Kara woke that Sunday morning with a stretch and a smile. There were no demands on her time today and the weather was the perfect “stay inside and do nothing kind of day”. Her mind wandered to what she’d like to do as she rousted herself out of bed, maybe she would finish that book, or maybe even watch a movie. It had been a while since she’d indulged in doing nothing but what she wanted.
The first thing she did was put some jazz on the CD player, letting the sounds fill her mind and home. She bopped to some Larry Carlton and Fourplay and made a cup of tea, there was nothing quick about her movements, no need to hurry a thing. She flipped open her laptop computer looking for an email from a client, not that she’d work today, but she wanted to make sure he had sent her the information she needed for a meeting tomorrow. There was mail but not from her client. This email was from a web site for which she had written romance stories; writing had become a hobby and creative outlet for Kara. Maybe even more than an outlet, more likely it was a way to feel good and have hope about love.
Kara was single and had just broken off a relationship a few months back, she was feeling the loss of the excitement of having someone special in her life, maybe even loving someone. She wasn’t sure if she had loved him, but she did love the feelings he brought out in her and the joy he added to her life. Since they’d gone their separate ways her life was a bit bland. That was when she began writing romance stories and she loved it. She was surprised at just how much was inside her, just waiting to come out. Maybe he had been the catalyst for all this she thought; maybe it had been inside all along and just needed to be released. But it didn’t matter any more; she just enjoyed the activity and was pretty good too, according to her friends and family. She was just having fun writing and that was all that really mattered.
She read the email about one of her stories from a man who had enjoyed her latest creative musings. He was a romantic he wrote and thanked her for writing a sweet story. He hoped she would continue and mentioned sending her roses as a gesture of thanks. What a pleasant way to start the day Kara thought, its nice when someone enjoys a story. She returned an email thanking him for taking the time to write and thanked him too for the gesture of the roses. He was a romantic it seemed.
While listening to the music and enjoying the morning Kara noticed a reply from him. “Only a gesture?” he wrote. “Perhaps we could meet for coffee sometime.” In his first email he had mentioned living near Boston, as she did too, but she didn’t think any more about it until he mentioned meeting for coffee. Humm, interesting she thought. “A public place, I promise I am not a weirdo!”, he wrote. She laughed, everyone says that! But she had been meeting some of her online friends lately and she was glad too, as they had all been so much more than she could have hoped for, so she actually surprised herself and responded to him with a “sure, why not?” They made plans to meet later in the week at a central location. Kara made sure it would be busy enough to provide a sense of safety and that she was somewhat familiar with the area.
Kara arrived at the café early, she’d never been there and thought the patio was pretty. Latticework “walls” divided the area and flowers hung from the lattice; the effect was being in a garden, a private garden. The teak tables had umbrellas and comfortable seating; Kara chose a table on the side where the view was of the town common. Kara was a bit nervous and wondered if Ken would show or was he already there. She scanned the patio and when the waitress arrived she told her she was waiting for someone and also told her it was a man she’d never met and asked her to keep an eye out. The waitress agreed and told Kara that she too had met a few people from online and would make sure all was fine. Kara was glad she’d mentioned the situation and didn’t feel as nervous now. She relaxed and took her book out, figuring she’d read while she waited.
Her wait wasn’t long at all. She saw the waitress speaking with a man and pointing in her direction. He looked over at Kara and smiled, walking briskly towards her. She felt her stomach tighten immediately and was holding her breath, all the nerves came right back, but he was right there and she needed to get a hold of herself quickly. Ken was tall, almost a foot taller than Kara, and he extended his hand to greet her. Kara smiled, accepting his hand and greeted him with a soft hello. She was taken aback when Ken kissed her hand and then presented a lovely bouquet of pink roses.
“Wow, thank you. How nice of you. You didn’t need to do that but thank you very much!” Kara’s voice was higher than usual, only he wouldn’t know that, but she did. She knew how she was reacting.
“I told you I wanted to give you roses Kara, for writing such a wonderful story. I enjoyed reading it very much. And when I read the newest one this morning I knew I had to bring you pink roses. It was a beautiful story.” He had a rich voice and she enjoyed listening to him and the words too.
The two took a seat across from one another and the waitress arrived a few moments later to take their order and offered them menus. Kara was still nervous and quiet, usually she could talk with anyone, and she wondered why Ken was having this effect on her. Ken was handsome, a tall and rugged looking man, dressed in casual clothes and looked quite comfortable sitting with her. Kara had worn a skirt and button down blouse with pair of cute low heel shoes; she too was comfortable at least on the outside. Inside was a whole other story. Kara was glad she had ordered de-cafe tea, she certainly didn’t need any caffeine right now.
Ken was quite friendly and Kara began to relax in his company. He was easy to talk with and in a short time the two seemed like old friends. They shared stories about their lives and professions; he was an attorney and she an accountant. Both had nice lives and were happy. As Kara sipped her tea and gently touched the roses with her finger Ken reached for her hand. She was startled at first but it was such a nice feeling, to feel her hand in his. He caressed her hand and then brought it to his lips for another kiss, a sweet long kiss. She felt that – very much and very deep. Kara smiled at him and looked into his eyes seeing him smile back at her, a rather seductive smile. Kara felt the stir in her deepen.
Ken mentioned spending the day together, perhaps drive into Boston and take in the exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, he had remembered in one of her stories she enjoyed art and so did he. Kara surprised herself by accepting the offer and the two chatted easily for a while longer. When Ken rose from the table he offered his hand to her and escorted her out of the café. They would drive into Boston each in their own car and enjoy the day together.
The museum was unusually quiet and the two strolled through the galleries taking their time and pausing now and then to admire a painting or two. They seemed drawn to the same style of art and were soon laughing at knowing the other would like this one here or that one there. Hand and hand they roamed about the beautiful works of art. As they were enjoying the gallery of the Impressionists Ken came up behind her and embraced her, kissing her softly on the cheek. Kara settled into his embrace and drew her arms over his and pulled him tighter to her and tilted her head to rest on his chest. Together they took in the Renoir paintings of the dancing couples as if they were dancing too. Ken whisper to her that he would like to take her to dinner, perhaps The Top of the Hub in the Prudential Center Tower. Kara couldn’t resist, him or the invitation.
