Unrequited Pt. 02

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you. So do you."

It was my turn to blush and smile.

We just stared at each other for a moment, fingers laced together, before she tried to break the silence. "I, um, God." She shook her head

I made what I hope was a kind face. "You look nervous."

"Probably 'cause I am." She looked down at our hands "I get that way around you."

"Hey." I reached over and lifted her chin, and those beautiful green eyes met mine. "I'm scared too." Kayleigh looked like she didn't believe me, so I nodded. "Most nervous ever on a first date. Promise."

My companion's face broke into the sweetest smile, and I melted a little inside.

We sat quietly for another long thirty seconds before Kayleigh reached out and touched my orange blouse.

"I like your top."

"I bought it just for you."

"Really?"

I nodded. I almost launched into the story of Sally's and my shopping trip, but I held back. I didn't want to mention Sally anymore if I didn't have to. Tonight was supposed to be about Kayleigh, and if I was going to really invest in our time, I needed to put Sally aside. "I thought you might like certain aspects of it."

Kayleigh's eyes traveled down to my breasts and rested there for a second, which sent a thrill up my spine. "It's really nice, Bethany." I could see her give herself a mental shake and look back up at my face. Seeing my little half grin made her blush more, and she took a deep breath. "OK, that was my attempt at conversation. Your turn."

We shared a laugh, acknowledging the not unpleasant tension between us. I decided to back away from the topics of appearance or clothing.

"So tell me about your family. I know you have a brother."

"Yeah, there are four of us, actually. My brother, Stephen, is the oldest by a decent amount. Then there's my older sister Molly, then me, and my little sister Heather."

"Any of them married?"

"Oh yeah. All of them. I have seven nieces and nephews so far with an eighth on the way. The oldest is nine. Holidays at my parent's are an absolute zoo. But it's fun. How about you?"

"Wow, nothing like that. I just have one sister."

"Older or younger?"

"Three years older. You saw her at the fair. Loves to nag and mother me. She and her husband live pretty close to here." I told her about Emma and our contraband cookie tradition.

Our initial awkwardness seemed to evaporate as we talked, and I was so into her I literally jumped when our buzzer went off, indicating our table was ready.

I pulled my legs under myself to stand, and I realized I was still holding Kayleigh's hand. I really didn't want to let go, so I didn't. She let me gently pull her to her feet, eyes shining.

"Our table's ready."

"Yeah."

I wanted to kiss her, but it seemed premature. I mean, that happens at the end of the date, right? Apparently, though, Kayleigh didn't feel bound by those conventions, because as she stood she stretched right up onto her tiptoes and planted her lips on mine. It only lasted a moment, but it sent a delicious tingle up and down my spine.

Kayleigh leaned back, grinning at my dumbstruck expression and pulled on my hand. "Come on, let's go."

We were seated at a small table for two, and our waitress appeared a moment later, a petite young woman with long, straight, bottle-blonde hair. "Hi, I'm Anna, I'll be taking care of you tonight. So, are we celebrating anything special?"

Kayleigh smiled, without looking away from me. "First date."

"Oh! That's sweet. What can I get you to drink?" We both ordered white wine. I also asked for a large glass of water since I was driving. I knew that the wine would be my only drink of the evening.

"Oh, we also want an order of the Bang Bang Shrimp." Kayleigh's voice was genuinely excited at the prospect. I'd almost forgotten about it.

Anna told us it would be coming right up. She moved away, and I looked back into the warm sunshine that was Kayleigh's face. Oh, that's nice. Hey, stupid, you should say something, anything.

"So, your family's supportive?"

"Yeah, immediate family anyway. My very Korean grandparents avoid the subject entirely. My Irish, lapsed Catholic grandparents don't care nearly as much."

"Your Dad's Irish?"

"Mostly, about ninety percent. Mom got no end of crap when she brought him home, I can tell you."

I giggled. "I can imagine."

"Yeah, they have stories for sure. But it made Mom very accepting. She always told us she didn't care if someone we brought home was white, black, yellow, green, or orange with blue polka dots, as long as they were responsible and treated us well." Kayleigh grinned and her eyes lit up as she thought about her family. "And I guess we paid attention, since we all have really different partners."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Stephen fell for a white girl, one of the waitresses at his first job he had as a chef. Molly is the conservative one; she married a nice Korean boy from our church. Heather's husband is Raul Hernandez. He's a lawyer and an assistant DA in Topeka. I expect he'll run for office someday soon. Heather will make the perfect politician's wife."

