Blind Date For Eric

"It's okay, Eric's paying for it," he grinned. Nancy laughed in spite of her nervousness.

A few minutes later, Eric arrived, scanning the tables for a familiar face.

"There he is," Joy said, looking in his direction.

"I'll get him," Tim said as he scooted away from the table. Nancy looked in the same direction that Tim was heading, but she didn't see her date, only waiters and waitresses bustling about. The butterflies in her stomach started to do the jitterbug at the thought of her date being there. Soon, Tim found Eric and escorted him to the table.

Eric saw Joy sitting next to a very attractive brunette and hoped that Nancy was as nice as she looked. He drew in his breath as he looked at her, because when Joy described her as cute, she didn't do her justice. Nancy reminded him slightly of an Indian princess that he had seen in the movies and wondered if, perhaps, she had Shawnee or Cherokee blood in her, especially with her dark hair and high cheekbones. She looked up at him with her light green eyes and smiled shyly.

Joy said, "Nancy, this is my brother, Eric. Eric, this is Nancy."

Eric extended his hand to Nancy, who took it gingerly. It felt soft and warm in his. "I'm very glad to meet you and I'm so sorry for being late, Nancy. I'll be sure to be a half hour early next time!" He broke into a smile and let go of her hand.

"That's okay, Eric. I'm glad that you're so confident about a second date," she replied softly, smiling, her eyes almost glowing in the soft candlelight.

"Well, from what Joy tells me," he said while taking a seat, "I'd be a fool not to ask you out on my own."

Nancy blushed instantly and turned her face slightly away from him, smiling. Turning back to him, she said, "Well, we'll just have to see about that." Her eyes sparkled as she kept smiling.

"So," Joy inquired, "why were you late, Eric?"

"Hey, wine!" he said, trying to change the subject. "Let's have some." He pulled the loosened cork from the bottle and began to pour the dark red liquid into the glasses at the table.

"Hey Eric..." Joy protested.

"No, no," Eric waved his hand at her, "a toast, first, then I'll explain." He raised his glass to the other three and cleared his throat. "To my wonderful sister, may all of her plans to get me married come true and may this be the last blind date that she'll ever have to set up for me." He winked at Joy, approving her choice for him that evening, without Nancy seeing it.

Nancy's tanned face went pale as she looked at her wine glass, not believing what she had just heard. "Excuse me, please," she muttered, pushing back her chair. She hurried away from the table before anyone could say anything and headed to the ladies room.

"Damn it, Eric!" Joy scowled as she, too, pushed back her chair. "How could you say that?" She rushed away, following Nancy's chosen path.

"What did I say that was so wrong?" he asked no one in particular. "Geez, what's wrong?"

"I think you could have said something else, Eric," Tim said. "I think you rushed it a bit with the 'married' stuff."

"I didn't mean anything by it, Tim, I swear I didn't. She's just really pretty and I wanted to thank Joy for setting it up for me, us. Shit, I certainly didn't want to piss her off on the first date. The second, maybe, but not the first!"

Tim smiled at Eric's humor. Even in the worst of times, Eric had something funny to say, even if he didn't realize what he was saying. "Joy'll straighten it out," he said confidently.

"No she won't, I will," Eric said as he, too, pushed back his chair and headed to the ladies room.

"Ah...Eric," Tim tried to say, but he was gone, too. "Well, I'm certainly not leaving the table," he muttered to himself as he sipped the wine.

Eric limped quickly to the women's restroom before he lost his nerve. When he got to the door, he hesitated, almost turning back. Instead, he knocked on the door softly. "Nancy? Can I talk to you? It's me, Eric."

The door opened and Joy stuck her head out, "I don't think she wants to talk to you right now." She tried to shut the door, Eric blocked it with his foot.

"I want to talk to her," he replied seriously, almost in his cop voice. "I screwed up and I want to talk to her, not you."

Nancy came out of the restroom behind Joy, obviously upset but composed. "I'm here."

"Can we go outside for a minute? Please?" Eric's eyes were pleading, sincere, and they were melting Nancy's hardened resolve to remain angry.

"Okay," she replied. Eric led her to the door as Joy glared at her idiot brother. Right outside the entrance to the restaurant was a bench and Eric sat down to take some pressure off his aching knee. He rubbed it from habit, wincing slightly, and looked up at Nancy, who hadn't sat down and had her arms crossed in front of her.

