Part 8

      Two months have passed since your first date. The two of you have gone out on weekly dates since. Your budding romance has become a hot topic of conversation for your friends. You find yourself met with a near constant barrage of questions by everyone you know. "How do your dates go? How often do you talk? Have you met any of her friends? Are her friends cute or single? How far have you gone with her?" At first it all overwhelmed you, but their concern and interest in your life only serves to show how much they care. As for the two of you, you have grown much closer. You've started opening up to her more, no longer worried about how she would react to your past or to some of the odder portions of your personality. She's told you of her past, her interests, her friends, and family. You've begun to think you may have fallen in love for the first time in your life. Your heart swells at the mere thought of her. The moments the two of you are apart seem dull and meaningless to you now. "Just a few more days until the weekend. Perhaps I can plan another date? Anywhere would be fine, I just want to see her," you find yourself thinking as you arrive home after a long day's work. As you step inside you receive a text: "I want to see you." The contents of the message from your love mirror your own thoughts; two loving hearts longing for one another. You quickly reply to her text. "I do, too. Would you like to come over here for dinner?" Anticipation and nervousness overtake you as you send the text. "Her first time in my house, and for a dinner date at that. I'm setting the bar quite high," you say, as you sit down. Two minutes pass with no reply, then two more. At the ten minute mark, you began to worry. Her normally punctual reply never came. "Did I say something wrong? Am I moving too fast for her?" Your confidence shattered, you begin to feel the apprehension familiar to a heart in love. As you begin to descend into the depths of an ocean of worry, you at long last receive the message you were waiting for, "I'll be right over." In the moment you read the reply you are taken from the pits of the abyss to the heights of rapture. You jump to your feet and start your preparations. "I need to shower, shave, clean, and start dinner. Mood music? Candles? Wait, what do I expect out of tonight?" stopped in your tracks by a single thought. You knew dinner alone would be intimate, but what sort of evening were you expecting? Your night to play out like some plot from a romance movie? Did you just want to see her, or did you want more? "This is no time to get distracted. Of course, I would love it if that was the turn the evening took, but I'm getting way ahead of myself," you think to yourself, hoping to shake off the nervousness that had begun to build in the pit of your stomach. You quickly clean up your house, paying special attention to your own room. You hurriedly shower, shave off your stubble, change into more fitting attire for the evening, and take to preparing dinner. Just as you finish your preparations, you hear the doorbell. "Coming," you shout as you walk to the door. Upon opening the door you are greeted with the smell of perfume, and the charming voice of your love, "Sorry I took so long. I had to get ready." Your thoughts stopped as she came into view, her "get ready" comment was an understatement of a lifetime. Gorgeous did not even begin to describe her. Rather, the figure of a heavenly being stood before you. "You're just in time. Come in, and have a seat. I was just cooking dinner," you replied after a few seconds lost in a dreamlike stupor. "I can help if you want," she mentions as she enters your home. "That's alright, dinner is almost done anyway. It's your first time here, just make yourself comfortable," you remark. You guide her to the living room, then return to the kitchen to attend to the food. "Your place is surprisingly clean for a single guy," she adds. "I don't like clutter, but it's not normally this clean," you admit with a laugh. As you bring the food to the table, you notice her carefully investigating your living room. "Dinner is ready. I'll give you the not-so grand tour afterwards," you announce. She makes her way over to the table quickly. You pull out her chair for her. "Oh, a gentleman," she remarks jokingly. You smile and respond, "I make every effort to keep the woman with me happy." She holds her hand to her mouth and laughs. "You sound so serious. Sit down and let's eat," she says. Not one to complain, you sit across from her, and begin to eat. The two of you make small talk over dinner, telling each other about your day at work, and what you've done since you last spoke. Over your small talk you begin racking your brain for ideas of what to do once you are finished eating. "Perhaps a Movie? No, that's stupid, I want to talk with her. A Game? No, that's childish..." Lost in thought as the two of you finish your meal, you carefully look around for something, anything, to keep the evening going. After another moment you impulsively blurt out, "Would you like to join me for drinks?" Her eyes meet yours, and with a smile she says, "Sounds great. I'm not much of a drinker though." "Neither am I honestly, but it's a special occasion," you add, as you grab glasses. "Oh? And what special occasion would that be?" she playfully inquires. "I'm here with you. Every moment the two of us have together is a special occasion," you reply without missing a beat. Her face turns bright red, caught off guard by your straightforward comment. "Will wine be alright?" you ask. "Y-ahem. Yeah, that's fine." she responds with a crack in her voice, obviously still a little flustered by your comment. "Lets continue this conversation in the living room where it's more comfortable," you say. "It will also give us a chance to get closer together," you think to yourself. "Alright," she replies. The two of you make your way to the living room. She sits down right beside you on the couch. You begin to feel tipsy as you continue to talk and drink. You notice that she's starting to feel the effects of the wine too. Her face is slightly red. Her red tint serves only to further highlight her beauty. After a few drinks you begin to feel completely relaxed, joking and laughing while you talk. She has gotten much more affectionate as well, moving herself closer to you, wrapping her arm around yours, and laying her head on your shoulder. You can smell her perfume, and feel her warmth against your body. Your mind wanders back to your earlier expectations for the evening. "I'm feeling kind of tipsy, are you alright?" you ask, looking at her. She sits up and replies,"I'm alright, just a little woozy." Her face is so close to yours. You find yourself lost in her eyes. Before you know what you are doing you are drawn into her lips, kissing her as passionately as you can. Her arms wrap tightly around your chest. Her warm and loving embrace only spurs you on. You are so close to her. You can feel her quickening heartbeat, beating in time with your own. The two of you break away from one another for a moment. You look at her veiled in a look of yearning as she stares back at you. Your thoughts are mess; you want to tell her the depth of your feelings but you can't find the words. Watching her chest rise and fall breathing heavily, you whisper to her the only words that come to mind, "I can't think of anyone else I would rather spend a night like this with."