Impossible Dreams Ch 04

For as long as the make-out session lasted, it felt like an eternity. I was surprised with the amount of passion she brought to the point I was practically gasping for air and we were only making out. I didn't want to let go of her lush long brunette hair that smelled of cherry blossom. That aroma was her signature and it wasn't even her staple Rosseau No. 8 perfume, another tease without actually teasing when she wasn't trying to flirt. I only recognized the perfume because the still periodically send samples in the ads that they send in the mail from the department stores. I myself sported an Eau de Lacoste Vert that I was always told by my male friends that they were jokingly jealous thinking it was why women were attracted to me. Even then I wore mine not for special occasions all the time but still sparingly. "Hey, you better?"

"God you know how to cheer me up."

"Just doin' my job, ma'am," I said in my best western accent. Her giggle was so cute. If anything, I was being a half wisecrack than trying to be funny. I never thought I was that funny although I have no problems laughing at myself. But that made me want to kiss her again, but I only set aside a couple hours between meeting her at 10:30 and a 12:30 gathering with some friends. "I hate to break this up, but I've got friends from out of town that came in on Thursday morning and I'm meeting them in an hour."

"I knew you were a busy man, Nick, but daaayumn."

"And I still made time for you. Because I owed you that. You deserved me to keep that. Remember 'man of my word?' We may have years between us, but I still have my loyalty."

"Alright, alright, I get it. You kissed me again in case you forgot. That reminded me pretty well."

"Keep in touch, okay? I'm still not ready, but wait for me. I know that's a lot to ask, but you're worth it. and that doesn't mean we cant hang out."

"It's gonna be haaarduh."

"I know Dottie, but I trust you. And I know you trust me. If we keep texting and messaging like the past week, it'll be a lot easier."

"Okay, I guess."

"Be good." We weren't near officially together, but with the was some our conversations were going you'd think we were already.

...

We continued to chill that summer until she got caught up in her undergrad nursing studies in the fall. and it continued like that until her 21st birthday. For both of us, this "pretend long distance" relationship could've been classified as foreplay on its own. Now two days before her birthday that fell on a Sunday, I drove to campus fifteen mutes from my place to leave a note that I slide under the door to her room at her residence hall saying that I wished her a happy early birthday and that I'd stop by with a gift on Monday afternoon and that she should be ready for dinner that night. If she remembered anything at all about our very first serious conversation almost exactly three years prior, I mentioned me being ready. My life was actually already as stable as I wanted, but I was being careful that I waited until she was drinking age. Part of it was because I'm supposed to be the responsible one and I rarely drink myself in the first place since I like almost nothing of the liquor and beer variety. The one thing I knew about Monday night: it was time.

~~~

I was surprised that I got a note so early before my birthday from Nick. I guess he wanted me to enjoy my birthday weekend with my friends and family. But then I saw to be ready for dinner on Monday night... at HANRAHAN'S?! Holy crap, I was going to have dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in town! As soon I read the name out loud, I put the note down and started getting my look ready immediately. That was, until my phone rang. It was HIM. "Hello?"

Happy birthday, Dottie."

"Niiiiick! Oh my gosh I can't believe you made reservations for Hanrahan's"

"It's a special birthday, no? And thus not anywhere near close to where the surprises end."

"I'm so excited."

"Good, you should be."

"I've missed you, bae."

"I miss you to. Okay, yeah you might need to be a little formal, but don't freak out trying to impress me or something. You know I'm not like that."

"Can I meet you there?"

"Oh, I was going to offer to pick you up."

"We'll I did kinda find out next-to-last minute. Tomorrow's class might run over. class normally ends at 3:45 but we're having a Q&A with a surgeon from the Cleveland Clinic."

"Alright, then. 7:15 at the back parking lot and entrance."

"Sounds good, bye Nick."

"See you then!" Hanrahan's was a massive place, with an even bigger hotel. Not that big by big city standards, but big enough for a city of this size and in one of the nicer suburbs at that. I was still infatuated with Nick. Not a second passed without me thinking of how much time we'd be spending if we were actually together. As I had been in college, my dreams of him had gotten more romantic, more steamy. I'll admit I still did miss Harley - he was my first relationship after all and we were together a solid five years. But I was lusting Nick. I couldn't keep my mind off him. Just his periodic "hello" texts sent my brain into a whirl, knowing that he was willing to save himself for me.

As I learned more adult things, about sex and what not included, my thoughts grew even sexier. The only thing was, even when I graduated, he didn't give a sexual vibe. I knew he gave a romantic vibe - that was clear. But I wondered what if any experience he had had beyond maybe first base ever existed in reality or mentally. I wasn't sure if he was shy about sex because he had been so open with me. Not just with his relationships, but everything non-sexual just as he was with anyone. Student, co-worker, friend. It didn't matter but he wasn't overly open with any of it. Unless it was something he was really adamant about, he wasn't overly specific/ He wasn't good at being vague, but he definitely didn't give you spoiler alerts.

As evening approached on Monday, I couldn't contain my excitement through my 3pm lecture class. By the time it had ended, I was half changed (not in public of course). My mind wasn't on the lecture though I was smart enough to use my phone as a voice recorder while it was charging in the wall next to where I sat. For the six year that I knew him though I barely saw him felt like I knew him well enough, yet there were still so much of him that was a mystery.