"Apparently," he began, "my attempt at making a toast didn't sit well with you and I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it on the subconscious level or any other level or anything that could be misconstrued into thinking that I was proposing marriage. If it came out that way, I'm an idiot, but it won't be the last stupid thing I say to you." He was now talking quickly, not giving Nancy time to say anything. "It's just that you're much prettier than I expected, beautiful, in fact, and I thought that I should thank my sister properly, but, of course, my mouth started to talk before my brain could stop it, and stupid things started to come out. Now you're upset, naturally, my sister's ready to kill me, no big secret there, and I'm out here babbling when I should be enjoying your company in this wonderful restaurant. Is this making any sense or are you just as confused as I am right now?" Eric inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath once more, but instead got a whiff of her perfume, a lovely scent that tickled his nose.

"I'm very confused," she replied, angry no longer, her heart melted completely, "but I think there was an apology in there somewhere. Were you dropped on your head as a child?"

"Many times. Joy loved to play 'bounce the baby's head and watch his eyes roll'. It was her favorite, I think," he grinned.

Nancy laughed, "I think I'll have to talk to her about that. Come on, let's go back in. I'm starving!"

As they walked into the restaurant again, Nancy turned to him, stopping him in his tracks. "So, you think I'm beautiful?"

"Yes, I do," he replied seriously.

"There might be hope for you, yet."

The dinner went splendidly as Nancy and Eric slowly got to know bits and pieces about each other. Eric finally explained to everyone why he was late, except he downplayed his role and the danger involved. He simply said that he helped an officer handcuff an individual when she was having trouble with him. Joy knew that he was lying. It couldn't have that simple if he was that late and he had to get cleaned up and change his clothes, but she didn't press the subject. She would find out later. When they ordered their meals, Eric jokingly told Nancy not to get the house garlic dressing on her salad unless she wanted to ward off vampires for the next week. She didn't know whether or not to believe him, but a quick nod from Tim confirmed it. She did follow his advice and ordered the manicotti since she had never had it before and she was glad that she did. The spiced tomato sauce and the delicious cheeses made her taste buds sing. The wine was sweet and flavorful, but she noticed that Eric had nursed his one and only glass and didn't reach for any more. She saw him wince more than once, but each time, a smile appeared just as quickly as the pain had.

They declined when the dessert cart arrived and continued to talk amongst themselves as it was closing in on eight o'clock. Eric hoped that Nancy would continue the date and really saw no reason for the contrary. She certainly seemed to have forgiven him, even touching his hand now and then when the moment pleased her, and it pleased her very much. His knee was bothering him quite a bit, but he was waiting as long as he could to take any medication since he had drank some of the wine. A few minutes later, Nancy excused herself and along with Joy, they went to the ladies room for a second time. Eric quickly popped two Tylenols into his mouth and washed them down with water.

"Well, what do you think?" Joy asked when the door closed.

"He's so funny," Nancy gushed. You should have heard him outside trying to apologize, it was hilarious. He couldn't talk fast enough. Oh my God, the toast! Can you believe that? I like him a lot, Joy, thank you."

"Yeah, he can be a bit different at times, but he's never dull," Joy laughed. "So, should we take you home, or do you feel safe enough to be alone with him?"

"Odd choice of words, but I think I can handle being alone with him. He's not going to chase me around with an egg beater like in "Bachelor Party", is he?"

"No, I don't think he's tried that one, yet, but don't give him any ideas."

"Okay, I won't. Did he say what he had in store after dinner?"

"No, he didn't say anything."

"Well, I guess I'd better find out."

They stayed a few minutes longer to freshen up their makeup and move a few strands of hair back into place.

The women went back to the table to find that the bills had already been paid and the men waiting expectedly. Tim looked up and said, "Well, we'll be seeing you Eric. Stop by the house after we take Nancy home and we can watch a game or something."

"Sounds great," Eric played along, "who's playing?"

"Who cares?

"Yeah, that's true. Hey Nancy," he said to his date, "nice time, good laughs. I'll call you sometime, eh?"

"Wha...?" Nancy couldn't keep her mouth from hitting the ground. "You...nice time...game..." Eric couldn't keep a straight face any longer and grinned at her.

