Just two teenagers getting to know each other.

Our first meeting wasn't anything special.

At least, it didn't seem special at the time.

Sophie and her boyfriend had invited us to a little boba shop they practically lived at after school.

It wasn't just a place to grab a drink.

It was where everyone hung out.

There were shelves lined with board games, a few arcade games tucked into one corner, comfortable couches scattered around the shop, and the smell of steamed dumplings floating through the air.

People stayed for hours.

Some came to study.

Others came just to talk.

It was the kind of place where nobody cared how long you occupied a table as long as you bought a drink.

My order never changed.

A honeydew slush with boba.

I ordered it every single time.

When it was my turn, I stepped up to the counter and placed my usual order.

As I moved aside to wait, another person stepped forward.

Matt.

He stood in front of the menu for what felt like forever.

The line behind him was getting longer by the second.

People were starting to shift impatiently.

He kept staring at the menu like it was an exam he hadn't studied for.

I couldn't help it.

"You know..." I said quietly.

He turned toward me.

"If it's your first time here, you should try the honeydew slush with boba."

He looked back at the menu.

"Is it good?"

"It's my favorite."

He smiled.

"Okay, I'll try that."

A few minutes later, we found Sophie and her boyfriend at one of the couches.

Matt took one sip of his drink.

His eyebrows lifted.

"This is actually really good."

I laughed.

"I told you."

What I didn't know then...

Was that he'd order the exact same drink every single time after that.

For the entire five years we were together.

That was Matt.

Once he found something he liked, he saw no reason to change it.

He was the tried-and-true kind of guy.

Whether it was his favorite drink...

His favorite restaurant...

Or the people he cared about.

The four of us spent the afternoon playing board games, laughing over ridiculously competitive rounds of Mario Kart, and sharing baskets of dumplings between matches.

To my surprise...

Conversation with Matt came easily.

There wasn't any pressure.

No awkward flirting.

No grand romantic moment.

Just two teenagers getting to know each other.

By the end of the afternoon, we exchanged phone numbers.

I knew exactly what Sophie was hoping would happen.

She thought introducing us would magically turn into a love story.

It didn't.

Not right away.

That day, we didn't become boyfriend and girlfriend.

We became friends.

Looking back now...

I think that's what made us work in the first place.

After our first meeting, it took a week before I heard from him again.

Not that I was counting.

Okay...

Maybe I was.

The small piece of paper with his phone number sat on top of my dresser all week.

Every morning I'd see it.

Every night before bed, I'd see it again.

I knew one thing for certain.

I wasn't going to be the one to call first.

Not because I didn't enjoy meeting him.

I did.

The afternoon at the boba shop had been surprisingly easy.

Conversation flowed naturally, and somewhere between board games and dumplings, we'd become friends.

But we both knew why we'd been introduced.

Sophie and her boyfriend had made that painfully obvious.

The last thing I wanted was for Matt to think I was calling because I'd been pushed into it.

If he wanted to talk to me...

He could call.

Sophie, of course, wasn't making things any easier.

Every day at school, she'd ask the same question.

"So..."

I already knew what was coming.

"Have you called him yet?"

"No."

"You should."

"I'm not going to."

She sighed dramatically.

"You're both so stubborn."

"Maybe."

"No, definitely."

I just laughed and changed the subject.

By Friday afternoon, I'd almost convinced myself he probably wasn't going to call.

Maybe he'd decided we were better off as acquaintances.

Maybe he wasn't interested.

Maybe he'd only been polite because our friends had put us in such an awkward situation.

I got home from school, tossed my backpack onto the floor, and changed into an oversized T-shirt.

I was looking forward to a nap.

The phone rang.

I glanced toward it.

Probably Sophie.

Again.

I let it ring once.

Twice.

Three times.

For some reason...

My heart started beating a little faster.

Every time the phone had rung that week, a tiny part of me had secretly hoped it was him.

I told myself not to be ridiculous.

Still...

Curiosity got the better of me.

I picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

There was a brief pause.

Then I heard a familiar voice.

"Hi..."

It was Matt.

And suddenly...

I wasn't tired anymore.