Anna delivered our drinks and I took a sip from mine. "So you're the single, rainbow sheep of the family, huh?"

Kayleigh grinned and nodded. "In so many ways. Both my sisters are prettier than me, fair complexions, taller. And I was the quintessential middle kid, always in the background, trying to make sure everyone around me was happy, fix their problems."

"I thought you said you don't fix people." I made air quotes with my fingers around the word fix.

"Yes, but I was ten, I didn't know that yet." We both giggled. "Are you close with your sister?"

"Yeah, a lot more now than when we were kids. We're about as different as can be, but she was relentlessly supportive when I came out, especially towards my mom."

"Your mom doesn't approve?"

"I think my mom still hopes it's a phase, and I'll get over it when I meet Prince Charming."

"Are you ladies ready to order?" Anna's sudden reappearance made me jump. I'd gotten so wrapped up in talking to Kayleigh I hadn't even opened the menu. I smiled sheepishly at our waitress.

"Can I have another minute?"

"Of course, I'll be back."

I shook my head. "I guess I need to decide, huh?"

"Or we could just sit here all night and drive her crazy."

I laughed at Kayleigh's wicked smile and picked up my menu. It didn't take me long to zero in on the shrimp and scallop dish, while Kayleigh opted for the rainbow trout. Less than a minute after we put in our orders our Bang Bang Shrimp were dropped off at our table.

"Oh, yum! Wait till you try these." Kayleigh speared one with her fork and held it out for me to try. Blushing slightly I leaned across the table and wrapped my lips around the piece of shrimp, flavor exploding into my mouth as I bit down. "Mmm, Wow."

"Good, huh?"

"God, yeah." I spoke while chewing. Covering my mouth with my hand, which made Kayleigh laugh. She took one for herself and nodded in approval.

As we made way through the spicy dish Kayleigh told me about her family trip down to the gulf coast when she was ten, which had cemented her love of seafood.

"So have you ever done a crab boil, Bethany?"

I shook my head 'no', thinking to myself how much I was starting to enjoy hearing her say my full name like she did.

"You do like crab, don't you?"

I grinned. "I don't like crab cakes, but I think that's more to do with the fact I don't do mustard much."

"You have tried it, though?"

I smiled weekly. "I'm not sure how to eat it? It kind of scares me." Kayleigh laughed. "Don't laugh at me." I tried to sound hurt, but I couldn't help giggling along.

"I'm taking you for crab, I'll show you how, it's not that hard. Promise."

"You realize that's two more dates you've committed to now, you know." I quirked up one side of my mouth. "Trying to tie me down already?"

Kayleigh blushed. "Maybe a little". Her green eyes got serious for a moment. "But I should be upfront, Bethany. I do want that. I want a relationship. I want marriage, children, matching rocking chairs at the old folk's home." She bobbed her head. "I'm not proposing or anything, so don't freak out, but if those are deal breakers for you..." She shrugged, never looking away

My heart was suddenly pounding away. That was upfront. Normally, if anyone got past first date/one night stand territory, which was rare, and they started to get couple-y I'd freak out. I'd compare them to Sally, realize how woefully they came up short, and shut the whole thing down.

But there'd be no dawning realization here. It was right there, and I could either run screaming or accept it upfront. I remembered what I'd told myself. If I didn't want to be miserable and alone forever I had to try. Really try.

"That sounds fine to me."

She tilted her head to the side. "Just fine?" Her eyes were dancing a little, so I knew she was teasing me, but I still blushed.

"No, I want those things, too. I really do. But, I mean..." I grimaced and lowered my voice. "Doesn't it scare you a little? I mean, especially after what you just went through?"

Kayleigh nodded and took a sip of her wine. "Sure, of course. For one reason in particular."

"What's that?"

She just grinned at me. "Maybe I'll tell you on a future date."

"Brat."

Her grin widened, eyes sparkling. At that moment the server arrived with our meals, so we dropped the heavier topic to eat. We shared morsels off our plates, and I enjoyed the way she made her little happy face with every bite she took. It was the cutest thing ever.

She looked up and caught me staring at the shy smile stretched across her face. "What?"

"Nothing. You're just fun to look at."

She blushed. "That's just because you've never seen my professional face. It's very intimidating."

