It was a Tuesday, in mid-September--- September 14, to be exact. He could recall that day in vivid detail even years after. He remembered he was taking Professor Heather Jackson’s Romantic Poetry and Prose course in his third year and it took place in the basement of the New College at University of Toronto. He remembered that the weather was cool and he needed a jacket, but it wasn't cold, and the school campus was already covered with a thin layer of leaves in red and orange and yellow, as if permanently stained by the sunset.

He remembered the first time he laid his eyes on her. Blonde and beautiful yet dark and dangerous, just like a warrior princess straight out of comic books and movies. She was breathtaking. Unearthly. She didn't belong in that dingy classroom. He had a hard time taking his eyes off her, distracting him from the lesson.

They were discussing poems from the Romantic Era, and one of them featured a ruined castle in it. The girl raised her hand and her lightning bolt earrings caught the light, the chains on her pants clinking. And the moment she said the ruined castle reminded her of a scene in Lord of the Rings, he knew. He didn't know how he knew. Perhaps it was because he was thinking of that very same scene when they were talking about the castle, or perhaps it was his subconscious reacting to its other half. He may never know, but at the very bottom of his heart, something stirred, and he just knew she was the one for him.

The girl proved to be as much as a nerd as him, which was surprising considering she looked completely the opposite. They would often, if not always, get to class early and sit in the hallway to wait for someone to unlock the classroom door.

"Want some?" he offered her the next day, holding out his pack of trail mix, as she was just sitting there next to him.

"Sure, thanks," she smiled, taking a handful. He couldn't hear enough of her sweet voice. He swallowed and made sure nothing was sticking to his teeth or lips, especially not those pesky little bits of dried fruit.

"I'm Simon," he introduced himself, flashing a brilliant smile. He was quite proud of his nice, even set of teeth.

"Martina," she grinned back. "Nice to meetcha. Man, this trail mix is good."

"Want some more?" Martina nodded and scooted over to him so that she could take it easier.

"You know, that Lord of the Rings scene you mentioned yesterday, that was awesome," Simon said in an attempt to strike up small talk after a few moments of silence and munching noises.

"Aw, really? Thanks," she said, munching happily. The next fifteen minutes flew by, the two of them talking non-stop about Lord of the Rings, only to have their conversation stopped by the professor unlocking the classroom door. This quickly became a routine, and Simon started buying extra large packs of trail mix so that both of them could have enough to eat, because that girl had an appetite.

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I think I overdid it a bit when I was describing Martina... I had too much fun imagining Simon saying that and I kept adding stuff ._.

and SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE EARLIER D; aff doesn't work half the time on mobile and I didn't have my laptop with me during the weekend, so. SORRY