My Dream Girl

"Good morning, beautiful," I say before I can catch myself.

Beth blushes at the compliment.

Shit. Now you've embarrassed her. Way to go.

"The line looks kind of long, we should go ahead and get in there before it gets too much busier," I quickly blurt out to move past the awkward comment.

Beth seems to agree, motioning towards the door. "Shall we?"

Time for more of that 'fake it 'til you make it' confidence.

"After you," I reply and replicate her motion at the door.

"Oh, a gentleman, I see," Beth says with a twinkle in her eye.

She's not storming away in a huff yet. Don't fuck this up.

I follow Beth into the busy coffee shop and we get in line. As we're standing there waiting, I begin to feel awkward in the silence. Fortunately, I have a relevant topic to discuss.

"So, I've never actually had Starbucks before. What's good here?"

Beth's face was turned to one of confusion. "You've never been here before? I thought everyone who drinks coffee has had Starbucks."

I involuntarily recoil a tiny bit. "I just haven't. I..."

'Just didn't want to let the beautiful girl who ran into me leave quite yet?'

Don't you DARE open that can of worms right now.

That'll send her running out of your life just as fast as she ran into it.

"I just normally do instant coffee when I want it; I figured Starbucks would have to be better than that," I say, lying through my teeth. I've never had coffee in my life but the voice in my head has me pegged quite clearly.

Beth suddenly breaks out into laughter. My face reddens in response. I love the sound of her laughing, but I hate that it's pointed at me.

Here we go. This is where she walks out.

When she looks at me again, I guess she sees how embarrassed I look. "I'm not laughing at you, I promise," she assures me. "It's- I don't drink coffee. I only accepted coming here because I thought it's what you wanted to do."

At this revelation, I can't help but join her laughter with a chuckle of my own. It feels good; I haven't had a reason to laugh in ages. We're still standing in line, so I bring up a suggestion.

"If neither of us really wants to be here, why don't we go somewhere else?"

Beth looks thoughtful for a moment. "There's a park not far from here."

I know the park she's talking about. It's about a mile away in the direction opposite the way we came.

"That sounds wonderful."

We make our exit and walk towards the park, talking the whole way and occasionally laughing as we remember the hilarious misunderstanding from a few minutes ago.

We walk around the park's short walking path a few times, talking and laughing the entire time, before we decide to sit on one of the benches. By this time, we're holding hands as we talk.

Wow. Touching a girl's hand twice in two days. Scandalous!

I let out a contented sigh. Beth seems to pick up on this. "What's up?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just... this is nice."

Beth's gorgeous smile returns. "Yeah, it is," she says and rests her head on my shoulder.

HOLY SHIT!

My pulse quickens and I feel my eyes start to water so I turn my head away from Beth to keep her from seeing.

This is what it feels like to feel wanted?

This is beautiful.

Don't say anything. Don't ruin the moment.

We sat like that for a short while, just her head resting on my shoulder and us holding each other's hands. We didn't need to speak. Ever since we reached the park, it's like she knew exactly what I was thinking and, right now, all I want is to feel this sense of belonging forever.

***********************************************************

I wake up alone on the park bench. Sadness starts to creep in before I feel a note in the enclosed palm that had been holding Beth's soft hand earlier.

"Sorry to leave you alone, but I really needed to go, and you looked so peaceful sleeping I couldn't bear to wake you up. I really enjoyed today. We should do this again.

Call me!

(***) ***-****

XOXO

Beth ♥"

I feel my frown turn into a broad smile as I read.

She actually wants to meet up again!

Holy shit!

Don't call her yet. She might think you're too desperate. Wait until tomorrow morning.

I take out my phone and add her as a contact, then set an alarm to call her in the morning. I doubt that I would forget this, but I don't want to take any chances.

I slowly walk back to my apartment, already missing the feeling of Beth's hand in mine, missing the feeling of closeness I had with her.

What is going on? Why am I so comfortable with her?

I met her less than 24 hours ago and she's already occupying every thought I have.

If this goes sideways, I'm fucked.

But I'm going to enjoy it while I can anyway.

