“Dinner was delicious,” she said, breaking the awkward silence that had developed as we stood next to her vehicle.
“It really was. Between you and Kim, I’m eating better lately than I’ve ever eaten in my life.”
She smiled at the compliment, showing off a dimple in her cheek that I’d never noticed before. I looked down at the snow, trying to find the right words to say what I wanted to say. I figured the best thing to do was to spit it out and get it over with.
“So, when I was at your apartment fixing your SUV, you told me that you owe me big time. Do you remember that?”
“Yes,” she laughed, looking as though she was confused as to where this conversation was going.
“I was wondering if maybe I could cash in on that,” I told her.
I closed my mouth and waited to see what her reaction was before I went any further. The last thing I wanted to do was make a giant fool of myself if I had misread her signals. My heart was pounding in my chest, and she looked even more confused than she had previously.
“Um, maybe. What do you have in mind?”
“I think you should let me take you out to dinner.”
Finally, it was out there. I’d asked her out, and the ball was no longer in my court. It was up to her to give me a response. I was a little nervous that her reply might not be what I wanted to hear, but at least it was all out in the open.
Alexa didn’t give me an immediate answer. I studied her facial expressions, hoping to get some kind of clue of what was going on inside her head, but I couldn’t read her at all.
She appeared to be surprised that I asked her out. Remaining silent, she just stood there looking at me. I could feel the smile that had formed on my face slowly beginning to disappear. I was genuinely worried that my biggest fear was about to become a reality. She was going to say no.
I knew that this was going to happen. I told myself that I would just make a fool out of myself, and there I was. I was about to tell her goodnight and go back inside when I saw her surprised look turn into a huge smile.
“When I said I owed you big time, I meant that I owed you something. Not the other way around,” she told me. “How does you taking me out to dinner justify that. I’m supposed to owe you something, not the other way around. Maybe I’ve got a better idea.”
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“Why don’t you come over to my place this weekend and I’ll cook a special dinner just for you. How does that sound?”
Was she being serious? How does that sound? That sounded amazing. As much as I wanted to take her out and have an official first date with her, this was a much, much better idea.
Not only would I get to enjoy a meal with her, but I’d get to spend time with her alone in her apartment. Kim and Curtis wouldn’t be there. It would just be her and me. In a restaurant, there was only so much that could happen between the two of us. In her apartment, though? The possibilities were endless.
The night could hold anything in store for the two of us. It would be just her and me sitting at her kitchen table. Maybe we’d sit on her couch and watch television. Hell, perhaps the two of us would even end up in bed together.
“Nick?” she asked, bringing me back to reality and alerting me to the fact that I hadn’t answered her question.
“I’m sorry, yes, that sounds great. I can’t wait.”
“I can’t wait either. How does 6:00 Saturday night sound to you ?”
“That will be perfect. I’ll be there,” I said as I shoved my freezing hands into my coat pocket.
“Great, I’ll see you then,” she told me as she got into her SUV and started it up.
I stood in the driveway and watched as she drove away, not moving from my spot until I could no longer see the red from her taillights.
The amount of happiness I was feeling could not be put into words. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt as happy as I did at that very moment. I wondered if I was falling in love. I’d never truly been in love before, and the feeling was foreign to me, but I had to assume that it was precisely that.
I was in love with Alexa, and it looked things might finally be starting to happen. I was finally on my way to making that woman mine.
9
Nick
The days that followed Alexa offering to cook a meal for me seemed to drag on and on. All I wanted was for Saturday to finally arrive. I spent every night that week outside of her apartment, fantasizing about how our date might go.
I played scenario after scenario in my head, yet I had no clue which of those ideas might actually play out. All I knew is that I couldn’t wait for the date to actually arrive.
Everything seemed to take a lot longer than usual. Work days, which usually whizzed by since we are always so busy, dragged on.
The evenings were even worse since Alexa hadn’t been back over since I asked her out. Apparently, she had something going on at work that required her to attend specialized training.
When Saturday finally arrived, I felt like I was a kid coming down the stairs to see presents under the tree on Christmas morning. I had a hard time keeping my excitement to myself.
I woke up early in the morning, barely sleeping the night before. I’d gotten home around 3:00 in the morning and only slept until about 7:00. I got up and put my energy to good use, shoveling the driveway from the massive snow that came the night before.
Even that wasn’t enough to burn off the adrenaline I was feeling so I went back to my room and did a couple hundred pushups before breakfast.
I went through the clothes I’d been buying several times trying to figure out what to wear. I never understood women taking so long to get ready, but I felt like I was getting a taste of it already. I decided on a nice pair of jeans and a black and blue button-up shirt.
In the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt like I looked menacing, especially when I wasn’t smiling. A scary looking man was who I always saw when I looked into the mirror.
I hadn’t scared Alexa off, however.
It was like she could see deep inside of me and see the good man that was inside. Besides, I never frown when I’m around Alexa. She always kept me laughing and smiling. I’m sure that had a lot to do with it.
