It's been a while. This is a bit different from my other stories but I hope you enjoy!
I was nervous and excited. I was going on a date! I hadn't done much of that since my separation from my husband, or ever really. Prior to getting married my involvement with men had been mostly one night stands, (drunk or otherwise) even when I met him, it had been an immediate and powerful sexual connection that had progressed outwardly and, unfortunately, incompletely.
I was ready to take it slow, to try to see if I could develop an actual relationship with someone before the chemistry took over and I was buried in it (or over it) before it had even had a chance to begin. That didn't mean I wasn't craving an intensely sexual connection with someone, I just wanted no, needed, the other parts of me fulfilled as well.
It had started with a friendly message on Facebook of course, from an old friend. He had heard through the grapevine about my separation and was offering his condolences. From there we had started chatting fairly regularly, soon I learned his relationship had recently ended as well. I wasn't sure yet where I thought this might go, but I was certainly enjoying the attention and the thrill of what seemed to be the spark of something between us. Even though I was fairly confident, I had a shy side to my personality that I tended to reserve for guys I liked.
He made several attempts to ask me out but I demurred, preferring for the moment at least, the ease and comfort of an online flirtation. I was nervous about starting a new relationship, especially since I had yet to tie up the strings of the one I was just in. But something inside of me was whispering to give it a try, to take a chance and see what might happen. I told myself that if he asked again, I would say yes. And that if he didn't I would take the bull by the horns and do it myself. At least I hoped I could summon the courage, thoughts of rejection seemed to permanently lurk in my mind even though I doubted he would say no.
I waited a week, until we were having a phone conversation, a fairly new development, and at a rare break in the conversation, I blurted out that I thought we should hang out. My heart was beating super fast and the seconds it took him to reply felt a like a million years. The "sure" he replied was said in a casual but cheerful way and relief immediately flooded my brain. The tone of the conversation took on an excited one as we made plans to have dinner at the end of the week. After that we would play it by ear, see what we felt like doing. It was perfect.
So here I was, waiting on pins and needles, for his arrival. It had been a while since optimism had ruled my life and I was enjoying the feeling immensely. Even though I knew him fairly well, I felt like this was a whole new chapter and I was going to keep looking forward to what might come next. Ending my marriage had been the single most difficult decision I had ever made, but I was ready to move past that and not let it affect the future. I felt like this date, regardless of outcome, was the very first step in right direction.
When the doorbell rang I practically shot off the couch and stood up. I took a couple of deep breaths before walking to the foyer. My low heels clicked across the tile and I took one final inhalation before opening the door. There he stood, a nervous smile on his face, a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. I stepped back and subtly looked him up and down. He was wearing a white button down shirt with a slate-blue sportcoat and dark blue jeans. It was a cute and stylish outfit completed by blue vans that matched his jacket. Hot.
"Hi Aaron, come on in," I said, stepping back and allowing him to enter. He handed me the flowers and leaned in to hug me. I accepted them and slid my arms around his abdomen, inhaling his cologne in for a second before we separated. I offered him a seat on the couch as I went to the kitchen to fill a vase with water. He took it, propped one leg up on the other, slight ticks of nerves obvious as he moved his foot up and down. I put the flowers in the vase and set it on the coffee table.
