A sea of yellow cabs and black Ubers filled the street ahead as far as the eye could see. Alex checked is watch again to find another five minutes had gone by in exchange for only a single block. At this rate he was never going to get there.<br/><br/>“Thanks, here’s good,” he said to the driver as he popped the door open. Since he had pre-paid for the ride Alex simply jumped out and started jogging away. He turned down the crowded sidewalk of Fifth Avenue at full tilt, barely avoiding other pedestrians as only New Yorkers can do. Luckily it was a spring evening cool enough for jogging in his new suit.<br/><br/>Catching his breath on the escalator, he tried briefly to tame his rebellious brown hair in his iPhone’s back-facing camera, but it was hopeless. He shrugged and did his best to settle his heartrate. First impressions were so important.<br/><br/>“That’s her…” he said to himself as he walked casually near Cypresses, the painting they agreed to meet at. “Wow…” he added to no one in particular, just loud enough for her to hear. But – why was she not alone? He watched her turn away and realized she was being bothered by some unshaved poser.<span style="font-style: italic">Time for some fun,</span>Alex thought to himself.<br/><br/>He walked up behind the man on his left before tapping him on the right shoulder. As the man turned Alex snuck in and placed himself between the two of them. It worked, as by the time the man realized what was happening Alex was talking to her.<br/><br/>She could see that Alex was tall, around 21 years old and had a slim and athletic build. He looked directly into her eyes with his light blue ones and smiled mischievously. “Anastasia?” he asked, “Alex. Great to meet you. And so…” he added, turning to face the man who had been bothering her. “Are you that guy I saw on the news today? YES! I knew you looked familiar. Is this really the best place for you to be? You know – all these cell phones and security cameras and all that. Someone is bound to recognize you,” he added, doing his best to keep a straight face.