Textbook Approach: A Small Town Romance

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “Because it’s just a date, like anyone else would go on. No need to make a big deal out of it.”

  He nodded, but something like confusion was all over his face. I shook my head and walked out the door. I wasn’t sure why he was acting so strange over this. It wasn’t like me dating was that big of a deal. I just wanted some advice so I didn’t fuck this up. I really liked her, and from what I saw yesterday, she really liked me too. So, wait or not to wait. I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling that Charlie was the type of person that you didn’t wait too long with.

  Charlie

  “Come on, Oliver! We have to leave!”

  I ran around my apartment, collecting all of his things that he wanted to take back to his dad’s. Oliver was being a slug this morning, which meant that we were going to be late. I had to be at work in forty-five minutes for rounds, and my ex-husband lived twenty minutes in the opposite direction.

  “Oliver!”

  “I’m coming,” he sighed, plopping down on the couch.

  “Up. We have to go.”

  He let out another long-suffering sigh and got up, trudging over to the door to put on his shoes. After hustling him out the door, I finally got him in the car and we were on our way to his dad’s.

  When we arrived, I hustled Oliver out of the car and to the front door, ringing the doorbell as urgently as one can. It seemed to take forever, and when Kyle finally opened the door, I held back my irritation at his look of annoyance.

  “Charlie, you look…” He looked me up and down, at my scrubs for work and sighed. “You look like you.”

  “How astute of you.”

  Oliver pushed past us and ran inside without a backward glance. “Bye, Oliver,” I shouted, getting no response in return.

  “Maybe you should try spending more time with him,” Kyle suggested.

  “I spend all my allotted time with him. Remember, the day you took me to court claiming that you should have full custody because I couldn’t be there for him?”

  He sighed, like he was tired of dealing with me. The truth was, Kyle had done whatever he could to make me look like the bad guy in our divorce proceedings. The real problem was that we were just too different. He was a CPA, and he wanted a wife that was home every night. He assumed that at some point I would get tired of being a surgeon and I would move on. When that didn’t happen, I began to see just how different we really were.

  “I have to get to work. I’ll see him on Wednesday.”

  “You know, if you gave up your job, you could have the same amount of time with him.”

  I didn’t dignify his response with an answer. I was through trying to please him, and as much as I loved my son, I wasn’t giving up my career. I had worked too hard to get where I was. We lived in the same area, so it wasn’t like I couldn’t see him. As much as Kyle grumbled about my schedule, whenever I got extra time off and asked for more time with Oliver, he gave it to me.

  I headed for my car, waving to Kyle as I left. He wasn’t a bad man. He just wasn’t the man for me. No man was the man for me. That’s why things had worked out so well with Nathan and I for the past few years. We both wanted the same thing.

  I was just ten minutes from the hospital when I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize. “Hello?”

  “Charlie? It’s Will.”

  I was surprised he had called so soon. I really hadn’t been expecting that. “Uh… hey. How’s it going?”

  “Good,” he said hesitantly. “Uh…” He chuckled slightly and I could imagine that handsome grin on his face, like he wasn’t sure what to say. “I know this is last minute, but I was thinking maybe we could get together for dinner tonight.”

  “I’m actually working until six tonight. Is that too late for you?”

  “No, I can meet you somewhere or pick you up. Whatever works for you.”

  “I can meet you somewhere. How about you pick the place and send me the information. I’m just about to head into work now.”

  “Alright, I’ll do that.”

  I smiled and hung up before I could get carried away any further. I had to get into work, and I couldn’t be late. I rushed through the doors to the hospital and hurried to the locker room, tossing my stuff in my locker just as the door opened behind me.

  “Running a little late this morning?” Nathan asked.

  “Oliver didn’t want to get moving.”

  “Any word on the baseball player?”

  I looked up at him, shooting him a knowing look. “Seriously, Nathan?”

  He shrugged. “Just wanted to know if he was serious or not. It’s been almost a week.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s been two days. And I actually heard from him just before I got to work.”

  “It took him long enough.”

  “He waited a perfectly normal amount of time to call.”

  “Why did he call you so early in the morning?”

  I was pulling my hair up out of my face and stopped, staring at him. “What’s this really about?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I mean, you were so eager for us to date, and now you’re pouting.”

  “Well, why did he wait so long to call you?”

  “Maybe because he has a life,” I responded. “Besides, he works too.”

  “I just don’t like that he called for a last minute date.”

  “Aww, you’re so sweet to worry, but I have to get to work, and I’m not interested in worrying about this with you.”

  He kicked at the floor and sighed, but followed me out of the room.

  “You’re not getting jealous, are you? Because we talked about this-“

  “It’s fine. I just want to make sure he treats you right.”

  “Nathan, it’s one date. You need to relax. And if there’s any chance that I’ll be seeing him again, I’ll be sure to give him your number.”

  “You’re just saying that,” he pouted.

  “You know, I really am. It’s way too creepy, the man crush that you have on him.”

