Zoe sat in the booth, her eyes trained on the door, her right leg bouncing up and down with the speed of a jackhammer. Her face and chest were flushed, physical evidence of her nervousness. She checked her phone again to check the time they were supposed to meet for the seventh time. She had arrived early so she could pick a good spot and get some liquid courage into her system before her date showed up. Now her cranberry vodka was half gone, and her nerves had only increased since she sat down.
Needing something to occupy herself, she stared down at her drink, using her straw as an ice pick to break up the ice cubes. As she separated the last two she heard the swish of fabric and the gentle creak of the vinyl booth.
"I hope you haven't been waiting long," a soothing voice invaded her thoughts.
Zoe shook her head, looking up. "Just a few minutes," she lied, her eyes meeting her date's gaze. The eyes that met hers were a pale brown. Zoe was suddenly very thankful for the dim lighting that helped to hide her blush. The woman sitting across from her was easily the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
Dark blonde curls fell to her shoulders, perfectly framing her face. Her lips were full, forming the perfect, kissable pout and painted a soft pink. She was wearing a dusky lavender shirt that showcased her breasts, the fabric was sheer enough that Zoe thought she saw a bar pierced through on of the nipples that were standing at full attention. Some of her nerves died away and she was glad she hadn't chickened out on meeting Sadie tonight.
Sadie signaled the waitress and ordered a drink. As the waitress walked away she leaned forward across the table. "Zoe, I know you're nervous, but there's no reason to lie."
"What are you talking about?"
"You've been here for almost fifteen minutes."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I've been here for almost twenty minutes. I wanted to be here when you got arrived. I hid at a table back there" she gestured to a table in the darkened corner "and watched you before I came over here."
Zoe took another sip of her drink, taking in the information. A small part of her was weirded out, but the largest part of her was oddly soothed by the knowledge that Sadie had taken time to observe before coming over to her, letting her calm down and get more comfortable with the situation.
The waitress returned with Sadie's drink and she raised her glass in a toast "to new experiences". Zoe clinked her tumbler against Sadie's and smiled as she took a sip.
For years, Zoe had found herself fascinated with the idea of two women kissing and cuddling. Over time those fantasies had evolved and become more sexual to the point that whenever she masturbated, it was to lesbian sex. It was nothing she ever thought she would act on but enjoyed keeping it as her secret fantasy.
One night, after another horrible date, she drowned herself in a bottle of wine and made herself a new online dating profile on a lesbian dating site. The next morning she woke up and saw dozens of notifications on her phone, all from the app she had completely forgotten she had downloaded. Many of the messages were not ones that she would ever have responded to, but one stood out from the rest.
SassySadie:
Good morning beautiful! I'm sure you're being flooded with messages right now from women trying to get into your pants, but I wanted to reach out and let you know that if you just need a friend or someone to talk to, I'm here for you!
Zoe spent a long time staring at the message, not sure how to respond. She clicked on Sadie's profile and liked everything that she read and all the pictures she saw. Heart pounding, she replied to the sweet message.
NewbieZoe:
Thank you for your message. I am completely new to this and have no idea what I'm doing!
SassySadie:
We've all been there! Can I ask what made you join this website?
NewbieZoe:
Too much wine and a horrible date.
SassySadie:
LOL. I've been there myself. How do you feel about it now?
NewbieZoe:
Honestly? Completely out of my mind with nerves.
SassySadie:
What can I do to help ease your nerves?
From that point on, Zoe found herself being completely open with this woman she had met. For once in her life, Zoe didn't find herself trying to figure out what she was supposed to say, instead answering openly and honestly. Their conversations never felt awkward or stunted and every time her phone buzzed she felt a rush of excitement, hoping it was Sadie and disappointed when it wasn't. Things progressed slowly, which suited Zoe just fine. Early this afternoon Sadie asked if she wanted to meet tonight for a drink to see if they clicked. She'd agreed, and now here they were.
"How nervous are you right now?" Sadie asked, interrupting Zoe's thoughts.
"Not much anymore. I was until you got here, but this just feels...right."
Sadie smiled, dimples flashing in her cheeks. "I'm glad to hear you say that. I don't want any of this to be weird for you."