A Tentacled Dream Come True Ch. 02

"Um, hi. How are you?" she asked.

"Fine, just fine. Though seeing you automatically makes my day good."

She blushed and looked down for a moment before returning her gaze to him. He was clad in black slacks and a gray sweater. Shit, this guy has the silver fox thing down pat, she mused as her gaze settled on his shoulders and chest as she swallowed thickly.

"Are you going to stay here for a while? May I sit with you?" she heard him ask. Without thinking, she nodded, and let him lead her over near the windows in a semi-private alcove created by a bookshelf.

"Can I buy you dinner after you've done your reading?" he asked as she settled down, book in her lap. Alice realized her misstep. If he was determined to talk while she was reading, that would be a problem, but how would she excuse herself or dismiss him without seeming like a bitch or inviting confrontation? Before she could further ponder all the negative things that could happen, he spoke again.

"Sorry if I seemed to come on a little heavy. I'm just really thrilled to see you again. I didn't ask for your number last time because I didn't want to seem creepy, so I had no idea when I might see you again."

Oh. Okay. That does make sense. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"I thought I'd leave that up to you. We could go somewhere like last time, or something nicer. Truth is, I'd like to have some takeout and bring you back to my place because I think you're really cute."

That last sentence could have been awkward if not for the cute comment, which had been punctuated by Rafe batting his eyes at her.

"Um, let me think. I'm going to read a couple of chapters, all right?" she said, collecting enough of her senses to parry his question.

"Sure, no problem. Guess I'll do some reading of my own." At that, he pulled out a tablet and leaned back, occasionally tapping the screen but otherwise not moving, or talking. She relaxed and started reading about the March sisters amidst the struggles of the Civil War.

It wasn't until she finished five chapters that she looked up. Rafe was sitting there patiently, still perusing his tablet. After her past experiences, she knew she should be cautious and not get caught in the cycle of abuse again. But damn if she didn't find him hot.

"I'd like to eat out. Maybe something like Applebee's or IHOP, that sort of thing. Depends on whether you're more in the mood for breakfast or dinner food," Alice said.

"Breakfast or dinner, quite the choice to be made. You know what, I could go for some waffles."

o0o

She chose the French toast, savoring the fluffiness of the toast, adding a liberal amount of butter before drizzling syrup across the concoction. Previously, he'd asked about her work and what she liked to read, however, this time around, he asked a few questions about her family and hometown. She kept her answers short and polite, not wishing to delve too deeply into her pain.

She asked him several questions about his work before they drifted to the topic of movies, on which they found much common ground, and they continued talking long after their plates were clean.

He stared at her calmly, fingers wrapped around his mug of coffee.

"I really like you, as I don't doubt you know," he said, lightly drumming his fingers against the ceramic mug. "I keep telling myself to not move too fast, but I am very attracted to you. I sense caution in the way you answer my questions, and I find myself angry at whoever hurt you and made you feel afraid of others."

She stared at him for several moments, her eyes widening. He regarded her with a small, sad smile. For a moment, she felt an overwhelming urge to simply get up from the table and run out the door. The all-too-familiar sense of light-headedness that precluded a panic attack crept up into her consciousness.

She was dimly aware of his hand finding hers and his fingers wrapping around her trembling digits.

"Alice? Are you all right?" he asked, his voice seeming to come from a place far away.

"I- I..." She tried to speak, making an effort to push past the memories that threatened to overwhelm her. Managing to take a deep breath, she focused on the sensation of physical contact with him.

"I'm sure other people have told you they're looking out for your good when they only wanted to use or abuse you. I have no intention of harming or using you whatsoever but I wouldn't blame you for not believing that."

"You sound like... you have a lot of experience with that."

"I do," Rafe replied simply. She wondered what it was. Did he have shitty parents like she did, or a horrible ex-girlfriend?

"What happened? Did your parents abuse you?" she asked quietly, lifting her head and looking him in the eye.

"No. I had good parents. I mean, they treated me kindly, but I was sheltered. So when I went out in the world, I saw -- and experienced -- a lot of ugliness that I was unprepared for. You can read about a lot of things, but there's nothing quite like living life to drive some lessons home."

Alice felt a sympathetic wince tug at her lips and cheeks, and her eyes narrowed as they did when she grimaced. "People suck, don't they?" she asked.

"Some, yes. But not you. And not me. At least, I hope you agree with that," he said with a small smile. She let out a small but relieved laugh. The waitress slid by the table with a coffeepot, asking if they wanted more coffee. Alice quickly nodded, and Rafe mirrored her action. After the server retreated, he spoke again.

"I would never hurt you. At least, not intentionally. Everyone makes mistakes, and if I ever say something stupid, let me know. Men are generally known for saying stupid things, eh? Even the smart ones," he asked.

"You've had a pretty good track record so far," she acknowledged. He sat back, placing his hand over his heart in a mock dramatic gesture of relief.

"I am truly glad to know that. I know I can be nerdy at times. And book smarts don't always translate to street smarts, but I do try." His face became more serious as he added some sugar to his coffee. "But in all seriousness, I would love to be your boyfriend. I believe we could be good for one another, and I also believe that I could make you happy and safe. Corny and cliche as that may sound."

She did not speak immediately, peeling back the lid off a serving of cream, pouring it into her drink and watching the pale liquid disappear into the darkness. Glancing at the small plastic container for a moment, she set it aside before returning her attention to Rafe, taking in his handsome features. It wasn't hard to fall for a face like that, she mused, especially with the body and fashion sense that went along with it.

If she'd been an ordinary person from a loving family, she wouldn't have hesitated. Heck, she might have even pursued him. But she wasn't normal, was she?

No, she told herself. But that didn't mean she couldn't have a normal future, could she? She'd run away from her family and hometown, hadn't she? All of that was in the past because that was where it belonged -- in the past, and she deserved a chance at a happy future, free from all that shit. Besides, she was older and wiser -- perhaps not that much older, but considerably wiser -- and she wouldn't ignore red flags as she'd once been conditioned to.

"All right. We can give it a try."

o0o

Well, 2020 has been... 2020. We've all had challenges to deal with, myself included. As an essential worker, I've not had as much time to write as I'd like, but fortunately, I've been able to get some writing done, including recently publishing a new novel. Of course, I have not abandoned my erotica, and will continue working on my stories here!