I Love Red Ch. 01

"You asked him out?" she asked me. "Gem, babe, we've been over this. Since when do you ask men out on dates?"

"Since I realized that closed mouths don't get fed, and I wanted some human interaction of a romantic nature. You know I don't do hook-ups anymore," I retorted.

She continued to look at me with the same look. "If you like it, I love it," she finally said. "I do," I responded.

We continued to sit on the floor and changed the topic, eventually discussing a new line of candles I was prepping for the spring and putting pictures and art on the empty walls of my home. Now and then, Lilith would mention Caleb again, keeping me up to date on the lack of social activity in his life.

My phone buzzed, it was a message from Richard confirming we were still on for this Friday and asking for the address of the restaurant I had chosen. I confirmed we still had our date and sent him the address of the Italian restaurant within walking distance of my favorite ice cream place. He sent back a smiley face, and that one thing gave me a slight tinge of the 'ick'. Nevertheless, I was determined to get to know him.

Lilith and I finished up the planned decorating for the day. As she was leaving to go about the rest of her day and her errands, she said, one last time, "Gem, just think about it." I didn't have to guess what the 'it' was. "I already have," I said back. She left with one final hug and made me promise to update her on my plans with Richard.

I went into my kitchen and sat in one of my brand-new bistro-style stools and looked through the pictures Lilith had sent me of her and Caleb. "Damn, that is one fine man," I thought as I zoomed onto his face and body in several of the pictures. A sudden, but dull ping of guilt went through me as Richard's face popped into my head and the promise I made to myself to give him a chance. Hopefully, I wouldn't fuck it up.