Kally's American Rendezvous

Kally practically jumped out of the taxi before it had fully stopped in front of the beige suburban house. Her aunt and uncle were already waiting outside. Her cousin Noah came running out of the house. Her uncle and Noah carried her luggage inside while her aunt paid the taxi fare and hugged her tight. 

“Oh my God, Kally! How tall you’ve gotten over the years. You’ve become such a beautiful young lady.”

Her face brightened at the word ‘beautiful’. If she was going to fall in love this summer, she might as well look the part.

“You really think so?”

Her aunt raised a brow, a mischievous glint shining in her eyes. “Are you trying to impress someone, huh?”

“No, no — nej.” But her flushed cheeks and jittery tone gave her away.

Greta gave her a knowing smile. She saw a younger version of herself in her niece. She was about her age when she crossed the seas to arrive in the States from Sweden to chase her dreams. Now she stood here with her husband and son, proving that sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith.

Kally was looking forward to meeting her extended family. But she had another wish too - that maybe, just maybe, she would find a tall, charming and incredibly handsome boyfriend over the summer.

Kally settled in quite well at her aunt’s home. She even got her own bedroom. Every successful charmer needs her lair, after all. Her uncle Garry taught her about the most important stuff — American food, like the barbecue they grilled out in the open and the ooey-gooey mac ‘n’ cheese that she had almost inhaled. He was a great cook — not surprising for a chef at one of the city’s most prestigious hotels. Noah, who’s only a year older than her, told her about the American public school — football games, cheerleading, prom, things that sounded so utopian to her. He brought her along to one of his matches, where the bright stadium lights had almost blinded her. He also promised to take her to all the hot spots later. She was ready. This summer, she would definitely find her hot American boyfriend.

The first stop was the coffee shop. She’d once read a YA novel where the male lead was a barista — sweet, gentle and adorable. Why not give that a shot? But the moment she stepped in, all her hopes were crushed. The baristas were cute, sure, but … wrong gender. Noah had tagged along but she didn’t notice when he had left her side and went up to one of the girls behind the counter. She was petite, brunette and had freckles across her cheeks — she reminded Kally of a doe. Noah kissed her on the cheek.

At least someone found a partner here, Kally thought.

“Kally, meet Selene, my girlfriend,” Noah said. “Selene, this is my cousin Kally who came all the way from Sweden.”

Selene gave her a warm hug and started gushing. “Oh my God, you are so gorgeous, Kally. So nice to meet you. Noah, why did you never tell me you had a princess as a cousin?”

“You’re exaggerating Selene. I am your prince anyway, why do you care about her?”

Their banter made Kally fuzzy from within but also crave for something similar.

The next hunting ground was a party being thrown by one of Noah’s soccer buddies. In her favorite teen show, the main couple first met in a party just like this one. If it worked out for them then surely it would for her too, right? Wrong.

The guys from the soccer team that Noah introduced to her were athletic and tall, but their vibe just wasn’t there. At first, she genuinely tried to connect with them. They seemed interested enough, complimenting her accent and asking about Sweden. But beyond that, nothing. Their jokes fell flat. Their charm felt rehearsed. They wanted to impress her — and somehow managed to do the opposite.

Nope. Kally refused to give up hope. As the saying goes, third time’s the charm, so she decided to go for it— the classic but reliable: bookstore. This time, she went alone. For all she knew, Noah might actually be her good luck repellent.

She found a cozy nook at the bookstore and sat there with a rom-com book whose title sounded interesting. Her idea was simple: she would spot a hot nerd and go ask him the meaning of some random word from the book. Then she would flirt with him and bam, secure a date.

She was just flipping through the pages at first, scanning the store intently. But half an hour passed, and there was no sign of any remotely attractive boy around. Frustrated, she actually started reading and a few paragraphs in, she was completely absorbed. Before she knew it, it was already evening, and she got a call from her aunt telling her to come back. Mission failed yet again.

Kally lost the motivation to dress up for outings, or curl her hair or carefully do her makeup. She stopped checking her reflection in the mirror twice before leaving. In fact, she started to distance herself from anything that even slightly screamed romantic. It felt as if destiny simply wasn’t on her side. There had been so many scenarios, so many perfectly curated chances to find true love — and yet none of them had worked out.

