Instead, he reached across the table and touched my cheek, and looked into my eyes as if he were trying to find something there. “Perfect. Let’s order; mom swears by the Chicken Parmesan, dad and I like the lasagna, though, and the Caesar salad is beyond great.”
“Um, I don’t eat meat.” His mouth fell open before he broke out in laughter. “Why didn’t you tell me? You do realize we’re at an Italian steakhouse, right?” He didn’t say it in a ‘you’re so stupid’ way, but more like it tickled him.
“I’m sorry, I can usually find something on the menu wherever I go. It’s no big deal.”
“Well, there’s the pasta primavera. Are you vegetarian or full-out vegan?” I relaxed when I realized he wasn’t going to berate me for my food choices.
“I tried going full vegan once, but I like cheese too much.”
We placed our orders not long after that, and he picked up a slice of warm bread and buttered it before passing it to me. “So, are you going to try to convert me?”
“Into what?” I asked tongue in cheek and felt a few more of those butterflies relax their fluttering wings when he laughed.
He was very good at putting me at ease, as was evident by the way he had me talking more than I think I ever had to anyone about myself. As the evening wore on, the more comfortable I became, and it was easy to forget that the small-town virgin was sitting across from the campus hot jock.
He was easy to talk to, not the four-handed monster mom had always warned me about. There were no sneaky moves, no pushy touches—just polite conversation mixed with laughter. By the end of the evening, I was surprised to find that there was more to him than his looks.
Sure he was a football nut, but he also had a brain. I found myself thinking mom would like him if she ever got the chance to meet him. What if he didn’t find me as fascinating as I found him?
“Uh-oh, what is it this time?” Only one thing about the night unnerved me, the way he looked at me and the way he seemed able to see right through me. I fidgeted under that stare, but he didn’t waver. “What is what? I don’t know what you mean.”
This time instead of pushing, he just gave me a look before sitting back in his chair. We were finishing our coffee, neither of us was in any hurry to leave even as the place cleared out around us. His stare became too much, and I just looked down, memorizing that pattern in the tablecloth again.
“You have no idea, do you?” I picked my head up at his statement, which seemed to come out of nowhere.
“About what?”
“Just how fucking gorgeous you are.” I think my heart literally stopped in my chest. I don’t think I’d ever heard those words spoken in relation to myself.
I could only stare at him wordlessly, nonplussed. Maybe he had a vision problem? His words may have been a bit off, but that didn’t lessen the impact they had on me. I don’t think anyone has ever said those words to me in quite that same way.
“Thank you, I guess.” I felt awkward sitting there under his intense stare after his compliment, not knowing what to say. Once again, he saved me from myself by just taking my hand and carrying on talking like he hadn’t just knocked me off my feet.
He summoned the server and paid the bill before helping me up from my chair and leading me out into the cool evening. I felt the warmth from his compliment all the way back to the truck. I guess I finally knew what it meant to walk on air. And by the time he belted me into the truck and walked around to the other side, I was halfway under his spell.
I went full-blown teenager in love when he took my hand after turning on the truck and pulling out of the parking lot. As the first dates went by, I couldn’t have asked for better. Then I remembered that the evening wasn’t quite over yet, and my nerves revved up again the closer we got to campus. Is he going to expect something from me in exchange for dinner?
I was tense from the time he turned off the truck and when he walked me to the dorm. That nervousness only went up a notch when he followed me inside to my door. “Sleep well, Lisa; I’ll see you tomorrow.” He pulled me into him and kissed my forehead before walking away.
I stood there, feeling the warmth seep through me as I watched him walk away. If nothing else, I will always remember him for giving me the best first date. “Go inside, Lisa.” He didn’t even turn when he said that as he reached the end of the hallway, and I pushed my key in the lock and walked in.