by Marcy Pacino
They kissed for a moment, then pulled apart. “Hi, I love you” Brian said and handed her the rose.
“Hi, I love you too.” was her reply.
He encircled her waist and they strolled to the apartment where Bible Study was about to begin.
Bible Study had become increasingly difficult for them. They had agreed, from the first night after the retreat, to sit together because otherwise they’d spend the entire evening just looking at each other. They did also find the need to agree to refrain from touching, except for occasional hand holding, because the fire of passion that flowed between them was so strong they couldn’t concentrate on anything else. Tonight was no exception. Every time their thighs bumped, they glanced at each other with such hunger, more hunger than they’d ever known. At the closing prayer, when he took her hand in his, she reacted with such passion she trembled. Brian noticed and glancing at her, giggled under his breath.
“Oh, you think it’s funny huh? Well, try handling this.” Sarah said to herself and began slowly running her thumb back and forth, caressing his hand.
He squeezed her hand and she giggled. Then trying to concentrate on the prayer, they behaved.
Mona, who hadn’t been able to grill Sarah for the past couple of weeks, spotted the rose and cornered her in the small kitchen. “What’s with the rose? Has something happened I should know about? You guys didn’t, did you?” questioned Mona.
“Keep your voice down and stop asking such silly questions. Do you honestly think he’d announce we did that with a red rose?” Sarah said. “No, Mona, nothing else has happened, but I think it might soon, because we are both very frustrated, if you know what I mean.” a smile on her face.
Mona agreed then said “I’ve gotta run, but you’d better keep me informed.”
“I will, I promise.” was Sarah’s reply, just as Brian entered the room.
“And just what are you promising Mona, he asked, a smile on his face.
“Oh, the usual, don’t keep her in the dark about us.” “
Ok, just don’t tell her everything.” He said.
“Never” was Sarah’s reply.
At the bus stop, Brian embraced Sarah and kissing her tenderly, said “Oh, I love you so much Sarah, you make me crazy.”
And he kissed her again, this time with a little more passion.
Pulling away, he took both of her hands and said, very seriously, “I have a dinner reservation for us for Friday night, so I’ll pick you up at 6:00 p.m.”
“Ok, but where are you taking me?” she asked.
“It is a surprise” he replied.
Just then, the bus arrived. With another quick kiss, he put her on the bus.
“Friday” he said.
Mona was just as excited as Sarah was about the upcoming event. She was over at Sarah’s on Friday as Sarah was nervously trying to get ready. She had taken a half-day off of work just to have time to prepare, and here it was 4:00 p.m. and she still hadn’t even decided what she was going to wear!
“Mona! “She cried, “Help me! What do I wear, this one, this one or this one? Sarah said pointing to the three dresses laying on the bed.
“Has he seen all of these?” Mona asked.
“No, this one is new” Sarah said, picking up the simple black dress. I got it for tonight, but now I’m not sure if I should wear it or not. I have no idea what this is all about. Oh, I have my thoughts and hopes about tonight, but what if I’m wrong? Oh I just don’t know what to do Mona!” Sarah babbled as she crumpled onto the bed.
“Okay” began Mona, “let’s try and get some perspective on this evening. An over zealous make out session, followed by a single red rose, which was followed by an invitation for a special dinner. Well”, she continued, “it could be only one of two things. Either he’s going ask you to marry him or sleep with him, or perhaps even both.
“Oh, Mona” Sarah said “Don’t be silly. We have only been dating for three months so he couldn’t be ready to propose. And, being as devout a Christian as he is, Brian would never suggest we sleep together before we’re married. So, it must be something else.”
“Well then, it settled; the black one. After all it’s both sexy and stunning and he hasn’t seen it yet.” Mona said, with a smirk on her face.
“I guess,” replied Sarah. “Let me finish my makeup and then you can do my hair.
Mona left about ten minutes before Brian arrived and Sarah spent those ten minutes in total agony. She paced a new worn spot in the already worn hardwood floor, checked herself in the tiny mirror over the sink at least half a dozen times and looked at the clock by the door every thirty seconds. When he finally knocked on the door she jumped. She slowly crossed the tiny room and opened the door. Brian was standing there in a black three-piece suit and a crisp white shirt. In his hands, which were trembling slightly, were a dozen long stemmed red roses.
Upon site of Sarah, Brian whistled. “Wow” was all he managed to say.
Sarah, caught off guard by the roses, found her voice and said “Oh Brian, they’re lovely, you shouldn’t have. I love you. Here let me put them in…
Brian had set the roses down on the bookcase and suddenly embraced her, planting a firm but tender kiss upon her lips. “Sarah, my love,” he said, “you talk too much when you get nervous. Relax; there is nothing to be nervous about. This night is just for you and me” and he kissed her again.
They found a vase and she placed the flowers into it and set it on the tiny counter next to the kitchen sink. She grabbed her wrap and they left her apartment. Stepping onto the street, Sarah noticed a blue Nissan Stanza parked at the curb.
