I had always noticed Julia. Not just because she was especially beautiful, but because I kept running in to her at the oddest places. Every once in a while, feeling like the barbarian American I actually am, I would decide to do something cultural. One time, I went to the Natural History Museum, and there she was. After that, at the Museum of Fine Arts, I spotted her studying a sculpture from all sides. Whether I went to a Beethoven concert or a pop festival, she would be there.

And every time, she would be draped over another guy. She was what people call a ‘free spirit’. That was a kind way of saying she was flighty. Julia had the habit of diving right into lusty affairs, declaring that she had found her soul mate. Her friends soon learned to take these statements lightly, and would roll their eyes when she waxed poetically about the virtues of her new lover, knowing he would be replaced before long.

She had a very broad academic interest, as well. It was so broad, in fact, that her new guys always got her interested in their field of expertise. Sometimes her affairs would be serious, and she would stick to the same subject for months at a time. She had studied History (John), Philosophy (Mark), Geography (Jack) and was now taking Spanish because she was involved with a Spanish exchange student (Julio) at the moment.

I know all this because Julia’s affairs were legendary in our small college town, and also because I made sure to make friends within her social circle. She intrigued me, you see. Unique individuals have always interested me, and if anything, Julia was unique.

I first met Julia in my Western Civilisations history class, around the time she got involved with John. It was a required course for me and also somewhat boring. Needless to say, I enjoyed it much more after Julia joined us. I always made sure to sit in the back so that I would have an uninterrupted view of her head for an hour and a half. I especially enjoyed the moments that Julia would raise her hand for a question or a comment. I felt each time that I got to know her better.

Julia was a conscientious student. This may seem contradictory with my earlier claims – that she was flighty – but you will see I am right on both counts. Though Julia was prone to changing interests at a moment notice, she took each interest seriously. She would attend every lecture, do all the class work, and often stayed behind to chat with a professor. The teachers were always sad to see her go, as it was rare that talent and beauty combined themselves in their classrooms. I am myself but a mediocre student, as I am prone to daydreaming and prefer fiction to facts.

Over the months that followed, I injected myself in her group of friends. This was not as hard as it sounds, as I knew John fairly well from my History classes. By the time the romance between Julia and John had come to an end, I had befriended several others, and was therefore able to stay. I attended all the parties I thought Julia might be at; however, I always chose to remain at a distance. I’m sure some of my more alert friends remarked upon my attention for Julia, but thankfully they never mentioned it to me. I suppose they thought I was hopelessly in love, and that it was kinder not to draw attention to the fact that she was out of my league.

I witnessed the switch from John to Mark, the enrollment in Philosophy 101 and the subsequent dropping of Western Civilizations with regret, for it meant it was harder for me to watch her unobtrusively. Luckily she was a frequent topic of conversation. Half of the girls in our group secretly envied her, although they deplored her flightiness in public. The men only noticed her beauty.

She seemed to enjoy both Mark and Philosophy. You might therefore imagine our surprise when she moved on to Jack. She then INRUILEN Plato’s Republic for an atlas, throwing herself into geography. Even that did not last long; Julio soon appeared on the scene. He charmed her off her feet; there was no way she could have resisted. Any warmblooded woman would have been delighted that such a perfect specimen of bronzed manhood had decided to pay attention to her. He had us men muttering about fake tans and oily European men behind his back, although we all did our best to be seen as his friend when he was around.

This affair did not run the usual course. Julia did not tire of Julio. With names like theirs, they were destined to be together. Or so they proclaimed. When Julio’s visa ran out and he was forced to return to Spain, Julia was devastated. She continued to study Spanish with fervor, and could not be tempted by any male on campus. Her friends started to respect her dedication to their relationship, even if it was long distance, and thus, according to the latest Cosmo wisdom, doomed from the start. She had even started making plans to go study in Spain herself for a while, and was becoming quite proficient in the language. I think even her parents allowed themselves to hope she had found her niche and was determined to stay there for once.

The same dedication could not be said of Julio. He called her less and less, and frequently did not respond to her emails. It seemed his interest in her was waning. He even had the nerve to send her a photograph of himself and a grinning, large-chested blonde – in swimwear. Julia got the message right away, and stopped contacting him.

It was then that I made my move. I grew up with four sisters, and I had counseled them through a fair amount of heartbreak. I knew the moves.

I made sure I was around when Julia first emerged from her dorm room. She stood in front of the vending machine, red-eyed, tissues in her hand, and in search of some serious sugar. I was sitting on the one lounge couch without a broken spring, and I immediately jumped up when I saw the machine rejecting her dollar. I fumbled for my own wallet, and was able to press a crisp bill in her hand. She gave me the lovliest, most heartbroken smile I've ever seen in my life, then disappeared back into her room, closing the door with a most definite click.

That was phase one. Phase two consisted of bumping into her all around town, waving and giving her a friendly smile. We soon moved on to phase three, which consisted of her sitting next to me on the couch while she devoured her latest purchase from the vending machine. Soon she was telling me all about Julio, and how everything reminded her of him. It was a watershed moment when she let me take her out for drinks, and proceded to denounce him once she was properly plastered. In fact, I had every hope of soon rising from the ranks of dependeble, platonic friend, into the enviable position of boyfriend.

I sometimes thought Julia was starting to look at me differently. She once slipped and said, “Jason, you're so different from the men I usually date, I mean, hang out with.” She blushed and changed the subject in order to hide her confusion. I would lay awake at night, wondering if she could truly be falling in love with me. Every minute I spent at her side heightened my hopes, and made me afraid at the same time. I imagined my fall from cloud nine had to end with a large 'splat!'; not a pretty sight at all.

I counseled myself to be patient. Pretty soon Julia would see me waiting for her, of that I was sure. I read flirtatious meanings into everything she did, and could barely stand to be in the same room, I wanted her that badly. In spite of that, I behaved like a perfect gentleman whenever we were together, and never let her know how much she was on my mind.

Then, one night, when my hopes could be raised no higher, we were sitting in our favorite diner. Over dessert, Julia made this little speech. “You know, Jason, I really want to thank you for what you've done for me. You've helped me through this hard time, given me my confidence back, and really made my life happier. In fact, thanks to you, I think I'm ready to go back into the dating scene.” Then she blushed, and leaned a little closer to me. I couldn't believe it was finally happening, and leaned towards her, ready to finally kiss her perfect mouth. I had already parted my lips when she continued, “Could you introduce me to your goodlooking friend Mac?” I closed my mouth, and felt my hopes dashing onto the rocks below. My body followed, bobbing in the current before washing ashore, mutilated and unidentifable. However, being the perfect gentleman that I am, I kept all this to myself, and said, “Certainly.” And I did as promised.

I hear they're married now.