In the two weeks since Eleanor had gone home, Chidi had been stewing, rather obsessively, over the fact that he'd nearly asked her to stay. Logically, he knew he did the right thing not asking. They'd really only just met. He couldn't ask her to just uproot her whole life just because he liked her. (Okay, maybe more than liked her.)

But that didn't change the fact that he wished she hadn't left.

They'd texted semi-frequently since she landed back in Phoenix. She'd told him about getting a new job at a co-op, a new apartment, a new roommate... but it wasn't the same. He wanted them to be in the same place.

And, for the first time in his life, Chidi began seriously contemplating doing something crazy.

Before he knew it, he'd formulated a plan that was, objectively, the dumbest idea he'd ever had. And he was going to do it. It was the dumbest idea he'd ever had, and he was going to do it.

All for Eleanor Shellstrop.

One day, two flights spanning seventeen hours, and a terrible case of jet lag later, Chidi stood on the doorstep of an apartment in Phoenix, Arizona, and was trying to talk himself into knocking. He was here. No going back now. Whatever happened... happened. If he hadn't done this, he never would've forgiven himself. All he had to do now was knock on the door and talk to her.

And so, with a shaking hand, he rapped on the door.

A woman answered, but it wasn't Eleanor. She was a tall, redhaired woman, a bit younger than him. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Uh..." He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice less squeaky. "Yeah, I'm looking for Eleanor Shellstrop?"

"You a friend of hers?"

"Yeah, yeah, tell her it's Chidi."

The redhead's eyes lit up with recognition. "Ohh, the professor! Yeah, she told me about you. I'll go grab her. One sec."

She disappeared into the apartment again, leaving Chidi to lapse back into his worries that he'd made a big mistake. Before he could think too much about it, however, the door opened once more, and Eleanor stepped outside. Her eyes were wide, like she'd seen a ghost.

"Chidi?" she said. Okay, she didn't sound too freaked out, just... shocked. That was good. He hoped. "Oh my G-what are you doing here?"

Chidi took a deep breath. In. Out. He could do this.

"I wanted to see you," he said. "I, um... is that the new roommate?"

She nodded. "Yeah, she's... she's nice. She works for a nonprofit and her old roommate moved out because he joined the Peace Corps. I figured, hey, if anyone can keep me on the straight and narrow, she can."

He smiled. "I'm glad to hear it," he said.

"How'd you even know where I live?" Eleanor asked.

"I meant to catch you at work," Chidi admitted. "But when I got to the co-op, they said your shift had ended already. Your coworker Danny told me where to find you."

She groaned. "Jesus. Thank God it was just you and not a serial killer," she said. "I don't mean to be cynical, but..."

"Yeah, you should... you should probably talk to him about that."

Then came the question he knew was coming.

"Chidi..." Eleanor said softly. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in Australia?"

He licked his lips, tearing his gaze away from her for just a moment. Oh, God. He was going to sound like a stalker. He was a stalker. This was stupid, this was stupid, this was...

"Eleanor, when you left Sydney, I almost asked you to stay."

Her mouth dropped open, but she didn't say anything. He forced himself to continue.

"I like you, Eleanor. I like you a lot. As more than-more than just a friend-student-thing. I didn't want you to leave, and after you went back to Phoenix, I thought about you all the time. So I... I decided to take a chance. I told my boss there was a death in the family and I needed three weeks off so I could go back to Senegal, and then I came here."

She was smiling, now. "Chidi Anagonye, are you telling me that you lied?" she asked. "To your boss?"

"What can I say? You've had an impact on me." Chidi let out a small chuckle, before looking her in the eye again. "I know this was insane of me to do, but I... I just felt like this is where I need to be."

"In Phoenix?"

"No. With you."

Eleanor stared up at him, eyes shining, and for a moment, the world stood still for them.

And then, before he could even begin to form his next thought, Eleanor moved towards him, throwing her arms around his neck and planting the biggest, messiest kiss he'd ever received right on his mouth. He sunk into it, his arms wrapping around her waist. He stumbled slightly, surprised, when he felt Eleanor lift her feet off the ground. She wasn't that heavy, but he was still worried he'd drop her. But he didn't. He just held her.

Finally, they pulled away for air, Eleanor letting out a laugh of astonishment as she leaned her forehead against his. He didn't want to open his eyes, didn't want to move away. He didn't want this moment to end.

"I like you, too," she whispered. "If that wasn't enough to tip you off."

"I could use more convincing," he replied, leaning in to kiss her again.

They kept kissing, the minutes flying by faster than Chidi thought possible. It was amazing how time ceased to exist at moments like this.

At least, until the door opened once more and a voice from inside the apartment brought them out of their love-induced haze.

"Hey, Eleanor, I was about to order pizza, what do you-oh, wow."

They pulled away, both smiling with slight embarrassment, and turned to see Eleanor's roommate standing in the doorway, eyebrows raised.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

"Uh - don't worry about it, we'll be in in a second," Eleanor said, her hand finding Chidi's.

"I take it we have a guest for dinner."

Eleanor glanced at Chidi, and the two grinned at each other. "I guess we do," Eleanor said, still not really looking at her roommate.

The other woman left once more, muttering something to herself about "trying to remove his tonsils with your tongue," leaving the two standing on the doorstep.

"Come on in," Eleanor said, pulling him towards the doorway. "I think... I think we have a lot to talk about. But first, dinner. You're probably starving."

They did have a lot to talk about. How would they spend the next three weeks? What would they do when Chidi's time in Phoenix ended? Would they try this long-distance, or would one of them move? How serious did they want this to be to start with? What would people say when they explained how they met?

And, a question that he could only think to himself. Was this the first chapter to the rest of his life?

Somehow, he thought so.

He could hardly wait.

Chidi smiled to himself, and followed Eleanor inside.

THE END.