"Why's that?"
Should I tell him? What's the worse that will happen? He will judge me and never look at me the same. You know what? Fuck it.
"I went on a couple of dates with this guy. We had an amazing connection. Well, I thought we did. We had sex, and then he ghosted me."
Titus shakes his head. "First of all, guys are dumb. Trust me, I have personal experience being one and all."
A little laugh leaves my lips, making him chuckle.
"Second, that was a grown boy, not a grown man."
"Fair enough. Are you saying you are a grown man?"
"I would like to consider myself to be, yeah. I would feel like complete shit if I ever did that to a woman.Or anyone, really."
"Nice to know."
"Here ya go." The server sets down a basket with bread sticks in it and a few different dipping sauces. "Your meals should be here in just a few minutes."
I look up at her and smile. "Thanks," I say as I grab one and dip it in the marinara sauce. "The bread sticks are the best part."
"Agreed."
We have a casual conversation for the rest of the meal and then share ice cream for dessert. He takes care of the check and once again puts his hand on my lower back as he opens the door for me and follows close behind.
When we get to my Jeep, there's that silence again. But it's not weird this time. There's an energy to it.
"Thank you for dinner."
"Absolutely. I had fun getting to know you."
"Me too." I pull my keys from my purse to unlock the doors.
"Can we do this again?"
I start fussing with the keys in my hand, wrapping the lanyard around my finger, not looking at him. I want to, I really do, but I am terrified of getting hurt again. It's too soon.
He puts his hand gently over mine. "Hey, look at me, please."
His voice is demanding, but soft, not pleading. So, I meet his eyes.
"I'm not that guy. If for one minute I thought that this couldn't be something, I would let you know."
I bite the side of my lip as I nod my head. His hand moves from mine to my chin, and he gently pulls down, making me release my lip.
"You're going to bite a hole in your lip, and if you do that, I won't be able to do this."