I chuckled. "I'll bet."

"It is!" She squared herself. "I'll show you." Her eyebrows lowered into a glare and she thinned her pretty lips into a flat line. It was so intimidating I lasted a good three seconds before I broke out into a fit of the giggles.

Kayleigh's attempt at a stern face evaporated into a blushing smile, and she joined my laughter. "Stop that." Her head hung forward and a strand of her long dark hair fell in front of her shoulder. She pushed it back behind her ear, exposing her pretty neck.

I grinned at her. "So, no stern look?"

She smiled up at me through her lashes. "You make me nervous."

"I make you nervous?"

Kelly gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, a little. Maybe more than a little."

I couldn't really wrap my brain around that, but the way her cheeks reddened as she said it it seems sincere. "Why?"

I winced inwardly as soon as I said it. I thought it seemed like I was fishing for compliments. But Kayleigh just looked into me with those impossibly green eyes, and it was my turn to blush. "Never mind. You make me nervous too."

Kayleigh smiled. And she was beautiful. "I don't know how many times I thought about trying to find you."

"I know. I thought about you too, so much. It doesn't feel real." I reached across the table and held up my head and she placed hers and mine. "It's getting more and more real though."

"Yeah." Kayleigh glanced down shyly before meeting my eyes again. "Bethany, are you seeing anyone else?"

I shook my head. "No. You?"

"Huh-uh. I don't date more than one girl at a time. And I don't date women who do."

Wow. There it was again. I was either all in, or I was out. Strange thing was I didn't feel pressured. A little scared, maybe, but in a good way, I think. Kayleigh had the right to ask that. She deserves someone who is all in. I honestly wasn't sure I was ready for that, but I knew I wanted to be, and that I needed to be.

"I'm okay with that. Really okay."

Kayleigh just beamed at me across the table.

"How are you doing, ladies?" I started for a moment, revealing how lost in Kayleigh I was at the time, but I managed to make eye contact with our waitress.

"I think we're good, thanks."

"Any desert, or...?"

I shook my head. "No, just a check."

"Okay." Anna was grinning at us. "Will this be together, or separate?"

I looked back at Kayleigh as I answered. "Together. Definitely together."

Kayleigh's eyes sparkled as I said it, and her smile lit up the evening.

*****

I took care of the bill. I'd chosen the restaurant, after all. We held hands all the way back to my car.

I started the engine and looked over at my date. "So, where to?"

"Mini golf!" Kayleigh clapped her hands and smiled at me, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"You got it, sounds great. Where were you thinking?"

"If you don't mind a little bit of a drive there is a great place in Chesterfield."

"The sports fusion place. Yeah. On our way."

I pulled out of the parking lot and navigated onto I-64, heading west.

"Have you been there before?"

I nodded. "I've gone climbing there a few times, when I was first starting."

"You do rock climbing?"

"I do indoor rock climbing. Not the real stuff. I prefer padded floors and professionally installed safety equipment to the thrill of imminent, gruesome death." I gave her a sidelong look. "You ever try?"

"Not since I was a kid. I'm too short."

I shook my head. "Bull. I've seen some people plenty shorter than you at the top of some very difficult walls. You're not afraid of heights, are you?"

"Everyone's afraid of heights. It's instinctual. Some people just overcome it better than others. I'm not one of those people."

"You'd do great."

"Would you teach me?" Her coy little smile was irresistible.

"Absolutely. So it's decided then. Our next date will be rock climbing followed by a crab boil."

Kayleigh batted her eyes at me. "So now you're assuming there's going to be a second date, then?"

I turned to her with a smile of my own. "Yeah, I guess I am." I reached out, and her hand slipped into mine. It fits so perfectly there, and I could feel the warmth from her radiating up my arm.

We went down the highway like that, hand-in-hand, making small talk. It was nice.

When we got to the facility it was hopping, but we were able to get our putters and balls for mini golf with only a slight delay. The climbing wall was the same as I remember, but they had a ton of other things going on, too, most interesting of which was a laser maze thingy that looked like a lot of fun.

I picked out a bright green ball and glanced at the scorecards and little pencils. "Are we keeping score?"

Kayleigh smirked at me. "Of course, silly. How else will we know who won?"

I nodded at the implied challenge. "Alrighty then."

"Fair warning though, Korea is probably the top women's golf country in the world, so..." She shrugged, a wicked smile on her face.