~~~

Thankfully, I got to leave work very early. One of the perks of working my most recent job in the late winter/early spring. Baseball season didn't start for a month at the minor league level. It felt nice that I had finally got my shot to make a name for myself in December. Being the general manager of the local Triple-A team was not a position I had anticipated to have so quickly in my career. I didn't care, I was starting to go places. How would Dottie take it if I had mentioned sometime in the future that I got a big-time job in some big city? I didn't want to have her uproot her whole life for me but I didn't want to not be with her either. I'll admit, I was thinking more of her recently. How I would ask her out. How I'd plan our first dinner date. I didn't want to take her to the best place in town because we weren't technically together. But if anything it was a thank you for sticking around when she could've decided to be with anyone else.

I got to Hanrahan's a shade before 7. I paid for a couple extra amenities that I probably didn't need to. For the few times I had been, I knew enough what some of the extras were and their event schedule. I tried to avoid most of it. I'm not going to lie, Monday nights were the cheapest night to dine and there was a bundle offer for the early spring that included a night in the hotel with a lot of the fixings. They called it their "spring fling deal." Now I had no intentions of sleeping with her, but I did want to take the next step. Nobody might have suspected that we were an item even when neither of us thought it would happen, but here I was on the precipice of asking her out and enjoying a nice birthday dinner for someone who was a former quasi-student that happened to become a good friend with whom I happened to slowly become romantically involved with. Hey, twelve years is better than 40, not that age matters. For what it's worth, my dad's parents had upwards of 20 between them.

Everything was set. I had waited for Dottie's red 2012 Honda Civic at the back as promised. She had just gotten it as a graduation gift a few days after our encounter in the theatre. It was a lot better than her previous vehicle, at least from accounts of her classmates. She drove a 2005 used tan Chevy Impala that had been well worn, popular as that model was in that era. My silver 2017 Mazda 3 had a lot of miles in 6 years and I would need to replace it soon, but it rode just the same as it did when I bought it new. It too was a high school graduation gift, except I had a car that operated and sat on the money for seven years. There was an open space behind mine in the parking lot that I hoped she'd notice that it was available. She was only a few minutes behind schedule, but she probably didn't listen to me when I told her not to try to impress me. I did know there was a bad rush hour accident on the major highway that was still being cleaned up off the road and blocked two of the three lanes on that stretch. I just cared that she made it.

But when she had gotten out of her Civic. I had never seen her that well kept (she was fairly well groomed on her most off days). As was typical in my observation, the romantic that I am, went from that beaming smile with a hint of her reddest lipstick to her beautiful deep blue eyes only enhanced by the slightest amount of pale baby blue eye shadow matching her outfit. A lovely royal blue dress, not quite an evening gown. The only word that could describe her in that moment: elegant. I mean she looked cuter with her glasses on, but still beautiful with her lush brunet hair that she ever-so-slightly curled that her locks were barely wavy. I'd never seen her so classy so it was in stark contrast to what I was used to as she approached the door and myself. What the hell did I do to deserve such a person who became this wonderful human being?

"Oh, Dottie..." I couldn't talk fast enough. "You look absolutely dashing," was all I could muster, trying to search for a fancier word in my vocabulary so as to not undersell her beauty.

"Hi Nick, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," I said, while un-hiding the assortment I had been holding behind my back.

"Oh my gosh, Nickie, these are beautiful" She truly was flabbergasted by my selection of flowers as she smelled them. "Just curious, why yellow roses."

"I'll tell you later. I have a more important question for you."