When I reach my apartment, I decide that I'm feeling motivated enough to try to get some work done. Surprisingly, I'm able to make some progress. For the first time in a while, I'll have something to talk about at the next lab meeting.

I guess a useful day had to come around sometime.

Maybe it's because I'm feeling so good?

Maybe Beth is my good luck charm?

Easy there, Tiger. Too early for those ideas.

I decide to forego the video games tonight. I get into bed and hug my pillow, reminiscing over the best day I've had in a long time until I drift to sleep.

***********************************************************

I'm suddenly nervous. I'm holding my phone, about to call Beth. My reminder has already gone off and been dismissed.

What if I'm misreading this? What if she doesn't like me?

Well, what in Holy Fuck could she have meant by 'we should do this again' then?

Call the woman, moron!

Before I can second guess myself again, my thumb hits the call button.

Here goes...

The receiving end picks up after the second ring.

"Jack?" I hear a feminine voice say.

"Beth? How did you know-"

"I thought you'd call last night," Beth cuts me off.

"I, heh, I didn't want to scare you away," I say.

Why did I say that? Now she'll think I'm insecure.

I mean, I am, but I don't want her knowing that yet.

Beth's melodious laugh comes through the phone. "If I didn't want to talk to you again I wouldn't have left my phone number, dummy."

She's... she's still talking to me?

"I guess that makes sense," I say, buying time to figure out what to say next.

I've never been good at conversation...

"So how about Wednesday night?" Beth says.

This snaps me back to the phone. "Sorry?"

"Wednesday night? I figure that you called me so you wanted to meet up again, too. Does Wednesday night work for you? Say... 7 o'clock? I can come by your place and we can make dinner there and have a movie night or something."

Her segue is a little broken but I can't complain about the destination.

"That sounds great! What do you like to eat? I can grab ingredients from the store," I answer, careful not to let my voice betray too much of my eagerness.

"Don't worry, I'll bring everything I need. I have to go, though. I'll see you on Wednesday!"

"Alright, I'll see you on Wednesday."

She hangs up.

I sigh.

Fuck, dude, you're falling hard.

I look around my apartment. I'd tidied up on Friday after Beth left, but now it needs a deep clean before Beth gets here again.

I don't enjoy cleaning at all, but knowing why I am cleaning this time makes it so much more manageable. I can't help but smile to myself as I get started.

***********************************************************

The past few days, I've been keeping busy between cleaning and reorganizing my apartment and working on research. For once, I have been having several consecutive days of focus and have actually built up a backlog of progress reports that I can slowly feed to my professor in case I have another dry spell soon. My apartment is practically sparkling with how clean it is now. I've had a few headaches, but they don't keep me down for long when I remember what is coming up.

Beth will be here for our date any minute.

I've known her less than a week and she already has me feeling like this.

This is dangerous, but I can't help it.

Something about her just feels...

Right.

I hear a knock at my door and my pulse quickens. When I open the door, I am nearly floored by the beauty of the woman who's come to visit. She is wearing the same short leather jacket as on Saturday, but she has a red, low cut top under it that shows some of her sexy cleavage, tight jeans that hug her perfect legs, strapped high heels, and a small amount of makeup that perfectly accents her chocolatey eyes, soft cheeks, and inviting lips.

I'm sure I gasped before I spoke. "Oh wow. You're beautiful, Beth."

Beth's cheeks reddened a little beyond the already rosy cheeks she has from makeup. "You're not so bad yourself."

I had dressed up a little bit, some nice jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows, but Beth's getup makes me look like I just left the homeless shelter. My cheeks still feel warmer anyway. Even if she is lying to be nice, I appreciate the compliment.

I beckon her in and finally realize that Beth has a tote bag over her shoulder. When she sees me looking at it, she opens the top to show me what's inside.

"I brought stuff to make pizzas with," she says happily.

My favorite food.

I know this is only the third time I've seen her, but how does she continually know what I'm thinking?

I put on some music and we talk and laugh while making the pizza. My apartment has never felt this cozy since I moved here but Beth seems to fill the place with her bubbly energy.

When we're finished eating, we start cleaning up, just moving dishes to the sink and wiping down the countertops.