"Gotcha."

"Why you...I oughta....oooh!" she groaned as the other three laughed at the joke.

Eric led her to his car, a newer Toyota Camry, and opened the door for her. She climbed in smiling and Eric shut the door and limped to the other side. He drove carefully, as he always did, out of the city and back towards the suburbs. He had decided, after all, to take her to the park. With the warm summer breeze and the duck pond, he thought a walk in the park would suit her. His knee was hurting too much to go dancing and he wasn't really in the mood for a movie. He really wanted to be alone with her to get to know her better. From time to time, he glanced her way and marveled at her features, almost sure that she had some Native blood in her. She looked strong and fit, obviously taking very good care of herself and her teeth, although not perfectly white, were straight and even. He really liked this woman and hoped to see her many times over.

Nancy wondered where they were headed to, but said nothing. She hoped that they weren't going to a movie, she didn't like first dates at the movies. She wanted to get to know her date and she thought that movies ducked that issue. She especially wanted to get to know Eric, one of the funniest, warmest individuals that she had met. Whether he was cracking a joke or being serious, he was always at ease with himself and made her feel like she was very special. Well, except for the end of dinner escapade with Tim, but even that was funny, too. She let out a sigh of contentment and settled into the leather seat of Eric's car. Eric looked over at her, but said nothing, a smile peeking out of the corners of his mouth.

"We're almost there," he said.

"And where is there?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"There is where we'll be when we get there, which is almost here," he replied, seeing if she'd play along.

Nancy thought for a second. "But where will here be when we're there?" she giggled.

"Right here," he said as he turned into a small parking lot. The sign at the entrance said, "Lake Orchard Park", and below that it read in smaller print, "Please keep dogs on a leash."

"I swear to God I'll behave," Eric said, laughing.

"What?"

He pointed to the sign. "I'll only pee where I'm supposed to."

"You're too strange," she replied, smiling, but enjoying his off beat sense of humor.

He got out, closed his door, and opened her door for her. "What is this place?" she asked after he shut the door. "I've never seen it before."

"It's got a duck pond, a band shell, refreshments, and other stuff. It's a pretty neat park," he explained.

They walked around aimlessly, getting to know each other little by little. Nancy thought that it was the perfect place to go for their date. Although Eric was humorous at times, he was more serious than before, telling her about himself, his life, and his job. She squealed with delight when the ducks came ashore, feeding them duck food that Eric had purchased from the vendor nearby and looking much younger than her thirty years. She told him more about herself, about her younger years, her college days, and her job. They listened to a concert of Strauss waltzes performed by the local high school band with Nancy almost wishing that they were dancing together at a ball. They sat down at the benches that lined the walkway periodically so that Eric could rest his leg. Nancy saw him limping badly at times and felt sorry for him, wondering if there was something that she could do to alleviate his pain. She got up the courage to ask him about the night that he was shot. He hesitated, but slowly let out the details. He had been called by the dispatch for an alarm in a warehouse, breaking and entering. He searched it thoroughly, but found nothing, although he felt that someone was indeed there. Gut instinct. He saw a shadow to his right and when he turned, he heard the shot and felt an unbelievable knifing, white hot pain go through his leg. He fell to the ground and passed out, only to wake up in the ambulance, his blood-soaked pants ripped away and his leg wrapped in oozing red gauze. Eric always felt guilty about fainting, feeling that he wasn't tough enough after being shot, that somehow he should have shot back like all the heroes did in the movies. His voice fell low, his eyes looking straight to the ground when he finished.

"I don't like to talk about it much," he said quietly after a few minutes had passed.

"I can see why. I won't ask you again."

"That's okay, I need to talk about it from time to time. Anyway, enough of this melodrama. Would you like to walk around some more or do something else?"

"Something else," she replied.

"Okay, name it," he said.

"Just this," she said as she leaned forward, softly kissing his lips. It felt magical, as she knew it would. His lips felt amazingly soft and tender to her touch, sending shivers down her spine and tingles between her thighs. Her hands found his face and she cradled it, holding it to her, afraid that he would pull away. Eric had no intention of doing any such thing and returned her soft kiss with his own, giving back the gift that was given to him, the stirrings in his groin just beginning. They parted after a few seconds, Nancy dreamily gazing into Eric's blue eyes. He stared back at her, not believing what had just transpired, such a beautiful woman, perhaps the woman of his dreams, daring to kiss him in public.

