I Will Always Love You Read Free

shy. I am not even sure if he has ever been on a date with a girl,” Brigitte remarked.
    “Oh,” Melissa said as she thought that she and Stefan already had something in common. Although Melissa had been on several group outings with friends her age, she never really had a date with a boy. She attributed this to boys not being interested in her because she was always at least twenty pounds overweight from other girls her age.
    “Do you want me to tell him that you like him?”
    “ Nooo ,” Melissa cried.
    Brigitte laughed. “Okay, okay,” she said just before Rolf whisked her off to the dance floor for one of their favorite songs.
    Melissa watched them dance as she glanced around the table and realized that she was left sitting alone with Stefan. With butterflies in her stomach, she gave him a slight, nervous smile.
    “How are you enjoying your first festival in Germany?” Stefan asked as he moved closer to Melissa so that he could hear her reply.
    “Oh, this isn’t my first festival in Germany. I’ve been to other festivals when I was younger and my family and I were here visiting. But I’m having a really good time,” she said as she gazed into eyes that she thought were a light blue just like a Chicago summer sky. She also noted that the white tee shirt he was wearing was in perfect contrast to the thick, dark hair on his chest that was poking out the top of the shirt.
    “How long are you here for?”
    “Only six weeks. I start college at the end of August.”
    “So, you are eighteen years old?”
    “Yes.”
    “I will be twenty in December, and that is when I will go into the army for two years. For now, I go to the university.”
    What is your major?”
    “Major? I do not understand what that is,” Stefan said with a perplexed look on his face.
    “Oh, I’m sorry. A major is what you are studying in school. What you will do when you graduate ? ”
    “Oh, now I understand. My ‘major’ is writing. I would like to be an author when I am finished my studies and my time in the army.”
    “If you want to be a writer, then why are you going into the army?”
    “All German men must give two years to the German army when they are twenty years old.”
    “Oh, I didn’t know that,” Melissa said as their friends returned to the table.
    “I see that you and Stefan are having fun,” Brigitte said to her cousin.
    “Yes. He seems very nice.”
    “Would you like to dance, Melissa?”
    Melissa looked up to see Stefan standing over her. She looked at hercousin who had a big smile on her face.
    “Go,” Brigitte urged.
    As Stefan led Melissa to the dance floor, she had butterflies in her stomach for the second time that night. I hope I don’t step on his feet , she thought to herself.
    Stefan took Melissa into his arms as they began to sway to the music.
    “You will have to forgive me if I step on your feet, Melissa. I do not have much practice with dancing.”
    She smiled up at Stefan, who at 6’ tall was several inches taller than Melissa even though she was wearing high heeled sandals. “I was just hoping that I wouldn’t step on your feet.”
    “Well, I suppose we will both have to help each other on the dance floor.”
    Dancing in Stefan’s arms, Melissa felt as if she were in heaven.
    “Do you have a boyfriend in America, Melissa?”
    “No. I really don’t have much experience dating,” she replied honestly.
    “Good.”
    “What?” Melissa looked up at Stefan with a puzzled look on her face. She immediately saw that he was embarrassed.
    “I did not mean, I um,” he stammered. Stefan looked into Melissa’s green eyes, took a deep breath, and boldly plunged ahead. “I would like to see you more while you are here in Germany.”
    “I would like that, too,” she said as the song came to an end. “I suppose that we aren’t too terrible at dancing. We didn’t step on each other’s feet once during the entire song.”
    “Yes. We dance very well together.” He led Melissa back to the