She saw him as she was leaving customs. Fading red hair and graying beard, bright blue eyes with glasses, just like in his picture. When he saw her too he smiled, not big, a little bit shy, but she could tell he was happy to see her. Seeing that, knowing that made her smile too.
He threaded his way through the crowd to her and offered to take her bag. As they left the airport together, he asked about her flight (it was pleasant, everything went smoothly) and getting through customs (that was a royal pain in the ass). As they walked side by side their hands brushed, and his fingers moved as if to take her hand in his, but then shied away.
She received a bit of a shock when they stepped out the building. The cold was forceful, almost aggressive; bundled up as she was still her nipples tightened. In Bogotรก it had been 68 degrees and a sunny day. In Boston it was nighttime and 28 degrees, colder than most nights ever got back home. When she mentioned this to him, he told her sheepishly that January and February nights were even colder here.
They got on the bus that would take them to his car and bundled up as she was, she was still shivering. He took her in his arms, rubbing her shoulders and back to warm her up. She gave him a thankful look even though it didn't really help as much as just being close did, sitting together, thigh to thigh.
They arrived in the parking lot, and once they found his car she had to laugh. It was the only car that could have been his. While so many other cars had stick figure family decals in their back windows, his had a silhouette of the Beatles on the Abbey Road crosswalk.
He laughed with her, then leaned in like he wanted to kiss her. Something held him back though, perhaps only that, despite all they'd shared online he was still quite shy.
She wanly smiled back and shivered hard. "It's cold."
"I'm sorry, yes, let's get going." He rushed around to the passenger door and held it open for her, then closed it behind her after she was settled inside. He took care of her bag, got into the car himself, then started it, keeping the fan on low until the heater could take effect. As they pulled out of the parking lot he turned to her. "There's something I need to tell you."
"Yes?"
"It's going to snow tonight. It's supposed to start any moment now, actually."
She beamed with delight, peering out the windows into the night. She'd never seen snow before.
He continued. "Driving on snowy roads can be dangerous so...I got us a hotel room."
She looked at him slyly. "One bed or two?"
He glanced at her apologetically while focusing on the road. "They only had a single. I was lucky to get a room at all. Sorry."
The thought of sharing a bed with him made her feel a little nervous and a bit excited at the same time. She trusted him, he had always behaved like a gentleman towards her, treated her like a lady -- until she wanted him not to, that is. But they had only interacted with one another online before, this trip was breaking new ground for them both. They had discussed intimacy and sex before, in great detail, going so far as simulating sex as much as the internet allowed, with words and images and toys.
But this would be for real this time. She cared about him a great deal, and knew he felt the same for her. She didn't want to lose or damage their relationship.
Taking all this into consideration, more than anything else, she wanted their first sexual encounter in the real world to be nothing short of amazing for him, for them both.
All these thoughts were pushed into the background when she saw her first snowflakes.
They drifted down out of the night sky, floating in the lights, muffling sound. They were nearly alone on the road, moving slowly, the only sign of a world around them the trippy ethereal music playing softly on the radio. It was a song she hadn't heard before, but then he was always introducing her to new music. As the air inside warmed up the car grew cozy and comfortable, and the trip grew to feel something like a dream the two of them were sharing.
She closed her eyes to luxuriate in the thought of that kind of intimacy with this man she'd known for so long but had only just met. Butterflies fluttered in her belly at the notion.
Slowly as they were travelling their trip came to an end before long. He drove the car carefully into the hotel's parking lot, turned it off and opened his door. As he was gathering their baggage she left the car herself, her face to the sky. She spun slowly, her hands out, almost dancing, allowing herself to enjoy this new experience like a child.
"Have a taste."
She looked at him quizzically.
He shrugged. "Everyone does, especially the first time. That they're generally younger might have something to do with it though. Everyone else I know saw their first snow when they toddlers."
She laughed and stuck out her tongue. The snow felt like gentle pinpricks of cold, like tiny bits of ice on her tongue.
He asked, "Can I tell you something?"
She looked at him and nodded.
He took a deep breath before meeting her eyes. "Part of the reason I got the room here tonight is because I didn't want to wait the two hours the drive home would take."