Xander and Cristina

The first time I bumped into Xander, I had just finished taking my final exam. Some of my classmates invited all of us out for drinks to celebrate our last time of the semester. Many of us would stay behind for the winter break while some were heading home for much-needed family time. My parents were vacationing in Italy, so I would stay behind at Crimson University and celebrate the holidays alone. 

“Come on, Cris, take a shot with us,” Josh chuckled as he tried to hand me a glass filled with tequila. I shook my head and continued to drink out my cranberry and vodka.

“She already told you no, dummy,” my girl Lily smirked. “I’ll take the shot with you, though.”

Of course, she would. Lily tried to hide her crush on Josh, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. 

“Let Lily take the shot for me,” I laughed. I grabbed the shot glass and handed it to my friend. 

“Let’s go, Lily,” Josh chuckled and tapped his glass to hers. “Record us, won’t you, Cris?”

“Oh, you already know I am,” I quickly took my phone out and pressed record.

“Are we counting down?” Lily asked as she took her place next to Josh.

“Yes,” I squealed. 

I moved out of the way, only to bump into someone behind me. I quickly turned to apologize, but instead, I poured my full glass onto the person’s shirt. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I quickly grabbed some napkins to help the spill, but the guy was already wiping his shirt.

“No worries, accidents happen all the time,” he smiled. Brown eyes met brown eyes, and if only I knew how quickly my life wouldn’t have changed upon meeting this stranger.

I had seen him around campus a few times. He was part of the Korean and business clubs.

“I know you,” I said as I grabbed the used napkins from his hand and stuffed them in my now-empty cup.

“You do?” He continued to smile at me, his beautiful almond eyes filled with amusement.

“I do,” I answered, “your name is Xander, right?”

“The one and only,” he chuckled. 

“What’s your name?”

“Cristina,” I smiled, “Compagno.”

“Cristina,” he repeated as if tasting my name on his lips. “What a beautiful name.”

“Oh, thank you,” I blushed.

“Oh my god, are you okay, Cris?” Lily asked.

“Yeah we just had a small incident,” Xander replied with a smile. “She wasn’t harmed but I can’t say the same about my shirt.”

“She is a clumsy one,” Josh intervened.

“I can see that,” Xander replied, not taking his eyes off me.

“How about you buy me a drink instead of adding more adjectives to my name, hm?” I smiled.

“Whatever the lady wants,” Xander spoke to the bartender who nodded and quickly began to remake my drink. “So what are you here celebrating?”

“Finishing my final exam, isn’t that why we are all here,” I grab my drink with a quick thank you to the bartender.

“Ah, of course, finally free of those pesky professors. Can’t say I won’t miss some of them,” Xander replied as he grabs a beer as well.

“Oh yeah? What was your final exam?”

“Thermodynamics,” Xander shrugged.

“Elementary Statistical Methods.”

“Not bad,” He nods.

I couldn’t describe what I was feeling, but I felt a spark began on my chest and slowly made its way to my burning cheeks. Is this what a new crush felt like? 

“So why aren’t you ganging with your family this holiday season?”

“My parents are vacationing in Italy, visiting family,” 

“Hm that sounds like fun.”

“You won’t believe what happened at the last family reunion I attended. My zia Marisol tried to teach my Nonno how to use emojis on his phone.”

“No way! How did that go?” Xander smiled as he leaned closer to me.

“Oh, it was a sight to see. Nonno was so confused that a random emoji would pop up every time he pressed something. At one point, he accidentally sent a thumbs-up to Nonna when she asked him if he wanted more risotto.”

“Classic Nonno move. I bet everyone had a good laugh.”

“Absolutely! That’s the beauty of family, you know? No matter how technologically challenged they are, or how many embarrassing stories they have about us, they always make everything more fun.”

“You’re so right. I was just thinking about my little niece the other day. She’s learning to talk, and she calls me ‘Samchon Funny’ because apparently, I’m the one who tells the best bedtime stories,” he chuckled.

“Samchon Funny, that’s adorable! Kids have a way of giving the best nicknames. It’s like they see something in us that we might not even notice,” I laughed.

“Yeah, it’s like they have this magical ability to bring out the best in us. Makes you appreciate family even more, doesn’t it?” Xander reflected before taking a sip of his beer.

“Definitely. They’re our built-in support system, our cheering squad, and the ones who love us unconditionally- even if they embarrass us with emojis or give us quirky nicknames.”

“Hey, that makes it all so special. Wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Xander nodded, a warm smile on his lips.

Our conversation continued each word strengthening the bond between us. As we sat there, surrounded by the chatter of the car and the gentle rhythm of life from our fellow peers, I realized that I didn’t want to leave behind this newfound feeling I was beginning to feel with Xander. 

“Xander, we have to head out,” someone called out towards us. 

“Shit, I forgot I have to head out early tonight,” Xander cursed.

“I’ll give you my number,” I said as I reached for a napkin and a pen from my purse. I jotted down my number and handed it to him. He grabbed it and put it in his pocket before leaning towards me and kissing me on the cheek.

“It was nice talking to you, Cristina,” he smiled. Hopefully, it won’t be the last time.”

“We have all the time in the world,” I returned his smile.