The afternoon sun beat down on the car as she passed over the Arizona/New Mexico state line. Music was blaring from the speakers but not that she was paying attention to it. Joanne's mind was too busy thinking about what was to come tomorrow. She was meeting Mark for the first time, face to face.
They had first met playing games online and hit off right away. It turned into a friendship that had been forged from chatting for over six months. They had played game after game with each other before it became phone calls, email and video chat.
A month ago they had both decided that they wanted to meet in person. They wanted to see if what they had at a distance could translate into something in person. They both had a passion for each other but was the fantasy of it bigger than the reality.
All the scenarios played out in her mind as drove down the highway. What else was there to do? She was filled with confidence when she left home but now had doubts and fears that it won't live up to be what she wanted. It was just her nerves, she told herself.
The last few hours of the drive went by quickly as she found herself pulling into the hotel. Mark wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow afternoon. She wanted the time to check things out and calm her nerves before they would meet.
The time to rest wasn't going to hurt either. He was flying into Albuquerque and renting a car to drive the rest of the way, so he was going to be well rested.
It felt great to Joanne to get out and walk around after being couped up in the car for so long. It was helping her to calm herself as she roamed the streets and shops.
With some take out she settled into her hotel room to watch some TV. She wanted to call him but knew that he would be sleeping by now since he had an early flight. Little did she know that his nerves weren't allowing him to sleep.
Before she knew it the phone on the night stand was ringing, it was her wake up call. She wasn't even sure when she had fallen asleep or how long she had slept. She never slept that much though, it wasn't odd for her to just pass out, she did that all the time. It was odd for her to sleep that long though.
Her cell was blinking, she had missed a text message from Mark. It was a short message that said "On the way to the airport, see you tonight". She smiled knowing that it was real, he was on his way.
Joanne piddled the morning away watching TV and playing cards on her cell.
After lunch it was time to start getting ready, she jumped into the shower. When she got out she noticed that her cell was again blinking. It was another message from Mark "At the rental counter, see you at the restaurant".
She had been fine most of the morning but now she was getting nervous.
They weren't going to do the typical first date and they weren't typical people. There was no getting dressed up and there was no fancy restaurant. It was come as you normally are and they both agreed on Mexican food.
For Joanne, her typical attire was jeans and a tank top. For Mark, it was jeans and a t-shirt. To them, you may as well be who you are when they met. There was to no pretentious formal dinner when they met. It was going to be nerve racking as it was, so why not be comfortable during it.
As she headed to the car, she looked around to see if he was around. They didn't share the details of where each of them were staying. It was a precaution in case they couldn't stand each other in person. It was possible they picked the same hotel to stay at. Seeing nothing she pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the restaurant.
Joanne got there a little early, so she pulled into a spot in the back of the parking lot and decided to wait to see if she could spot him. Ten minutes had gone by and a few cars had pulled in but none of them looked like Mark.
Then she spotted him as he got out of his car. Mark looked exactly like she thought he did. He wasn't the most handsome man in the world, or the fittest but he was what she was expecting.
Joanne sat there for a moment wondering if she would be what he was expecting.
Pushing her nerves aside she got out of the car and headed in.
Walking through the door she spotted him immediately. He was seated at a table and facing towards the door so he saw her when she walked in. Mark stood up as she walked to the table and gave her a hug. He wanted to kiss her but his nerves were getting the better of him.
Being all gentlemanly like he pulled out a chair for her and guided it in as she sat down. Joanne's nerves were gone, she was perfectly calm and relaxed. She wasn't sure why but being around him had calmed her of all her fears.
He still looked nervous and a little unsure. She leaned over and told him "Relax, the hard part is over with now" with a bit of a laugh. He laughed back and said "your right".
The dinner was going well, they had sat there for two hours talking and laughing. Joanne suggested they continue the conversation as they walked around town. She already knew what was in store for the rest of the night but the walk was to make sure it was what he wanted too.
After the check was paid they headed for the door. He held the door open for her to walk through. As she did, she felt his hand on the small of her back as he followed her through. A wave of heat went through her from his touch.
They picked a direction and started to walk. He reached out for her hand only to have it swept aside. For a second he was confused until she laughed and put her arm around him and leaned in. He wrapped his arm around her with a smile on his face.
They walked around the town like that just talking and laughing the whole way.
Everything was going great when Mark decided to be his goofy self with a bit of boldness. "So I have a question for you, and I'm betting...your ass has the answer to that question." He knew what was tattooed on her ass and trying to use that to be clever.
She started laughing and replied "It just might have the answer, you may not like the answer though." With laughter from both of them she continued to say " I think you have a one in three chance that the answer will be in your favor, what is the question?"
They both got quiet as she stared up at him waiting for the question. Then she started to look around as if to find something. It wasn't his style to be so bold, so he was struggling to say spit out the words.
"You want to head back to my room and get naked?" he finally said stumbling like a teenage fool.