I took the clothes off and sat them down on the bed, making sure not to wrinkle them. Still having more energy to burn off, I dropped to the floor and did more pushups.
It was something I did a lot in prison, and some habits are hard to break. Once I was done, I jumped in the shower before completely shaving my face, the first time I’d done it since going to prison.
As soon as I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror and regretted my decision. I looked like a different person. I looked like I was ten years younger than I actually was. I didn’t even recognize myself.
What is the matter with you? Alexa’s going to think you look like a child. Fuck man, you’ve ruined everything!
I stood in the bathroom for nearly an hour, just staring at myself in the mirror. Shaving off my facial hair was leaving me a lot more stressed than it should have.
I kept telling myself how stupid I was as I paced back and forth, the walls feeling as though they were closing in on me. In a way, it felt like I was back in prison.
Eventually, I was able to calm myself down. There was no way to know in advance how she was going to react to my new look. For all I knew, she’d like it a lot and me stressing over it would be all for nothing. Before I knew it, it was time for me to go.
I got dressed, threw a little gel in my hair, sprayed on some cologne that I’d bought and left the house. I didn’t want to show up empty-handed, so I stopped at a little grocery store and picked up a small bouquet of flowers before continuing on to her apartment.
My nerves were pretty much shot. My heart was pounding much harder than I’d ever known it to pound before.
I felt anxious and just wanted to get there so we could get the date started. I was feeling nervous and excited at the same time. By
the time I made it to her door, I knew I had to get myself under control. I breathed in and out slowly until my heart rate was back to normal. After one more deep breath, I knocked on the door.
It was tough to control my breathing, but I did the best I could. I just focused on the flowers in my hand and hoped for the best. I heard her rushing up to the door before it opened and she was standing there looking back at me.
Somehow, she was even more beautiful than the last time I saw her. I’ve always thought she looked good, but that night, she looked better than I’d ever seen her.
I looked her up and down, drinking in how perfect she was. She was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her body perfectly.
The sweater she was wearing was snug but still loose enough to leave some things to the imagination. Her face was glowing, and her cheeks appeared to be a little flushed.
She may have been nervous, or it could have had something to do with her makeup. Regardless of which it was, I loved the way it looked on her.
“Hey there,” she said as she smiled at me and held the door open for me. “Come on in,” she requested as she looked over my face before turning her attention to the flowers in my hand.
Alexa stepped out of the way, allowing me to enter her apartment.
“I stopped and got these for you,” I told her as held the flowers in front of her face.
Real smooth, jackass.
“Thank you so much, Nick! They’re gorgeous. I love them,” she gushed as she marched straight into the kitchen and pulled a vase out of a cabinet.
I stood just inside her front door, unsure of where I was supposed to go or what I should do next. I knew I didn’t want to track snow through her apartment so I kicked my shoes off and sat them next to the door. Alexa was putting water in the vase when she noticed I was still standing there like an idiot.
“What are you doing? Come on in here,” she waved her hand at me.
Not knowing what to say, I just nodded my head and made my way into the kitchen. Alexa kept looking at me, paying close attention to my face.
“I can’t believe how different you look with your face completely shaved,” she said with a smile.
“Yeah, I really don’t know what I was thinking. It looks terrible,” I said, rubbing my hands along where my beard had been earlier that day.
“What are you talking about? I love it. You look so good. I mean, I liked the beard too, but I really like this.”
I smiled, finally feeling like shaving wasn’t a mistake.
“What is this?” she asked, scanning my face. “Is that a dimple I see? It is!”
Alexa reached up and ran her hand along my cheek. Her sudden touch made me freeze up, my entire body becoming stiff under her touch.
It was a reflex that I’d developed in prison. Just as soon as I froze up, I allowed myself to relax, leaning my head against her hand.
As soon as I felt her hand on my face, it was gone. She’d jerked her hand away. She smiled an uncomfortable smile at me and turned towards the kitchen table.
The table was already set for the fantastic meal that she prepared for the two of us.
“Damn, I know I’m a big guy but why’d you make so much food?” I joked.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I kind of made a little bit of everything.”
The two of us shared a laugh at her reasoning as we sat down to eat. I couldn’t believe how good everything tasted. She made all kinds of foods. Some things were fried while others had been baked in the oven.
There were some items that she didn’t even know what they were. She just followed recipes she’d found online. Eventually, she told me that she searched what to make for a dinner date at home and ended up on Pinterest.
“Pinterest? What’s Pinterest?” I asked her.
“You don’t know what Pinterest is?” Alexa joked, thinking I was pulling her leg.
“I have no clue. Is it like a cookbook or something?”
“Have you been living under some kind of rock? Pinterest is a website where people share their favorite things. In this instance, I was searching for recipes and, as you can see, found way too many.”
I nodded, acting like I knew what she was talking about. Even before I went to prison, I wasn’t exactly too big on computers.