"So you're going to crush me like a little bitty bug?"

"That's the plan."

"We'll see."

And she was competitive, too. I'll admit it was a little bit of a shock. The few times Sally and I had done this she'd refused to let me keep score. But Kayleigh, man, she fought dirty. She'd stand a little too close when I was trying to make a putt, or offer 'helpful' advice on how to handle a shot.

I loved it. My dad was the same way when we played games, so I'd learn to dish it out too, something I could never do with Sally. It was so much fun. It all ended with me having to make an eight footer from the stone wall to tie the match, all while Kayleigh stood on a small rock next to the hole, asking if she was distracting me.

When my putt lipped out I let out a groan, which sounded in counterpoint to Kayleigh's girlish squeal of victory.

I put on a pouty face, and Kayleigh ran over. "Aww, poor Bethany." She took my hands, and put a patronizing lilt into her voice. "Are you OK?"

"I don't like you anymore."

Kayleigh giggled, and I couldn't keep a straight face. She went up on her toes and kissed me, making my head swim for a second.

I finished up and turned our clubs back in. "I want a rematch."

"On what?"

"I was thinking that laser maze thing. "

"Ha! There is no way I'm doing that in a dress."

"That's a lame excuse." I looked around. "How about Skee-Ball? "

"You're on."

I won two of our three games at that, and when I landed my last ball to finish the third, raising my arms in triumph, she just said congratulations and pulled me down for a kiss. From there we played a game of air hockey, which I won easily.

"It's not fair, you keep bending over the table and distracting me with those." She gestured towards my breasts.

"What, these little things?" I pushed my arms together, which made Kayleigh's eyes go wide.

"There's nothing little about them, and you know it."

We spent the next hour basically behaving like teenagers. We played a racing game on pretend motorcycles, blew the heads off some zombies with light guns, and generally had a grand old time. We didn't head out until they started encouraging people to leave fifteen minutes before closing.

Kayleigh's hand slipped into mine as we made our way back into the parking lot. We separated only long enough to get into my car, and as soon as we were seated I reached out and took her hand again. Wow, that felt so nice, just holding hands. I gave her palm a little squeeze, looking down at our handclasp, before raising my eyes to hers. A shy smile stole across her face, her cheeks coloring as she glanced down shyly.

I couldn't help but mirror her expression. My car merged into traffic and I headed toward Kayleigh's condo. I'd worried that the conversation might stagnate, which had happened to me so often in the past. But as we drove it wasn't an issue at all. Kayleigh kept it going effortlessly, a mix of smack talk - which was so adorable coming from her - and excitement about what we could do on our next date. She was already talking about going back dressed for the laser maze, and I was trying to talk her into trying the climbing wall.

"You just want to stand underneath me while I'm wearing yoga pants."

I glanced over and Kayleigh was giving me the wickedest look. I blushed as my body responded with a delicious full-length tingle.

We pulled into Kayleigh's driveway and I got out to see her to the door. She came around the car and slipped her hand into mind as we walked to her door.

When we got to her small porch Kayleigh turned around towards me. Her face was all demure innocence as she met my eyes, her voice soft and unsure.

"I had a really nice time tonight, Bethany."

Man, I was starting to love the way she said my name. "I did, too." I let go of one of her hands and reached up, tucking a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear.

I let my hand linger on her neck as her brilliant green eyes shone up at me, her tongue darting out of her kissable mouth, wetting her lips.

I leaned forward ever so slightly. Her chin lifted in anticipation. My lips feathered against hers for a moment before she pressed herself to me. Energy raced through my body as her mouth opened and our tongues found each other. God, she tasted so wonderful, and I was starting to lose myself in the moment when she pulled away.

"Bethany? Um, can we take it slow? I mean..."

"I know, it's fine." I stroked the side of her face.

"It's just, I don't want to mess this up."

"We won't. Promise."

"OK." She leaned back in for another kiss, which I gladly complied with. Oh damn, I was going to need a cold shower when I got home. The kiss deepened, and my legs started turning to Jell-O as the length of her body pressed against mine.

She broke away, taking a deep, shaky breath. I leaned my forehead against hers, breathing deeply as well.

She kissed my cheek. "So, about taking it slow?"

"Yeah?" I tried to steel myself to step away as she looked up at me through her long lashes.

"Can we start tomorrow?"