The humor slowly leaves Beth's face and is replaced by a warm smile.

"I know this isn't normally what a second date would be like, but after how the first one went, this just feels so..."

"Right," I finish for her.

We lock eyes, I feel romantic tension in the air.

Don't get cold feet now, stupid.

KISS HER!

That voice really has gotten more reasonable in the past few days.

I lean towards Beth and am ecstatic to see her move to meet me halfway. I close my eyes and feel her soft hands cup each side of my face, guiding me to meet her waiting lips.

An explosion of emotion roars through me as our lips touch. I've never kissed anyone before, but Beth takes the lead and I try to reciprocate the gentle kiss as best I can. I place my hands on her lower back and gently pull her body into mine.

So, this is what it feels like.

This is beautiful.

I explore Beth's soft lips and mouth with my tongue, and she does the same to me. After far too short a time for my liking, I feel Beth's lips leave mine.

"We should get started on that movie if we're going to finish it tonight," she says quietly.

I nod in agreement, more than a little disappointed at the interruption, but happy in my confidence that there will be more later.

"What kind of movie are you feeling tonight?" I ask, trying to recollect myself after the emotions have subsided a bit.

"I dunno. Maybe something..." a wry smile parts her sexy lips. "Romantic?"

Dude. She wants you to hold her on the couch.

Agree. Agree NOW.

I return her smile. "Sounds good to me."

We sit on the couch while Beth scrolls through Netflix for a while before finally deciding on a movie from the romantic category. I'm not a romantic movie kind of guy, so I have no idea what it is or who's in it; all I care about is the beautiful woman cuddled up to my side who occasionally gives me soft pecks on the cheek or kisses on the lips when something nice is happening on the screen.

The third time she kisses me on the lips, I feel tears leave my eyes. When we part again, Beth sees the tears.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

I quickly wipe my eyes. "Nothing, it's just..."

Don't do it. This is too soon.

Do not do it.

I steel myself. It probably is too soon but to hell with it; she's been nothing but nice to me and I need to get this off my chest.

"I- uh, I just haven't felt this close to anyone before. When we were holding hands in the park on Saturday, that was the most physical contact I'd had with another human in too long to remember. I just- This is nice."

Beth nods in agreement. "I know what you mean. I know it should be too soon for this, but something just feels right about you, too."

I smile and nod back, feeling one more tear trail down my cheek, before grabbing Beth's nearest hand, raising it to my lips to give it a small kiss.

Beth's expression turns soft, softer than any I've ever seen. Her face looks like she's on the verge of crying herself, but her eyes show no tears.

"Stand up for a second," she says.

She removes her shoes and lays down lengthwise on the couch before motioning me back down. I end up laying face down between her legs with my head resting sideways on her soft stomach turned towards the TV, my right arm behind her back and my left by her side.

We both sigh and Beth starts absentmindedly running her fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp slowly, gently.

Lovingly.

Another softer, contented sigh escapes me.

This...

This is what I need.

This is what I've been craving.

This is beautiful.

I feel a tear flow down my face as these thoughts reverberate through me.

Dammit why are you still crying?

Get your act together. She's going to think you're a child.

"It's okay, you can be free. Let it all out, honey," I hear Beth softly whisper above me. She kisses her fingertips and lays her hand softly on my forehead.

The dam breaks. Hard.

I am able to keep my outright sobs to a minimum, but more tears than I knew I held flowed from my eyes for the next 20 minutes. I've never felt so happy. I've never felt like I mattered to someone so much.

I had built up a wall from all of the times I been told to "suck it up" but Beth broke it down entirely with two whispered sentences and a gentle head rub.

What did I do to deserve this woman?

She's known me for less than a week and here I am crying like a baby on her stomach while she holds me.

But she doesn't seem to hate me, be disgusted by me, or even seem uncomfortable for it.

What did I do to deserve this?

Beth is using her left hand to rub my head, so I grip her right hand in my left and bring it to my lips before letting our joined hands fall to her side. We watch the remainder of the movie like this, enjoying the intimacy we feel.