Still, I figured I better be careful, or she may start to question why I didn’t seem to know much about anything that had become popular in the last five years.
The two of us continued to eat while talking and laughing the entire time. When the meal was over, I helped her clear the plate and wash up the dishes.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “You’re my guest. Why don’t you go have a seat while I finish this up?”
“No way. After the great meal you prepared, this is the least I can do. I insist.”
“Okay then, I appreciate it very much. I just hope you saved a little room. There’s a few dessert options for later.”
Dessert options? Was she saying what I thought she was saying?
“What kind of options?” I asked, hoping I already knew the answer.
“I whipped up a few things. They’re all chilling in the fridge for now. They should be ready in the next hour or so.”
Damn. I was way off on that one.
After we were done cleaning up from our meal, we moved the conversation into her living room. She sat on one end of the couch, and I sat on the other, our bodies turned inward towards one another.
I leaned back, resting my arm on the back of the couch while she sat with her legs folded under herself. As we talked, I noticed that she had a habit of running her fingers through her hair.
She only did it when she was the one doing the talking. It had to be some kind of nervous reaction. Whatever the case, I liked it.
I made sure to control the conversation, not wanting to give her many opportunities to ask me about my past. She told me about her job and the fact that, while she hates working in a convenience store, the money she’ll make once she advances will more than make up for it.
I learned that she wasn’t close to any members of her family, but didn’t press the issue. I’d love to know why, especially if there was a chance that we could both have a similarly fucked up background but that would just lead to more questions asked of me.
Before either of us knew it, we’d been sitting on the couch for hours. Those hours felt like minutes. I felt so comfortable with her. It was a feeling that I’d never felt with anyone else before. When I was with her, I was happy. Everything felt right.
“I don’t mean to sound sappy or anything, but I’m really glad we were able to get together tonight,” she told me, and she smiled and looked into my eyes.
“I am too. This has been really nice,” I replied, shifting my position just a bit to move in a little closer to her.
Alexa Kind of looked me up and down and smiled at me.
Shit, I didn’t take that one as smooth as I should have.
“So, you ready for some dessert?” she asked.
There was something about the way she’d just asked me the question. She spoke in a hushed tone, her breathing a little heavier than it had been. She blinked at me as she waited for an answer, her eyes looking as though they were being weighed down in anticipation.
I could feel the ache inside of me getting stronger. It was a feeling that I’d had from the moment I stepped into the apartment, but now that we were sitting right next to each other, it was getting to be more than I could take. While Alexa involuntarily licked her lips, I let out a deep breath and shook my head up and down.
I was well aware that any discussion about food was out the window. I looked her in the eyes, neither of us blinking.
Alexa smiled a nervous smile before biting her bottom lip. Making sure to move much more smoothly than earlier, I maneuvered myself even closer to her.
I could see the excitement in the sparkles of her eyes. I felt like, for the first time since we’d met, that she wanted just a
s much as I wanted her.
I leaned in closer to her, cupping her face with my hand and using my fingertips to lightly rub into her neck. Alexa exhaled and leaned into my touch.
I knew that this was my chance and wasn’t about to let it pass by. I brought her face to mine and gently kissed her lips. Her lips were soft, and it felt like they were made to kiss mine.
The second kiss was harder, causing Alexa to open her mouth. Taking my top lip between hers, she gave it a slight tug and a little bit of a suck. I moaned, even though I hadn’t intended to.
Alexa began to take control as she grabbed me by the side of my face and pulled me in closer to her. Our kisses got heavier, and I started using my tongue more and more, dipping it into her mouth, licking her lips and caressing her tongue with mine. She made soft whimpering noises, which had me rock hard in a matter of seconds.
Her hands grabbed at my hair, pulling me in closer and closer. Before I knew it, I was completely leaned over the top of her body with her lying down on the couch beneath me, her legs wrapped around my waist. I moved with her, slowly lowering myself down on top of her.
After weeks and weeks of fantasizing about her, it was finally happening. I wanted to be as close to her as I possibly could be.
I also knew that I was a big guy so I had to use my arm to brace my bodyweight so I wouldn’t crush. Supporting myself using the back of the couch, I pushed my hips into hers, using my hands to feel around the curves of her body.
For a curvy girl, her body was tight as hell. I ran my hand all the way around to her ass, grabbing a handful and pulling her into me.
I stopped for a moment and looked her in the eyes. Before I took things any further, I wanted to be sure we were on the same page.
I remembered Curtis telling me that she was a good girl. Even as bad as I wanted her, I wanted to make sure she wanted me in the same ways. I didn’t want to go too far too fast and ruin things before anything even got started.
Alexa’s eyes were filled to the brim with lust and desire. The look she gave me seemed to burn straight through to my soul. The look on her face made me freeze and took it in, her beauty having an effect on me. Before I knew what hit me, she grabbed me by my hair and pulled me to her.
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