by Hope Stone
“So you’re doing your MBA?” I asked. “I’m finally getting some information about you.”
“Yes, I’m in my final year. I did my undergraduate at Harvard and the first year of my MBA at Harvard Business School, but I decided to complete it online so I could move back here. It’s cheaper and, at the end of the day, I end up with the same piece of paper.”
Her phone started buzzing again and she shook her head. “I’m not answering. It’s after 8 pm. I’ll just turn my phone off. Sorry about that.”
Her face gave away that she was clearly annoyed with the caller. But I didn’t want to question her about it. It felt like digging too deep for a first date.
We finished our drinks and talked about her studies and the work she did online to earn an income. I told her all about my upbringing in New York City and she told me what it was like being raised in Florydale. I hadn’t had a conversation like that in quite a while. The only person I really knew in Florydale was Tommy and he was my boss.
Chapter 4: Megan
I didn’t want to lie to Pete, but I also didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good first date by telling him who was really trying to call me. Tony had been my MBA advisor when I’d been at Harvard Business School the year before. But I’d requested a new supervisor as soon as we’d started dating. Things got pretty intense between us very quickly and they didn’t end well. I didn’t want to bring any of that up with Pete. He was too sweet and I didn’t want to ruin our fun with the truth.
Our date ended with a kiss outside my front door. It was so simple and sweet. Nothing like being with Tony. He was so serious and intense. Something about Pete made me want to tell him about Tony… but I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the fun we were having. As I walked inside after he kissed me goodbye, I told myself that I would tell him everything eventually. After all, I’d only just met him.
I agreed to meet Pete the next evening so he could show me the design that he was going to do for my tattoo. I was buzzing as I walked in through my front door. Pete made me feel young and energized… like I should feel at 25. I hadn’t felt that way in a while. I didn’t even mind that he was a few years younger than me. I guess being with Tony had changed my opinion on older guys. Maturity wasn’t always a good thing.
I looked around at the boxes that I still needed to unpack. I decided that I’d unpack for a little while before I went to sleep. That way, I could daydream about that goodnight kiss. I went through some of my boxes of books. They’d only arrived from Boston the day before. When I’d left, I’d taken very little with me. It took a couple of months before I felt ready to send for the rest of my things.
I switched on my phone to put on some music and saw that there were five voicemails from Tony. I ignored them. I didn’t want to hear from him, not while I was still tingling from kissing Pete. Soon, I’d finished organizing my bookshelf and decided to go to sleep. For the first time in a while, I slept deeply and without disturbance.
The next morning, I woke up with a smile on my face. Until, of course, Tony started phoning again. Eventually, I knew that I would have to answer.
“Tony, I don’t want to speak to you. I meant what I said in the letter.” I started speaking as soon as I answered without worrying about pleasantries.
“You’ve made a huge mistake. Come on, baby, you can’t just leave things like that. I won’t let you. I’m not going to let you screw everything up between us.”
I started getting anxious just from hearing his voice and hung up. I put my phone on silent and left it next to my bed. I couldn’t get through to Tony. That’s why I’d left him with a note explaining that I was moving back home and ending things with him. Every time I’d tried breaking up with him in the past, he’d convinced me somehow that I needed him… that we needed each other. And then we’d be happy for a while, until things got bad again. I didn’t want to be with him and I’d tried to make that clear. I didn’t understand why he couldn’t get the message.
Nobody at home knew about Tony. They wouldn’t understand. I mean, maybe Kimberly would, but I couldn’t find the words to tell her exactly what had happened. And part of me still believed that nobody would understand why I left. They wouldn’t understand how bad it had actually been.
I studied for the rest of the morning and then tutored some kids in English as a second language online for the afternoon. I’d done a course so I could teach online. It was a good part-time job that helped me pay the bills. Even though I’d moved home, I didn’t move back in with my parents. They weren’t so happy that I had given up on Harvard. They thought it was to cut costs and they said they were happy to help me fund my studies. But I said I didn’t want to take any more money from them, even though my family was fairly wealthy. It wasn’t about money, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell them about Tony. Again, I was pretty sure that nobody would understand.
I cleared my head of Tony as I got dressed to meet with Pete. I had this silly smile on my face as I picked out clothes to wear. I hadn’t put any effort into an outfit for a while. But for Pete, I wanted to look good. He was something special. I felt like you should feel when you start dating someone, like it could go in any direction.
Finally, I decided on a gray skirt and an emerald green silk shirt. I even put on lipstick, which was something I hadn’t worn in months. As I was about to walk out the door, there was a knock. Part of me was instinctively afraid that it was Tony, even though I knew he was far away from Florydale. Part of me was dreading that it was Kimberly wanting to moan about the night before and how Tommy hadn’t returned her affections.
But it wasn’t; it was Pete. I smiled. “I thought we were meeting at GamePlan?”
“Yeah, but I figured that since I live like a quick two roads away, we could walk together. Although I know there is a slight chance that I look like a complete stalker.”
“Nah, I know a stalker when I see one,” I joked, even though I knew that wasn’t entirely the truth.