  “I don’t have a man crush.”

  “Yes, you do,” I laughed. “But I think it’s cute.”

  He puffed out his chest and did his best to look tough. “I am not cute. I’m manly and strong, virile.”

  “Yes, you are all of those things.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And you’re cute,” I smiled, before walking away to do my rounds.

  * * *

  I smiled when I walked into the restaurant and saw Will waiting for me. He stepped forward and kissed me on the cheek, something I wasn’t expecting, but liked a lot.

  “Charlie, it’s good to see you.”

  “You too.”

  The hostess led us over to a table and handed us our menus. The place was nice, not too fancy, but not Applebees either. I looked at the wine menu first, picking out what I wanted to get this night started off right.

  “Is Oliver at his dad’s?” Will asked after we were both settled.

  “Yes, until tomorrow.”

  “That must be hard for you, to be separated from him so much.”

  “It is and it isn’t.” He gave me a funny look, so I explained. “I miss him when he’s gone, but with my work schedule, I wouldn’t actually see him very often if I had him every day. This way, his dad gets to spend more time with him. On the other hand, my ex is a douche and fought me for sole custody.”

  “So, you don’t split your time?”

  “No, I get him every other weekend, but only one of those days because I have to work, and then twice during the week.”

  “Wow, that’s pretty harsh.”

  “It is, but that’s the way it is when you get divorced. Nothing is as nice as you hope for. You know when you hear those celebrities saying that they’re still friends and loved each other very much, but it was time for them to go their separate ways?” He nodded. “It’s all horse shit. People get divorced for a reason, and it’s never friendly. And if you do manage to stay friend
s, you’re one of the few.”

  “So, why did you and your husband get divorced?”

  I grinned slightly. “I would love to tell you that it was because of money or cheating, or something really insane. But the truth is, I just don’t believe men and women were meant to be together for the rest of their lives.”

  He was just taking a drink of water and almost spit it out as he was swallowing. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “It’s true. We’re so different. I just don’t see how it works.”

  “But…what about all those happy couples out there that get married and stay married?”

  “Liars, or just staying together because it’s easier than breaking up.”

  He stared at me for a minute. “Are you serious?”

  “Completely.”

  “Then…what are we doing here?”

  I quirked my head at him. “I’m…having dinner.”

  “Yeah, but what’s the point?”

  “I’m sorry, I’m confused by the question.”

  He sighed, shifting in his chair. “I mean, what’s the point in dating if you don’t plan to take that next step?”

  “Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually plan on marrying the person on the first date.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting that we get married. I just don’t see what the point is in dating if you never have any intention of getting married again.”

  “I think the better question is why would anyone in the world ever consider getting married?”

  Will

  I stared at the woman in front of me, a little perplexed by what she was saying. This was not normal. I had never before met a woman that didn’t want to think about the future. Maybe she was just pissed off about her failed marriage. Maybe she was one of those women that pretended to not want to get married so she didn’t scare off the guy. That had to be it. Didn’t all women want to get married?

  The waitress stopped by and took our wine orders, something I really needed right now, and promised to be back shortly to take our orders. After picking out a random dish so I could get back to figuring this woman out, I placed my elbows on the table and leaned forward.

  “So, tell me more about his whole ‘men and women don’t belong together’ thing.”

  She smiled and I found myself smiling back just because she had a gorgeous smile. I shook my head slightly, trying not to get wrapped up in her beauty when I had a serious mission right now.

  “Well, for instance, when a man and a woman are married, there are all these expectations we put on each other.”

  “Like what?”

  “Who’s going to take out the trash? Who’s going to do the dishes? Who makes the most money?”

  “Isn’t that all just trivial stuff if you have someone you love?”

  “In my experience, it’s the little things that tear a couple apart. The big issues seem somehow easier to overcome because you’re in it together. But the small things, they just eat at you until you explode. Take doing the dishes as an example. The woman expects the dishwasher to be loaded whenever you’re done with a dish. Why keep it on the counter when you can clean off the plate and slide it into the dishwasher?”

  “Because sometimes you just want to wait until later,” I said, thinking that was a simple enough answer.

  “Yes, but the woman just wants everything put away right away. Why not take the extra two seconds to put the damn dish away?”

  “Because it’s not life or death. No one is going to die if you don’t put that dish away,” I said almost testily.

  “Exactly,” she grinned. “That right there is why men and women should not ever get married. I mean, when God, if you believe in that, put a man and a woman on the earth, I really think he didn’t intend for us to live together forever. We’re too different.”

  “Because we don’t want to put dishes away,” I said slowly.

  “Oh, that’s just the beginning of it. When Oliver was little and we would go out as a family, I would have to get Oliver ready, and then myself, pack his diaper bag, make sure we had bottles… I mean, you name it, I did it. Meanwhile, my husband sat on the couch watching TV, and when I was running late because I was doing everything, he would ask why I was taking so damn long.”

  “So, why didn’t you just ask him to help you?”

