New Beginnings

It's been a while. This is a bit different from my other stories but I hope you enjoy!

I was nervous and excited. I was going on a date! I hadn't done much of that since my separation from my husband, or ever really. Prior to getting married my involvement with men had been mostly one night stands, (drunk or otherwise) even when I met him, it had been an immediate and powerful sexual connection that had progressed outwardly and, unfortunately, incompletely.

I was ready to take it slow, to try to see if I could develop an actual relationship with someone before the chemistry took over and I was buried in it (or over it) before it had even had a chance to begin. That didn't mean I wasn't craving an intensely sexual connection with someone, I just wanted no, needed, the other parts of me fulfilled as well.

It had started with a friendly message on Facebook of course, from an old friend. He had heard through the grapevine about my separation and was offering his condolences. From there we had started chatting fairly regularly, soon I learned his relationship had recently ended as well. I wasn't sure yet where I thought this might go, but I was certainly enjoying the attention and the thrill of what seemed to be the spark of something between us. Even though I was fairly confident, I had a shy side to my personality that I tended to reserve for guys I liked.

He made several attempts to ask me out but I demurred, preferring for the moment at least, the ease and comfort of an online flirtation. I was nervous about starting a new relationship, especially since I had yet to tie up the strings of the one I was just in. But something inside of me was whispering to give it a try, to take a chance and see what might happen. I told myself that if he asked again, I would say yes. And that if he didn't I would take the bull by the horns and do it myself. At least I hoped I could summon the courage, thoughts of rejection seemed to permanently lurk in my mind even though I doubted he would say no.

I waited a week, until we were having a phone conversation, a fairly new development, and at a rare break in the conversation, I blurted out that I thought we should hang out. My heart was beating super fast and the seconds it took him to reply felt a like a million years. The "sure" he replied was said in a casual but cheerful way and relief immediately flooded my brain. The tone of the conversation took on an excited one as we made plans to have dinner at the end of the week. After that we would play it by ear, see what we felt like doing. It was perfect.

So here I was, waiting on pins and needles, for his arrival. It had been a while since optimism had ruled my life and I was enjoying the feeling immensely. Even though I knew him fairly well, I felt like this was a whole new chapter and I was going to keep looking forward to what might come next. Ending my marriage had been the single most difficult decision I had ever made, but I was ready to move past that and not let it affect the future. I felt like this date, regardless of outcome, was the very first step in right direction.

When the doorbell rang I practically shot off the couch and stood up. I took a couple of deep breaths before walking to the foyer. My low heels clicked across the tile and I took one final inhalation before opening the door. There he stood, a nervous smile on his face, a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. I stepped back and subtly looked him up and down. He was wearing a white button down shirt with a slate-blue sportcoat and dark blue jeans. It was a cute and stylish outfit completed by blue vans that matched his jacket. Hot.

"Hi Aaron, come on in," I said, stepping back and allowing him to enter. He handed me the flowers and leaned in to hug me. I accepted them and slid my arms around his abdomen, inhaling his cologne in for a second before we separated. I offered him a seat on the couch as I went to the kitchen to fill a vase with water. He took it, propped one leg up on the other, slight ticks of nerves obvious as he moved his foot up and down. I put the flowers in the vase and set it on the coffee table.

"I'll be right out," I told him as I went to my bedroom to check my appearance one final time before we headed out.

"No hurry," he said, petting my cat who had jumped up on the couch, wondering who was in our space. He was looking around with curiosity and interest and seemed at ease in my home.

I walked into my bedroom and stopped by the full length mirror. My purple dress was tight across the chest and ended just above my knees. My curves were packaged nicely and my black peep-toe heels accented my ass just enough to look good but not overtly sexual. My red hair was behaving itself, hanging fairly straight and my bangs were just below my eyebrows. All in all I thought I looked pretty good, I was even wearing a bit of jewelry, earrings and a necklace to finish it all off. I grabbed my purse off the bed and headed back to the living room and towards the front door.

