The Intern

When I was twenty three, I had just started as an intern at a website. There were a bunch of good-looking women there, but to me, the most alluring was also the quietest and most mysterious: Lauren, the photo editor. I rarely had any cause to interact with her, but I made excuses to chat with her when I delivered her mail, and when no one was looking, I’d often gaze longingly at her picture on the site’s “about us” page.  It turned out one of the designers had a crush on her too — he’d secretly Photoshopped her headshot to a lustrous glow. But she was pretty glowing on her own.

One night I brought my roommate to an office party that Lauren was hosting, and the moment we walked in the door, that same designer, who’d barely said a word to me, greeted me and blurted, “Hey, what’s up? I’m really drunk! I have such a crush on Lauren! She’ll be on the market soon, she’s on the outs with her boyfriend!” At this my heart was aflutter, but I still was four years younger than her and an intern.

But when we were leaving, standing in the hall outside the party, Lauren came out, seemingly to catch us, clearly a little upset. She said some nice things to me about my work, fixing me with her big eyes, but there was an edge of desperation in her voice. Eventually I said, “How’re you doing? You look a little stressed out,” and she said, “Yeah, just stressing about this party” — clearly not the case — and I said, “Well, we’re going to this bar — you’re more than welcome if you need to escape."

She looked me in the eye and said, “I would love to escape with you, Leo.” We ended up dating for two and a half years. — Leonard

Submit to our next round-up. 15 Stories: Biggest Courtship Blunders. Remember that time, when you were certain you had it made with the man or woman of your dreams? And then you ruined everything with one ill-timed quip, spilled drink, or sneeze? Tell us about it 75-100 words, on our Facebook page or to submissions@nerve.com