After my mind-blowing dalliance with Lana, I was unsure about how to handle Zoe. We had made a nice connection, texting back and forth, memes, jokes and the like. Had I spoiled my sex life with the momentous fling with Lana? Maybe, but I didn't know when I would see her again so I had to move on.
The four-day wait for my date with Zoe was relatively dull in comparison. I had to really try not to think about Lana, concentrate on who I was with, and be more 'in the moment'. The texting with Zoe wasn't an adequate distraction but I tried my best. Our date night was arranged for a coffee and then a movie after work on a Friday night.
I managed to get home early to shower and change. Nothing too extravagant, jeans and a nice top. We met at the Starbucks beside the big Odeon in town. Zoe was waiting by the door, dressed far nicer than I was. Gorgeous oversized aran sweater, sparkly leggings and some killer heels, I was already more nervous than I should have been. Her dark blonde hair was up in a messy bun that looked right, unlike my attempts in the past. We exchanged the old cheek kiss before queuing for drinks. I went with a simple latte, her order was long and complicated. We grabbed a table, before sitting awkwardly for a few minutes.
It didn't take long before Zoe admitted her drink was trash. She had ordered a long and complicated drink to seem more refined, more opulent. We had a good laugh and it seemed to break the ice a bit. She went back and got herself a tea, just run-of-the-mill tea and we were able to relax into it a bit.
'I'm sorry,' she started, 'I was nervous and went a bit OTT. I never drink coffee, just trying to seem a bit more 'in' I suppose.'
'It's fine, I'm nervous too. Still quite new to the dating women world and trying not to act out of place.'
We had both talked about our inexperience before we met, I didn't feel the need to tell her about Lana. The conversation moved more awkwardly than it did when texting. Is that the way things are now? Have I become so reclusive that having a conversation with someone is difficult? We finished our drinks and walked to the cinema.
Waiting to buy tickets I joked, 'Oh there's no man on this date who will buy the tickets.' It didn't land right away but she got it after thinking it over. This was not going as smoothly as I had hoped. I paid for the tickets and she bought the popcorn. As we sat in the darkness of the sparsely populated cinema room, I relaxed. I feared I'd already messed this date up and Zoe was still so uptight I thought there was no point in worrying. We both nibbled on the popcorn while the trailers ran and were leaning against one another, shoulder to shoulder. The movie started, it was one of those romantic comedies with Leslie Mann and Seth Rogen, it was Zoe's pick and I enjoyed it.
As the movie progressed we became more comfortable. Her hand was in the middle armrest and when I put my hand on hers, she never flinched. Just looked me in the eyes and smiled. Maybe things weren't as awkward as I had thought. We held hands for the remainder of the movie, we enjoyed it, some very funny parts but with these movies there always is.
