “You’re so charming. How could I not smile at that? Where are you from Paulo? Your accent is heavenly”.

Paulo blushed once more, smiling his shy smile. “I am from Argentina. I am here attending the university.”

Alice dug into Paulo’s details until she learned he’d been studying at UCLA for nearly three years, was an only child of an Argentinean banker, played soccer three times a week, and was a double major in accounting and finance. Though Alice had thought her days of dating guys was over, there was something uniquely intriguing about the crinkle in Paulo’s eyes that made her want to know him better. He shyly asked her for a date and she happily agreed to meet him the following day for lunch at the Asian eatery.