"I think I'm ready," I said, watching him watch me as he eased off the couch and came over to where I stood.

"You look great," he said, his hand grazing my back as he leaned in front of me to open the door.

"Thanks, so do you," I managed to get out, feeling a little light headed from the touch and the compliment. We headed out to his car, a shiny black two door something or other, I didn't really know cars, but it was certainly pretty. He paused to open my door for me and I got in, admiring his considerate actions and liking the tone of the evening thus far. He closed the door and walked towards the driver's seat. I buckled my seat-belt and glanced around at the meticulously tidy car and looked at him with a smile as he got in.

"What?" He said, a half-smile on his face as he looked at me questioningly.

"Nice car," I answered and his smile grew as he turned to start it. We drove towards the restaurant, talking the whole way about various topics, conversation flowing easily back and forth between us. It was incredibly familiar and easy while still being exciting and butterfly inducing at the same time. His driving was smooth and safe and we reached the restaurant in what seemed like no time. He parked the car and got out, coming over to my side to open it and offer assistance. I grabbed his hand and once the door was closed and locked, we headed inside, hands still together, walking towards the entrance.

We were at a small local Italian restaurant I had heard great things about. Upon arrival, we were immediately seated at an intimate table for two. A single white tea-light candle burned in a small silver holder and a single fresh rose sat in a small white vase. A burgundy table cloth adorned with white bread plates and shiny silverware awaited us. The maitre'd pulled out my chair, I sat down and as Aaron sat across from me matching crystal wine glasses placed in front of us and filled with red wine. Fancy.

I grabbed the glass and sipped the wine, it had a nice robust flavor without being too strong. Aaron sipped his as well and then sat back to look at me. "I am really glad we're doing this Paige," he started, looking at me, his hazel eyes lighting up as our eyes met.

"Me too," I replied, momentarily losing my wits as our eyes locked for a few seconds. I shook it off, not wanting to get ahead of myself and looked away to try to regain my cognitive abilities. When I looked back at him he was still looking at me and I giggled nervously. It was so strange, to see someone in an entirely new light and funny how it also felt so perfectly natural.

For the next hour we continued to chat as we ate our salads and shared a plate of ravioli with tomato sauce and a bowl of tortellini with a delicious four cheese Alfredo sauce. I had another glass of wine and a small slice of cheesecake for dessert. Everything seemed to be going beautifully and I found myself not wanting the evening to end. Everything Aaron said was making me laugh and he seemed equally amused by me as well.

We finished up, he paid the check and we stood up to leave. I was a little buzzed from the wine but more from the way he was making me feel and I was hoping he didn't want to just take me home. "It's a nice night," I commented when we were outside. It was a warm spring evening but the slight breeze in the air made it feel wonderful.

"Yes, it is, would you like a take a walk downtown?" He asked, grabbing my hand and we brushed up against each other briefly.

"Of course," I replied and we set off, walking hand in hand down the street. It wasn't crowded, but there were a smattering of people out, a few couples and a family or two, all out enjoying the evening. We walked up and down the small downtown area, ducking in the occasional shop to look around and soon we came upon a small garden promenade. He pulled me towards a bench and we sat, legs touching, the humorous banter still passing between us effortlessly.

He stopped talking for a second and my heart started pounding again when he turned towards me and looked into my eyes. He leaned in towards me and brushed my face with his slightly shaking hand, then he kissed me, gently at first, his moist lips brushing up against mine, and although my mind was freaking out and nearly panicking, I closed my eyes and kissed him back, and for a rare moment let myself go. The kiss was amazing, it felt so good to connect with someone like this and I was disappointed when he pulled away. I reached for him again, and soon we were making out like teenagers and although he remained respectable I could feel an urgency start to rise between us. This time it was me he pulled away, not because I wanted to, but because I didn't want to get carried away.

He seemed to understand and stood, pulling me along with him. "I think I should take you home now," he said, disappointment mixed with longing covering his face. I felt the same way but I knew this was only the beginning, and I was looking forward to what was to come.

To be continued...