When the credits roll, I decide it's finally time to get off of Beth. As I lean up, I see that her shirt rode up a small amount while we were shifting around earlier, so I smile and lean down once more to kiss the exposed belly just to the side of her navel.

Beth giggles and shivers momentarily at the contact. I stand up and look down at her for a moment.

Shit, I'm falling hard.

She's so fucking sexy and she makes me so happy.

I realize I'm staring, so I quickly lean down to help her up.

"Thanks for the assist," she says after standing. "After not moving for so long I was afraid I was part of the couch."

"Heh, uh, sorry about that," I say. "I couldn't help it, you-"

I'm silenced by Beth kissing me once again. "I know," she says softly when she pulls back. "You don't need to say it."

I move back in for another kiss. When our lips meet, I show her every ounce of passion she's awakened in me. We're both breathless when Beth puts a hand on my chest and breaks the kiss.

"Easy there, Tiger," she grins. "How about we take it slow."

I return her smile, trying to convey my gratitude through my eyes. "As long as 'taking it slow' means more nights like tonight, then I'll be just fine."

We share another meaningful kiss before Beth decides it's time to go. I can't say I'm not disappointed we didn't go further, but I understand her desire to go slow. After the emotional catharsis I've had, I'm just not in the right mindset for anything more right now. And if she's not staying the night, Beth really does need to go because it is already past midnight and we both have things we need to do tomorrow.

That doesn't make it hurt any less when I stand outside in the parking lot and watch her drive off. We'd shared one last kiss before she got in the car, but I already miss the feeling of her lips on mine.

Fuck, man, you're falling hard.

I ignore the voice in my head as I've been accustomed to doing and head back into my apartment. I spend a few minutes washing the dishes and doing the last bit of cleanup.

When I finally get to bed, I hug my pillow to my chest again, but this time I imagine it is Beth huddled into my chest. Her beautiful eyes looking into mine as I sigh and fall into a deep sleep.

***********************************************************

"Mmm, this is nice." Beth says in contentment.

Today is Saturday -- three days after Beth first visited my apartment for dinner and a movie. Neither of us wanted to wait any longer to see the other, so she agreed to come by my place again. We were going to get together last night, but I had to postpone last minute because of a nasty headache that sprung up. I asked if she wanted to go out -- get dinner from a nice restaurant, see the city after dark, et cetera -- but she said that she would rather we just have a repeat of the other night: homemade dinner, a movie on my tv, and "snuggle time," as she called it.

I enjoyed it immensely the first time -- I can't remember the last time I've been so happy for so long -- so I had no qualms with doing it again.

Tonight, we made fried rice with bits of chicken in it. I got the ingredients for this meal since Beth got the last one's and had the chicken marinade for a few hours ahead of time. The dinner turned out well, but we both knew that was more of a formality. Neither of us could wait for time on the couch again.

Once again, there is a movie on, but we're not really paying all that much attention to it. I am laying on my back on the couch and Beth is laying on top of me, her back laid across my chest and her head resting on my shoulder. Tonight, we knew what we planned on doing, so I made sure there was a blanket near the couch for us to use. The blanket, the softest one I own, is currently being used to cover us up to our shoulders. Beth's position lets me rest my right hand on her stomach, which she covers with her own right hand, and lets us hold each other's left hands by our side. Additionally, because of her head's placement, I have free reign to give her pecks on the cheek, neck, and lips like she was doing to me the other night.

The positions might have been flipped as opposed to last time, but I feel no less comfortable.

I start to slowly rub around Beth's stomach. She sighs and nuzzles her head into mine before giving me a kiss, so I take that to mean she likes it.

I will never get used to kissing this beautiful woman.

What did I do to convince her to give me a shot?

We watch the movie in silence once more, my hand making continuous, slow circles on Beth's stomach. I don't know what this movie is; Beth picked this one out ahead of time.

Are... are they...?

I'm surprised to see this movie, which had seemed like a pretty boring romance story, suddenly turn graphic. The male and female leads kiss passionately while they strip each other naked. There's no sneaky camera movement or blatant obstacles to conceal their intimate parts, either; both people are fully on display. Beth turns her head to look at me and I see she has an amused smile on her face.