  “Why should I have to? A woman never wants to have to ask for help. She wants her husband to just see that she’s struggling or could use a hand, and get up off his ass and help her.”

  I scratched at my head, unsure where to go with this. Hell, I had never been married. What did I know? But it sure seemed dramatic to get a divorce over this shit.

  “I guess, I’m just not seeing why a divorce is necessary.”

  “I’m not seeing why marriage is necessary. Look, I’m not trying to say that nobody should get married. I’ve just realized that marriage is not for me. And why would anyone want to live with another person, cater to their every whim, and be miserable for the rest of their lives, all in the name of love? It seems so asinine.”

  “But…when you get married, you’re agreeing to take the good with the bad. That includes quirks and all.”

  “Yes, but the problem is, nobody ever shows all their quirks until it’s too late. You know, I was married to my husband for two years before he started farting in bed. All the sudden, every night and every morning, he’s farting as loud as he can with no regard for the fact that it’s disgusting and I don’t want to hear it, let alone smell it. Now, had I known that he was going to do that, I would have thought long and hard about whether or not I could deal with that for the rest of my life.”

  “So, your true annoyance with marriage is that people don’t really know who the other person is going into it?”

  “Well, that’s part of it.”

  I shook my head, trying to grasp all of this before we had even gotten our dinner. I felt like I was getting a crash course on the inner workings of the female mind. And then I realized, this wasn’t a bad thing. If this was truly the way she felt, there were no barriers between us. She wanted honesty, and I could give her that. Sitting right in front of me was the perfect female. She didn’t want marriage, which now that I thought about it, was the perfect situation for any man. She wanted complete honesty and wasn’t worried about feelings getting hurt. There was just one question I still had.

  “So, let me get this straight…You want a relationship, but not marriage. You don’t want to live with a man and you don’t want to feel beholden to him in any way. And you want the man you’re with to be honest about who he is so there’s never any confusion.”

  “Exactly,” she grinned.

  I nodded, running my finger along my lips. This was very good. Maybe a little too good. I wasn’t sure if I could trust what she was saying yet. She seemed like the perfect woman. Every man was dying to get a woman that thought like her. But how could I be sure that I wouldn’t fuck it up by saying something wrong? There was only one way to find out.

  “Well, I don’t want to date a woman, only to have her drag out the three date sex rule to three weeks.”

  “I don’t believe in the three date rule. I have sex when I want, with whomever I want.”

  “And what about if you’re in a relationship with someone?”

  “I don’t believe in cheating. It’s completely pointless. If you no longer feel the connection with the person you’re with, you should cut things off and move on with life. It’s too short to waste your time on something you don’t want.”

  “Even if it means hurting the other person?”

  “Aren’t you hurting that person more by staying when you don’t feel the same about them anymore?”

  I leaned back in my chair and grinned. I had a feeling this was going to work out very well between us.

  Charlie

  I unlocked the door to my apartment, just barely getting it open before Will spun me around and kissed me, kicking the door closed behind us. His hands were all over me, his
lips kissing my neck as he hastily pulled at my dress. I was tripping over my shoes as I tried to kick them off. I pulled at his shirt, ripping it open and shoving it down his arms.

  I broke our kiss and groaned when I felt how muscular he was. I was so wet right now, every inch of me aching for him to touch me. “God, is this really your body?”

  He chuckled against my lips. “It would be creepy if I was in someone else’s body right now.”

  He pulled my dress up, his fingers grazing against my thighs as he slid the fabric up my hips. When his fingers brushed against my breasts, I gasped and unwittingly thrust my chest out.

  “So eager,” he laughed. “Be patient. I’m getting there.”

  “I’m patient for a lot of things, but never sex.”

  His lips latched onto my neck after he pulled the dress over my head. And then his fingers slid between my panties, brushing against my sex so slowly. My hips bucked against his hand, pushing his fingers inside me in the process. I fumbled with his pants, needing to get his cock out now. I needed to see it, to feel it in my hands. I loved to have a nice, hard cock in my mouth. I loved to have a man grab me by the hair and stare at me as he shoved his cock in and out of my mouth. It made me feel powerful, knowing that I could get him to need me in such a way.

  I pulled down his pants and sank to my knees, licking my lips as his cock glistened in front of me. I looked up at him coquettishly, wanting him to think that I was some innocent girl. I tentatively wrapped my hand around his cock and heard his slight groan. But when I took him into my mouth and sucked him into the back of my throat, that’s when his real groan was released. His hips thrust up, shoving his cock back further into my throat. I felt the slide of his fingers through my hair and moaned around his cock.

  And just like that, he was gripping my hair and fucking my mouth, just like I wanted him to. I stared up at him as I sucked his cock, my spit dripping down my chin as he took what he wanted from me. I slurped and sucked, I gripped his dick in my hand and jerked him, and to top it off, I slid my hand down my panties and started fucking myself with my fingers. I watched as his eyes narrowed in on my hand. I saw the burn in his eyes, the need to see what I was doing.