She went to the community pool looking her absolute best, only for the tanned, broad-shouldered lifeguard to casually mention his boyfriend. The cool skater at the park? Taken.

The stories had lied.

Summer was almost over. All she had done was get her hopes up. She had made up her mind. Screw the American boyfriend. She could be happy on her own. She was a pretty, independent woman after all.

Naturally, fate chose that exact moment to stir things up.

Kally had gone to the mall with Noah and Selene. By then, the girls had grown surprisingly close. The three of them had movie nights at Noah’s house, and sometimes Kally and Selene even had sleepovers of their own.

Kally had opened up to Selene about her hopeless quest for true love and her growing frustration. To her surprise, Selene had given her some genuinely good advice.

To lighten her mood, Selene would sometimes share stories about her troublemaker brother. From those stories, Kally formed a very specific image in her mind — a ten-year-old boy with curly brown hair, scraped knees, and maybe even a missing front tooth. She would inwardly chuckle at the image of the cute kid, smiling at her with his cherubic cheeks puffed out.

They were seated at the food court, waiting for the burritos and nachos they had ordered.

“My brother will be joining us in a few minutes, he just called me,” Selene said as she returned from the patio.

“Wait! Will he come here by himself? Isn’t he too young to travel alone?” Kally asked, unable to hide her surprise.

Selene and Noah looked at each other — and burst out laughing.

“Kally,” Selene said between giggles, “he’s your age.”

“If he still can’t travel alone, then I have no words,” Selene added. “Though, on second thought, maybe he should have a nanny, considering how often he gets into trouble.”

Heat rushed to Kally’s cheeks.

“Excuse me,” she muttered, already stepping back. “I need to go to the restroom.”

She was wiping her hands with her napkin, not exactly watching where she was going. She knew Selene for two months now and never bothered to ask more about her brother. Such a friend she was.

Oomph.

The floor seemed to vanish beneath her feet. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for yet another humiliating moment — but instead, a pair of strong arms caught her.

“Are you okay?”

Kally opened her eyes slowly and tilted her head up to look at her savior.

Her heart skipped a beat.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, with the most mesmerizing brown eyes she had ever seen. A few unruly curls framed his face, now softened by a look of concern.

“Ja — thanks!”

She straightened herself immediately, stepping out of his arms. His gaze, however, didn’t waver.

“I’m really okay. Thanks for catching me. And I’m sorry too. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“No, I— I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I kind of… stopped walking when I saw you.”

Kally blinked.

“I just didn’t expect someone like you to crash into me,” he added, almost sheepishly.

Warmth spread through her chest.

“Oh, uhm, really? Thank you.”

“If you don’t mind, could I maybe get your —”

His phone rang. He froze, glanced at the screen and muttered something under his breath.

“I’m really sorry, I have to go. I hope we can meet again someday.”

And just like that, he was gone.

Of course, what did she even expect? Dejected, she walked back to her companions.

There was someone new sitting with them at the table, a guy, but his back was turned towards her.

Broad shoulders. Dark brown curls.

Selene’s brother, she assumed.

But something about his presence, the quiet confidence in his posture, felt familiar.

Noah called out to her.

“Here she is. Kally, this is Selene’s brother, Leo.”

For a split second, he looked distracted — almost disappointed.

Then his eyes met hers.

Recognition flickered — then flared.

His entire face lit up.

Kally felt her breath hitch. She couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her own face.

Noah looked back and forth between them while Selene raised an eyebrow.

“Have you guys already met or what?”

“I helped her.” “He helped me.”

They said in unison, then they both laughed.

She grabbed the seat next to him. Selene stared at the two but didn’t press. She didn’t need to.

Well… that was unexpected, she thought to herself.

Lunch flowed easily after that. And when Selene and Noah became absorbed in their own conversation, Kally leaned closer to Leo.

“Guess I can give you my number now, huh?” she whispered.

“Y-yeah, of course.”

He passed his phone to her. While typing in her number, she noticed, from the corner of her eye, a bright red tint creeping up his ears. Adorable.

He was nothing like the troublemaker Selene had described. If anything, he was a complete gentleman — exactly her type.

Maybe she had been looking in the wrong places all along.