He took my hand in his as we walked to the bar and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
Chapter 5: Pete
I’d planned to meet up with Megan at the bar, but I thought it would be cool to pick her up. And since I didn’t drive and everyone in Florydale walked everywhere anyway, I thought I’d just walk her to our date. I knew there was the off chance that she’d find it weird, so I threw in a joke about not being a stalker anyway. She laughed and that little bit of anxiety I’d been feeling all day disappeared. She was truly someone I could see myself dating.
It wasn’t like I’d been looking for someone special. I hadn’t even thought of settling down before, but something about Megan made me want to be the boyfriend type. And the boyfriend type always made an effort to pick the woman up at her door, so that’s what I did.
I took her hand as we were walking and she lightly bit her lip and smiled. For the first time in my life, I felt like I wasn’t just the weird guy flirting with someone who was only vaguely interested. She seemed to really like me and I knew that I really liked her.
“You look gorgeous, by the way,” I said as we arrived at the entrance of GamePlan.
“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said as she played with the collar of my denim jacket. I wanted to take her in my arms right then and there, but the bouncer cleared his throat in an effort to encourage us to produce our IDs. We both handed them over and went inside.
We took a table for two near the bar and away from the stage. There was going to be a band playing a bit later and I wanted to be able to listen to them but still hold a conversation with Megan. I went to the bar and ordered us drinks. Megan offered to pay, but I told her she could get the next round. I liked that she offered, but I wanted to cover the bill. For the first time in my life, I felt like being an old-fashioned gentleman. So I handed over my credit card and opened a tab.
“Not having an Old Fashioned tonight?” she said, pointing at my whiskey.
“Yeah, I really wanted to like it… but nothing b
eats plain old whiskey for me,” I admitted to her.
“It’s okay. We don’t have to have everything in common, just the important things.” She winked as she said the last part.
“And what are the important things?” I asked, genuinely wondering what mattered to her.
“Well, it’s important that we both have a sense of humor, we’re both interesting to talk to, and we’re both attracted to each other.” She smiled broadly and I grinned.
“I can promise you one thing: I’m definitely attracted to you,” I said, leaning in and giving her a peck on the lips.
She didn’t say anything, but she bit her lip as I pulled away and I could see that she was smiling. I really liked her and I couldn’t believe how well things were going. Usually, I’d mess something up by this point.
I got out my tattoo designs to show her as I’d promised when I’d invited her on the date. I was quite nervous because I hadn’t shown anyone my designs except for Tommy and I was worried that she wouldn’t like them.
But it turned out that I didn’t need to worry. She loved the first one I showed her, which was my first choice. The others were great too, but I showed her my favorite first as I was sure it would look amazing on her.
“Wow, this is really great. I love it. I’m going to get it on my right wrist,” she said. “Are you going to be the one to do it?”
I shook my head. “I’m good, but I’m not ready to work on a canvas as perfect as you just yet. I think Tommy would be best. He’s one of the greatest tattoo artists in the country and I think he’ll do the best possible job.”
“That was smooth,” she laughed. “I’ll come by tomorrow to book an appointment.”
“Well, you’re lucky. You happen to be dating the guy who makes the bookings. When do you want it done?”
“When is the next opening?” she asked.
“I can get you in as soon as tomorrow. His schedule is pretty free until next week,” I said.
“3 pm?” she asked.
I nodded and took out my phone to put it in the calendar I shared with my boss. I liked that she made her decision so quickly. So many people ask for designs for a tattoo and then take months to decide. Everything about her was so effortless and confident, it was impossible not to feel sure about how I felt about her when I was near her, even though we’d only just met.
We had another drink and talked about life. Her phone started vibrating again. I saw the name on the screen as she switched it off and put it away again.
“So is Tony your MBA supervisor?” I asked, genuinely concerned as to why this guy was calling her all night.
She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about him. I want to tell you all about it, but not yet, okay? I really like you and I don’t want to ruin our night by talking about him. I swear I’ll tell you when I’m ready. I just need you to be patient.” Her smile had lost its shine and there was an element of sadness and fear in the look on her face.
“Don’t worry about it. When you’re ready to talk about it, I’ll be ready to listen.”
I wasn’t going to push her. I really liked her and this feeling was new to me. I was used to chasing girls, I mean women, who weren’t even interested in really getting to know me. Megan was and I owed it to her to let her tell me about Tony, whoever he was, when she was ready.
Chapter 6: Megan
I felt relieved that Pete didn’t push me about the Tony issue. That really showed that he was nothing like my ex. Tony always pushed me to do things that I wasn’t ready for and somehow convinced me that it was in my best interest. Pete was refreshing. And I really liked him.
He walked me home that night and part of me wanted to invite him in. The other part of me, however, liked that we were taking things kind of slowly in that department. I thought about the old school rule of waiting until the third date… I liked that idea with Pete. I wanted it to be special when we did sleep together. I didn’t want everything to be led by passion, although I was sure there was passion in his eyes when I kissed him goodnight. His arms wrapped around me and I wanted him to never let me go. But at the same time, I needed to show restraint. I wanted things with him to be different. And, I guess, I was still a little scared after Tony.
