I checked the box in my pocket again. It was still there. Too bad that my girlfriend, Kat, was twenty minutes late. That wasn't a something out of the ordinary; she had a busy job as a sales manager, but tonight I was all nerves.
Finally after an agonizing thirty-five minute wait, she came sweeping into the restaurant. "Sorry, I'm so late. Joe just would not shut up for anything, and I was stuck there." Joe was her boss, and the subject of many complaints in our lives.
She was still dressed in her business suit, a dazzling shade of blue that set off her eyes. Her black hair had been done up in a bun for work, and she'd kept it up for our date. She sat down and looked at me. "Please tell me that you ordered me a drink," she said. "It's been a long day."
I bit my lip. "I wasn't sure if you were coming or not, so I just waited." I flagged down the waiter and ordered her a margarita, her drink of choice.
She smiled at me and rested her hand over mine. "Of course, I was coming. I never miss a meal. I'm just late sometimes."
I smiled back at her, but didn't speak.
She looked at me askance. "Are you alright today? You seem a little off."
"Just stressing about some things. I'll tell you later," I replied.
We ordered dinner and talked about the day. She was struggling with a new employee who seemed to tell her whatever Kat wanted to hear. I told her about my writing and my work for the day. One of the things I appreciated about this woman was that she never tired of hearing about my writing, even when it was not going well. She smiled again at me. "So what's planned for tonight?"
I bit my lip, not sure that I wanted to tell her before dinner. My speculation was ended by the waiter, who brought out the dinners and chatted about refills and dessert.
We ate in silence, both tired from the day. We made quiet chit-chat, but nothing that was too deep. We were lost in our own thoughts.
Kat finished her dinner, and the waiter whisked it away. I actually think that he was more excited by this than I was. He brought back a piece of wedding cake with a ring on top of it.
Kat sputtered for a second as she looked from me to the ring and back. "What?" she asked, still staring at the ring. "Of course, I mean, I'm just shocked."
"You shouldn't be too shocked. We've been dating for three years."
She laughed. "Well, when you put it that way, true. But I wasn't expecting it now - or soon. It was just a surprise to me."
I nodded. "It just seems like time."
She grinned at me. "It does. She popped out of her chair far enough to lean over the table and kiss me. I was a bit surprised. It wasn't a soft kiss. It was a kiss with intentions, as we called it around our apartment. I had expected cuddling tonight, but the kiss made it clear that she had other things in mind for us. Another surprise for the newly engaged couple.
I paid the bill, and we walked hand-in-hand to the exit. A horse drawn carriage was waiting for us by the door. Kat laughed as I helped her up. "You went all out for this. I appreciate that."
I pulled myself up and into the carriage. I sat next to her. "After last month when Henry practically gave Jacquie the ring over that football game, did you think I'd forget?"
She rolled her eyes. "No. Probably not."
The carriage took off, the horse setting a clip-clop pace down the street.
"Where are we going?" Kat asked.
"Hotel for the night. I've got a taxi to bring us back here to pick up the cars in the morning. It seemed more romantic to actually go to a destination than to just wander around the city."
She laughed. "That's true."
I was able to actually look at the scenery as we went by. The homes that had changed and the new businesses that had started. I never got to see them when I was focused on getting to the office on time.
The carriage stopped in front of the Hyatt, which loomed 35 floors up. The key was waiting for us when we arrived, and I whisked Kat up to the room on one of the upper floors, so that we could see the city.
I went to get two flutes of champagne from the refrigerator. When I returned to the window where Kat stood, I couldn't tell if she was spending more time looking out the window or at her ring. She took the offered glass and sipped it. Kat placed the flute on the table and turned to face me.
She slid one hand around my neck, while the other pressed against my chest. "I love you," she said, pulling me in for a kiss.
The kiss was soft, almost chaste, which made me smile into it. Here we were celebrating our engagement with the mellowest of kisses. We broke off the kiss, and she picked up her glass and held it high. "To the love of my life," she toasted as we drank. The dinner and champagne had made me feel full of life and seeing her in the half-light made me want to enjoy this new stage of our relationship.
This time I pulled her in for a kiss. The additional champagne had made us both wanting to celebrate all areas of our relationship. Her kiss wasn't as chaste this time. I taste the sweetness of the champagne as she parted her lips for me. My tongue slid into her mouth, and she moans so slightly. The sound sent shockwaves through my body as I suddenly wanted to be with her as part of this celebration.
Her body shifted closer to mine, and I knew that she wanted this as well. Her hand slid up my shoulder and pushed my jacket back over my arm. She repeated this with the left side, so that the jacket was about half-way back, pinning my arms to my sides. While I was slightly subdued, she ran a hand over my chest and smiled as she looked into my eyes.
I left my arms go slack, and the jacket fell to the floor. She took two fingers and unbuttoned a middle button. Her fingers slid inside of the shirt, touching the t-shirt I'd worn that night. She looked momentarily disappointed.
It was my turn, and I wanted to take it slowly. I wanted this moment to last for a long time. I massaged her shoulders and she shifted so that she was facing the window. She pressed back into me, rubbing against me as I rubbed her neck and shoulders. When she was sure that I was hard, she turned and kissed me again. I could taste the passion in her now, and I knew that this would be moving to the bed soon.
She reached back to unzip her dress. I guided her hand and we undid the zipper together. I could see goosebumps on her back as the teeth unlocked. I pushed the dress forward so that it fell over her arms. It slid down her body like it wanted to continue to touch her.
She stepped out of the dress and again she leaned back, pressing her body against mine. I could feel the warmth of her skin through my clothes.