It was a dark and stormy evening. Jennifer watched the drops of water hit the window in an apparently random array. She blew a puff of warm air against the glass and attempted to draw shapes, constellations, letters, anything between the drops but nothing appeared. Jennifer wiped the glass clean with her folded napkin, inhaled deeply, and settled into the center of her seat. It was 6:28.
She liked 6:30. It was the perfect time for a first date, the hands of her watch aligning perfectly. Noon was also a good time but lunch dates were difficult to accommodate and other times such as 3:15 or 7:45 were too oddly timed and they didn't quite line up the same way. No, 6:30 was best.
The door opened and Jennifer caught her breath. Strikingly handsome with a jaw cut like a solved Rubix cube, he strode toward her purposefully, his feet never landing on a single crack in the floor tiles. Could this be...?
"Hi, Jennifer, I'm David," he smiled, taking a seat. Her stomach fluttered a little. "Nice to finally meet you."
She smiled but before she could say more, the server approached. "What'll you have to drink?"
"Water and a Black Butte Porter, please," replied Jennifer.
"I'm an IPA guy. I'll have the Little Sumpin' Sumpin' with a lemon wedge, and a glass of water as well," offered David.
After the server left, Jennifer leaned forward. "Lemon wedge, huh? That's pretty bold."
"Is it?"
"Sure, you know they're teeming with germs. They never wash the peel before cutting and they're left in conditions that encourage bacteria propagation."
David smiled benignly. "Excellent points, but the pH of the lemon acid has been proven highly effective as an anti-bacterial, as well as killing cholera and leptospirosis bacteria."
Jennifer's blood rushed to both her face and her nether regions, the former in mild embarrassment and the latter in the beginnings of arousal. David knew his germs. What else did he know?
They chatted casually, discussing their friends and interests in common. Jennifer noticed when he excused himself to wash his hands before dinner, he was gone enough time to scrub the minimum requisite 30 seconds. She misted her hands with sanitizer. David returned as she was arranging her cutlery.
"Right angle girl, huh?"
She smiled sheepishly. "It just looks tidier."
David reached across to cover her hand with his warmer one. "Are you tidy with..." he paused meaningfully, capturing her eyes with his own, "everything?"
Jennifer's skin flushed and pulled her hand back as the server brought their food and the pregnant moment passed as they resumed their lighthearted conversation. Both worked in similar fields in the sciences, were occasional road warriors, and enjoyed the art of the bad movie as well as the skill of an excellent one.
Too soon, dinner was over. Through the strength of Jennifer's and David's combined wills, the dinner check never appeared, which would have created potentially uncomfortable questions about who was to pay, chivalry, and gender roles. Instead, when they finished their meal, they were free to leave.
David interlaced his fingers with hers as he walked with her through the crowd of waiting diners, striding with the purpose of an icebreaker moving to its arctic base. Moving her forward through the door, he placed his hand lightly on the small of her back, creating an electric shock that arced and ricocheted to each finger, toe, nipple, and her hot, molten center.
They walked outside, continuing their conversation in the perfectly temperate evening, hands lightly touching. Jennifer chewed the inside corner of her mouth lightly as they approached the end of the restaurant district. "Would you like to grab a cup of coffee or something before calling it a night?"
David raised his eyebrows slightly and grinned. "My place is around the corner if that would work. Closer than heading back."
Jennifer's eyes danced with amusement. "Will you also be showing me your etchings?"
"Nonsense," David chuckled. "I'm actually a part-time writer, not an illustrator."
They entered his 18th story flat with broad windows over-looking the cityscape. She walked to the window, dropping her jacket on the couch behind her. "What a magnificent view!" she exclaimed as he walked in, bearing two steaming cups.
"Yes," he said in low tones, "it is," leaving no question about what he was admiring.
Jennifer turned and took both cups from his hands and set them on the conveniently nearby table as she approached him. Aided by her 6-inch heels, she placed her hands on his smooth cheeks to bring his lips closer to her softer ones. As their mouths locked, Jennifer was overcome, forgetting in that moment all thoughts of the number of germs moving during this single exchange of fluids.