“Like it?” Brian asked “It’s mine, just bought it today, no more buses for you young Lady.” he said as he helped her into the car.
“First the roses, now a car, what next? I don’t even want to try and guess anymore.” Sarah thought as Brian sat down in the seat next to hers and started the car.
They drove a short distance and Brian said “You look really beautiful tonight, Sarah I really like that dress. Is it the new? I’ve never seen it before.”
“Thank you and you look very nice tonight, too. Yes, it’s a new dress. I got it just for tonight. I’m glad you like it.” replied Sarah.
“I do, of course you’re so beautiful you’d look great in anything or nothing for that matter” he said with a grin on his face.
Sarah blushed “I bet you look great in nothing too” she thought to herself, but said nothing.
She reached out and clasped her hand over his on the gear-shift and smiled at him.
He smiled back and then said “Almost there, hope you like the restaurant”.
“As long as I’m with you, I’d like any place we went.” Sarah replied.
They pulled into the parking lot of a new restaurant called “The Flaming Steak”
“Wow, even Valet Service.” she thought as Brian pulled the car up to the front door.
The valet attendant gave Sarah the once over as she stepped out of the car and Brian, noticing this, placed an arm possessively around her waist and escorted her into the restaurant. The Maitre d’ smiled approvingly as he showed them to their table. On the table was a single red rose. Dinner was superb but all throughout dinner Sarah kept expecting something to happen.
Trying to just relax and enjoy herself, she looked around the dining room. It was a small quaint room with only six tables in it, all of which were empty, she suddenly realized. There was a large stone fireplace with a fire crackling in it and a small wooden dance floor in front of the fireplace. The flames from the fire danced upon the shiny, waxed floor. She returned her gaze to Brian who had been watching h
er intently. He delighted in the expressions that ran across her face when she realized they were the only ones in that part of the restaurant. Looking at her now he smiled and reached across the table for her hand.
Suddenly soft music began to play and Brian asked her to dance. They danced for a couple of songs, the passion and love they felt for each other racing throughout their bodies. Sarah thought she could even see the sparks fly as their hands united into one. They returned to the table and she tried to finish her dessert of chocolate mousse. She found it hard to concentrate on anything, with the desires coursing through her body. Brian seemed to be having the same difficulty. Another song began playing and he asked her to dance again.
The song was a song of love and suddenly Brian stopped dancing and, holding her left hand, reached into his pocket with his right hand, got down on one knee and looking up at Sarah with more love that she’d ever seen before said “Sarah, I love you with all my heart and soul. I promise to always love you and make you happy. Will you marry me?”
Sarah, close to tears, looked Brian in the eyes and said “I, too, love you Brian, with all my heart and soul. I also promise to always love you and make you happy. Yes Brian, I will marry you.”
With that Brian stood up, held the diamond ring in his right hand and with hands shaking, slid the ring on her finger. He then embraced her and pressed his lips to hers with such passion she thought they’d both explode.
By now, Sarah had tears running down her face and Brian kept saying “Oh, Sarah” over and over again. Suddenly they were interrupted by applause and as they untangled themselves from their embrace, the Maitre d’ popped open a bottle of sparkling apple cider (obviously Brian had informed them they did not drink) and passed a glass to first to Brian and then Sarah. “Congratulations, and when you have wedding reception you have it here” he said with a thick Italian accent. Everyone was so happy. They danced a while longer and finally Brian said it was time he took her home. They thanked everyone for their well wishes and collapsed into the car, giggling both from the excitement as well as exhaustion.
It was almost two in the morning. Brian started the car and they rode in silence to her place, both in their own little world, thoughts running wild. Once inside the apartment, they embraced with a passion even greater than anything they’d felt before. Brian left a short while later, not wanting to leave Sarah but knowing that’s what God wanted them to do. She leaned her back against the closed door and sighed. She seemed to float into her bedroom and kept looking at her left hand. Glancing at the clock she knew she could not call Mona as it was a little before three o’clock in the morning. Alone, she stripped herself out of the black dress, threw on sweats and a T-shirt and slipped into bed. She lifted up a short prayer of thanksgiving, both for God’s love and the love of a wonderful man. She fell asleep dreaming of what their wedding would be like.
Sarah had just stepped out of the shower when the phone rang “Good morning, Mona” She said as she picked up the phone.
“How did you know it was me? Mona asked. “Never mind, so how did it go last night, what happened, tell me!” Mona said, practically shouting into the phone.
“Mona” Sarah replied “I can’t get into this right now but I’ll tell you this much and fill you in on the details later. We had a wonderful dinner, he asked me to marry him and I said yes. Mona, no nothing happened, but I have to go, Brian will be here in a few minutes and I’m not dressed yet. I’ll call you later, promise, bye.” and with that, Sarah hung up the phone.
Brian knocked on the door just as she had finished drying her hair. She greeted him with a huge embrace and a long passionate kiss.
