B is a few years older than I am and 'between ladies' right now- he's hinted at a semi-recent breakup but for some time has been enjoying the single life. He's really not at all my type, except for being intelligent and generally attractive, but I'm drawn to him anyway. We'd met months ago but our acquaintance was exclusively through C, as they work together. Out of necessity, we've exchanged a few random instant messages in the past but about three weeks ago we began chatting in earnest.
For the first time maybe ever in my life, the conversation got down to brass tacks almost immediately. There was a little flirting but mostly just to test the waters before we started making plans to meet, and after a few stops and starts (schedule conflicts are a bitch) I ended up at his place at about 10:30 last Friday night.
Oh, God, even though we'd agreed this was only going to be (hopefully) an intense makeout session, I was so nervous I stood outside the door for several minutes trying to stop shaking. It's of the utmost importance to me that I appear calm and composed with him- I suppose it's my way of maintaining some feeling of control in a situation that has seemed from the outset to have been almost preordained. This isn't serious; it isn't emotional, but it's sure as hell SOMETHING and whatever it is had me excited and skittish as I've ever been.
When he unlocked the door the deadbolt shrieked and momentarily shattered all of that carefully-constructed composure, but I pulled it together and went inside. I laughed because it was dark- he'd warned me days before that things were a mess and I'd suggested that he simply keep the lights off and I'd never know- and then he flipped on the hallway lightswitch. We took a few steps into the room and I leaned up against the wall while we made idle conversation, hoping my legs wouldn't give out and a little glad that I could so easily continue with the facade of nonchalance.
"So how do we do this?"
"I don't know. Turn out the light." And he does.
Wow. It's suddenly VERY dark. I'm not used to rooms being this dark anymore, not where I live when even at night with the curtains drawn you can still see distinct outlines of everything.
"Where are you?" he asks. "Really. I can't find you."