The sun was setting on what had been a gorgeous day. Beginning with the boat ride to the private island, to lying in the warm sun and feeling the gentle breeze, right up to and including this sunset picnic dinner on the beach, the day had been nearly perfect. She'd never expected her first date with the man sitting on the blanket next to her would be like this. But she'd enjoyed every minute of it and wasn't nearly ready for it to end.
The day began with a leisurely boat ride across the beautiful, clear blue water. She hadn't known he could pilot a boat, much less that he owned one. By far, discovering these new facts about him would not be her only surprise on this day. Arriving at a deserted island was certainly unexpected, but not at all uncomfortable for her. She was thrilled to be spending a day of privacy with the man who was quickly capturing her attention, her thoughts, and likely her heart. They had nothing but time on this sunny, warm day - time to spend together and to discover more about each other.
They climbed off the boat where he had anchored it near the shore and waded through the shallow water to the beach. He confidently, casually grabbed her hand once they reached shore, like he'd been doing it his whole life, causing her heart to beat a little faster and her smile to be a little bigger. They had been playing 20 questions with each other for a while to learn obscure little tidbits about each other, and he picked up the game now as they strolled leisurely on the path around the small island.
"So, you said you'd bring your Bible to read, and you'd want sweet tea to drink, and either chicken or mac and cheese to eat. But you never really said who you'd bring with you to the island. Got an answer for that one yet?" he inquired.
"Well, you're making this choice look pretty good, I gotta say," she replied, coyly cutting her eyes at him, intentionally flirting with her very charming and handsome friend.
"I was hoping you'd feel that way," he responded, stopping at the entrance to a beautiful garden. He led them onto the path that wound its way through the garden that was filled with stunning, fragrant roses. He knew it was her favorite flower, and loved watching the amazement play across her face as they strolled through the garden, her eyes and smile even brighter than they usually were. It was a green eye day, he noted, fascinated that her eyes actually did change colors. But green was his favorite, he decided.
He reached out and picked up a red rose from a display of multi-colored roses that had already been cut from the bushes and presented it to her, enjoying her surprise.
"For me? It's beautiful. Thank you," she said.
"Beautiful ladies deserve beautiful roses," he smoothly replied, watching with pleasure as she raised the rose to deeply inhale its fragrance.
"Did you know that there's significance to the color of a rose?" she casually asked as they continued their stroll, leaving the garden and continuing along the path that allowed them to explore this idyllic island.
"Like yellow for friendship?" he replied. "Or pink for admiration and elegance? Yeah, I'm aware."
"And you specifically selected a red rose for me, so I'm guessing you've got a few more plans up your sleeve for this date," she responded.
"Well, I was hoping," he said, smiling at her banter.
"You could have selected white for purity, or yellow, or even pink...but you didn't. Red roses are for romance, my dear friend. Are you planning on romancing me?" she teased.
"Well, I was hoping," he repeated, capturing her teasing mood himself and playing along.
"I'd say you're off to a great start," she replied.
"You think so?" he asked, stopping suddenly and spinning her into his arms. He brought her arms up to circle his neck and put his own around her waist pulling her close to him. It was the closest they'd yet been to each other and she could feel the effect it was having on him. Yes, she thought. Definitely a great start for what she hoped he had in mind!
"Oh, absolutely," she answered. "In fact, I'd have to say this is just about the most romantic location I've ever experienced."
"The day is still young," he replied, using his hands to rub the small of her back, sending shivers through her body at his touch. He smiled at her response to him. "There's still lots of romancing ahead of us, my dear."
Rather than go too far too fast, however, he let go of her slowly, choosing to grab her hand again as they resumed walking and pick up their game of 20 questions. As he said, there was still much ahead. Why rush it now?
"OK, let's see. I know a lot about you already, but I still have a few questions left of my twenty. What about this...what did you want to be when you were growing up?" he asked.
"Another easy one. Only two things -- a lawyer or a teacher," she quickly replied.
"A lawyer, huh? What happened to that dream?" he wondered.
"Well, it's still kinda there, if you want the truth. If there was any other job I'd want to do other than teach, it would be that one. And I'm such an American history and U.S. Constitution geek, I feel like I could do well in a courtroom. I just choose to channel that passion into teaching fifth graders about it instead of whole-heartedly defending my clients, that's all," she responded.
"I could easily see you being successful at that. I consider you a very passionate person, no matter WHAT you're doing," he replied.
He saw the blush rise on her cheeks and thought it made her even more attractive. Just about that time, they'd arrived back at the beach, so he suggested they sit down awhile and enjoy the warmth of the day.
"Sounds like heaven. Besides, I'm guessing we've covered your 2 miles for the day," she said, smiling up at him as they spread out the beach towels he'd been carrying in the pack on his back.
"Yeah, but don't you have a few more miles to add to your total today, Miss?" he teased, taking off his t-shirt to let the sun warm him.