"I guess I should tell you that story more often," he grinned.

"No," she answered seriously, shaking her head. "Don't you know I've wanted to kiss you most of this evening? It had nothing to do with the story." She paused momentarily, her face a bit grim. "I know you like to joke and kid a lot, and I appreciate it because you make me laugh, but can you be serious for a minute?"

"I thought I was pretty serious just a minute ago," he replied.

"I mean right now," she said earnestly.

"Okay." Eric looked at her, fixing his entire concentration on her, his blue eyes almost penetrating to her very soul. Nancy looked down for a second, but then returned the gaze, her eyes locked onto his. They stayed that way for a few seconds, each not blinking or moving, but actually looking into the other. Nancy studied the warmth of his eyes and felt flushed from the intensity of his stare.

When she broke her gaze, she whispered, "That's what I needed to see."

"And that is?"

"The real you. Not the kidder, not the brave cop, just Eric, the Eric that I'm starting to fall for under this starlit night. The Eric that picked this perfect spot for our first date and our first kiss. This park is beautiful and you're the one who showed me it. Wherever we go from here, I will always treasure this night."

For once in his life, Eric was speechless. He smiled at her, but said nothing as a thousand thoughts swirled through his mind, leaving him almost deliriously dizzy with happiness. "I'm really glad you like it," he said finally, "it's brought me a lot of peace whenever I visit. And now, it's even more special." He slowly pulled Nancy close to him and held her to his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. He smelled her hair, clean and crisp from the summer breeze that had blown through it all evening, and felt that he surely must be in Heaven. It was soft and luxurious and he passed his fingers through it, savoring each strand. Each sighed their contentment and they held each other for a long time under the maple tree that swayed easily from the soft summer breeze.

They stood at her door awkwardly, not knowing how to end their evening. Nancy's body ached for Eric to do more than just kiss her, she wanted him to touch her like in places like she had read about in her romance novels, places where only her own fingers had been. She had never regretted still being a virgin because she had never found the right person, that special someone to give herself totally to. She looked at Eric sadly, knowing that it wouldn't happen that night, hoping that he wouldn't be disappointed. It was late and she needed to get to bed, although she didn't know how she'd be able to sleep. Not now, not with Eric in her life.

"I wish I could ask you in, but it's late and I have to be up early for work," she said softly, her sea-green eyes murky with tears.

"Hey, that's okay. I understand. Maybe next time," he said, not fully understanding her meaning. He was definitely not a screw 'em on the first date type of guy, although he would have gladly come in for a drink, or a kiss. He really liked Nancy, but going to bed with her that night hadn't entered his mind. Yes, kissing her had been fantastic, and yes, he had become aroused, but that wasn't unusual for him. Kissing a girl almost always aroused him, depending on the circumstances, of course, but it didn't necessarily mean he wanted to go to bed with them. He really had to know them and love them before he did. Kind of hard to believe, but that was his code, his morals.

"Will there be a next time?" she asked coyly.

"Do you really have to ask?" he asked, smiling. "Of course, there'll be a next time, and a next time, and a next time, and...."

"Okay, okay," Nancy laughed, "enough already. I believe you. Call me tomorrow?"

"Sure, but I need your number." Nancy reached into her purse and wrote down her number on a piece of paper for him.

"I'll get yours later," she said after handing it to him. Looking at him sadly again, she said, "I better go in."

"Can I see you tomorrow?" Eric blurted out quickly, not wanting her to go in.

"We'll see," she answered, "I usually don't date on my workdays, but I've been known to make exceptions." Winking, she leaned forward and kissed him, softly, sensually, letting her body get washed away with his touch. Eric pulled her closer, feeling her small breasts press against his chest, her hot breath on his face whenever she briefly broke away. Her kisses became more urgent and Eric gladly accepted and reciprocated in like. Nancy resisted bringing her tongue into the action for fear that she might lose control. She had read what a woman's tongue could do to a man! The tingles returned between her legs and she relished the feeling, wishing that Eric's tongue and mouth would be there that night instead of her hand.