The following weekend, Brian picked up Sarah and they headed off to the movies. Brian bought the usual, a large popcorn and two large drinks. They wandered around the lobby for a few minutes, looking at the upcoming movie displays, then, decided to find their seats in the theatre. Happy to locate two-seats, in the middle, which was their favorite place to sit, they settled down just as the lights dimmed and the previews began. Back at Sarah’s apartment, they embraced almost before closing the door. They stumbled across the tiny room and collapsed on the bed. Brian broke their embrace just long enough to remove his jacket and shoes. Back in her arms he told her he was the happiest man alive and they kissed with such hunger their bodies shook.
“Sarah” Brian said “I love you so much and I want to make love with you so desperately, but I do want to wait until we’re married, but it’s going to be extremely difficult to control ourselves. I love you.”
“Oh, Brian, I love you too, and like you I want to make love with you so much it hurts. But I too want to wait until our wedding night even though I know it will be a very hard struggle for both of us.” replied Sarah.
They continued kissing for a while and then Brian groaned and rolled onto his back.
She propped herself up on one elbow and looking down into Brian’s eyes said “Oh Brian, even though we want to wait to make love, please spend the night with me. I want to lie next to you all night and wake up in your arms. Will you stay?”
“No, my love, because I know that if I do, we are liable to not be able to stop once we get started. And I am adamant that we will both be pure on our wedding night.” Brian said with a yawn.
He slid off the bed and Sarah, too, got up. She walked him to the door, both frustrated and exhilarated. Knowing how strongly he felt about their purity meant a lot to her. She crawled into bed to try and sleep.
Chapter Six
The days turned into weeks and before Sarah knew it, it was July. They had set the wedding date for September 15th and it seemed like all they had time for was wedding plans and after the wedding plans. There had been a few times when Brian almost stayed all night, and that became more and more difficult as the wedding grew closer. They both so desperately wanted to wait until their wedding night. They still kissed with such hunger and passion that it almost frightened them both. They had decided that Sarah would continue to work until they had children. They had also been looking for an apartment and this is what they were going to do this Saturday morning in July. Brian arrived precisely at nine o’clock and Sarah was ready to meet him. They locked in a tender embrace and kissed passionately, then strolled to the car arm in arm. She got in and opened the notebook on her lap; the city map was at her feet.
“Where to first?” She asked Brian as he settled in the driver’s seat.
“The coffee shop on the corner, we will plan our itinerary there” Brian replied.
At the coffee shop, having ordered coffee and doughnuts, they poured over the map comparing notes with neighborhoods.
“This one sounds great.” Brian said, pointing to the third one on the list and read aloud “two-bedroom, one and one-half bath apartment for lease, small complex, close to park/shopping, available September 1st.”
“Sounds good to me,” she replied, “lets go there first.”
Brian was right, the place was great and they signed a lease that morning. Sarah was so excited she barely stopped talking to breathe all the back to her place. Brian just smiled at her and let her ramble. Stepping into the tiny one-room place, Sarah suddenly felt its size and shuttered outwardly.
Brian smiled and said “It’s ok honey. I know this place seems especially tiny after the last place we were in, our place”, “but,” he continued, “it won’t be much longer and you’ll be out of here for good and we’ll be together always.”
He then embraced her and kissed her passionately on the lips. She, trembled, partly from the passion he stirred within her, but mostly from the knowledge that in less than two months their dream would become a reality, and they would finally be able to let the passion take over and share their bodies.
Pulling apart, Brian said “Now what love, we
found a place to call home and it’s not even Noon.”
To that, Sarah found herself bubbling over with excitement.
“Oh, Brian,” she said “this is really happening, we’re really getting married! I am just so happy and she dropped down onto the bed next to Brian.
Smiling, he embraced her and said “Yes, my love, our dream is about to become a reality. I’m not sure which is scarier the wedding or the wedding night”, he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Oh Brian, quit teasing me,” she said, with a pout on her lips. “Actually, I think both are equally scary. I mean, there are so many things to do before the wedding and so many things we can’t do until after the wedding!”
She giggled and fell into his open arms.
“I promise to do my part to not do anything before the wedding, if you promise to do your part to do everything before the wedding.” Brian said with mischief in his eyes and a smile on is his face.
“Brian, you’re impossible but I love you anyway,” was her response.
They spent the rest of the day going over wedding plans and moving plans, taking kissing breaks throughout the day.
The night before the wedding, Sarah was a nervous wreck. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Brian all day and she was suffering from wedding jitters. Mona was with her in her new apartment (having gladly moved out of her old place the end of August) and was trying desperately to keep up with Sarah as she paced up and down the hall. Suddenly the phone rang and Sarah raced eagerly towards the bedroom. Taking a deep breath she tried to keep her voice calm as she picked up the receiver.
“Hello,” “Oh Brian, I am so glad you called,” She said into the mouthpiece as she collapsed onto the brand new queen size bed.