I watched him walk down the road before I went inside. He was watching me too, walking backward in this incredibly cute way so he could see me for just a little bit longer. This is what it’s supposed to feel like, it’s supposed to feel good, I thought to myself as I walked back inside. I had butterflies in my stomach, but instead of them filling me with questions, like they had with Tony, this time I just felt happy.
I went to bed thinking about Pete and even dreamed about him. His tall, lanky frame bent over me as he kissed me, wrapping me in his long, muscular arms. When I woke up, there was already a smile on my face.
I went through the morning and the first part of the afternoon in a daze. I couldn’t help but think about seeing Pete later that day. I wished he was doing my tattoo. He’d said he wasn’t ready to do a piece that intricate, but I kind of knew that he was scared simply because it was me. And that was sweet.
At 2 pm, Kimberly called me wanting to meet up. She’d just finished her shift and wanted to hang out. I told her about the tattoo with a sinking feeling. I knew that she would want to come with me. And she did. In fact, she insisted on it. She said it was to take my mind off of the pain of being inked, but I knew she just wanted to be around Tommy. It almost made me cringe, the fact that she simply wasn’t getting the message from him.
We showed up at the tattoo parlor at the same time. Tommy arrived a few minutes later; apparently, he’d taken the rest of the day off. He was in an exceptionally good mood. I thought about the woman from the other night, the owner of the bakery down the road, the one he’d gone to talk to. It was clear that he was into her. I wondered if they’d spent the day together. I’d stopped there to get a coffee for me and tea for Pete, but she hadn’t been working. It was only Sarah there.
Kimberly didn’t seem to have any of the same thoughts that I was having and I think she believed that his good mood was all about her. Even while Tommy was busy sticking a needle in me, she was all over him. I felt bad for her, but I also felt bad for him. He didn’t want this and he’d been pretty clear about it. But that was the thing about Kimberly; she only saw what she wanted to see.
The tattoo didn’t hurt at all. It maybe felt a little bit like I’d been scratched, but that was the extent of it. The design was truly special and didn’t look like the cliché butterfly tattoo that every second sorority girl had. I loved it and I loved the fact that Pete had designed it for me. If things worked out with him, I’d always have this tattoo that he’d designed on my arm. And if things didn’t work out, I don’t think I’d ever want to completely forget him like I did with Tony.
After the tattoo, there was a bit of a scene at the tattoo parlor and then down the road. Kimberly had tried something with Tommy as the woman from the bakery showed up with coffee. I was right; they were clearly together. I looked at Kimberly as Tommy ran after the woman.
“You need to fix this, Kim,” I said in a soft tone. She nodded solemnly and picked up a drawing that she’d been looking at from Tommy’s desk and walk out after them. As she left the parlor, I caught a glimpse of the sketch. It was clearly the woman from the bakery.
“Is that Tommy’s girlfriend?” I asked Pete.
“I don’t really know. I mean, Tommy doesn’t discuss these things with me. But I do know that he left for the bakery yesterday afternoon and didn’t return until your appointment this afternoon.”
“I feel kind of sorry for Kimberly, but she does this to herself,” I said.
Pete put his arm around me and kissed me gently on the cheek. “You’re a good friend. And it’s not entirely her fault. Tommy has this effect on women.”
“What about you? What effect do you have on women?” I asked, almost jokingly.
“There’s only one woman I care about.” He turned a
nd kissed me. This time it was different… The kiss was deep and filled with desire. I kissed him back with the same amount of intensity. Our bodies and arms were soon intertwined. I managed to pull away long enough to breathlessly say, “Not here. Let’s go to my place.”
Chapter 7: Pete
We half ran to her place, stopping every now and then to kiss and remind ourselves of why we so desperately needed to get to her house. I couldn’t keep my hands off of her. I wanted her more than I had ever wanted anyone in my entire life before. By the time we got inside her house, I could barely contain my excitement. I could already feel the stiffness of my cock straining against my jeans as I pulled off her T-shirt.
I trailed kisses from her lips to her jawline to her neck. And then I made my way down to her breasts. I unclasped her bra behind her back and took one of her nipples in my mouth. She gasped with pleasure and it felt so damn good to hear that noise coming from her. All I wanted to do was please her.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, my right hand moving down to her ass and lifted her up, pushing her against the wall. I kissed the rest of her left breast and then moved to the right as I parted her legs with my free hand. Her arms were around my neck and I could feel her lips on my shoulder through the material of my T-shirt.
I pressed the palm of my hand between her legs and she moaned a little as I massaged the sensitive area beneath her jeans. She moved her arms from around my neck and pulled my T-shirt off. I was acutely aware of the scar on my chest that she hadn’t seen before. She trailed her finger across it and began to kiss it lightly. I felt my erection get even harder, which, at this point, I didn’t think was even possible.
“Let’s go to the bed,” she whispered into my ear. It was a small house and I could see the bedroom door from where we were. I threw her over my shoulder and carried her in. I liked the fact that as soon as I opened the door, the scent of her perfume took over my senses. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible for me to be any more turned on than I already was.