Situationship

11. First date

Mary was biting her nails nervously. Where the hell was he? Their date was supposed to be twenty minutes ago, yet Sotiris wouldn't show up. The first thought that crossed Mary's mind was that the man had come from a direction at which she wasn't looking, he regretted it when he saw her, turned around and left. Another possibility was that Sotiris wanted to laugh at her and had no intention of meeting her at all. Just when she started to freak out, she heard a voice behind her: 'I hope I'm not late!'

The first thing Mary did when she saw Sotiris was to wonder how she, the definition of disaster, managed to go on a date with such a handsome man. It seemed that her tac­tics had paid off. She had to go on pretending she was the cool woman that she had so far made Sotiris believe she was.

'You can't imagine how lucky you are! By the next minute, I would've been gone!' she pointed out, prominently annoyed.

'I suppose you don't like people being late...'

'Your supposition is correct,' responded Mary wittily.

'Didn't you worry that I might not come?' he asked curiously.

'In such case, you'd lose!' said Mary.

'Well, here I am! That's the important thing. And, trust me, sometimes it's worth the wait...'

'Someone is confident!' Mary observed.

'Always!' answered Sotiris without losing his smile.

'Are you always so... stupidly joyful?' she asked, wondering at the same time how stu­pid she was being speaking like that to the personification of every woman's dream.

'I am always happy to accompany so charming a Miss!'

Mary reciprocated the compliment: 'What a knight! So, where are you taking me?'

'You'll find out soon enough.'

The coffee shop where Sotiris led Mary was a very good choice for a first date. Apart from good service, it also provided a spectacular view of the sea, at which Mary enjoyed gazing.

'Do you like it here?' Sotiris asked her.

'Yes, it's fine.'

'What do you like exactly? Wait, I'll guess. Hmm... The view of the Thermaic Gulf!'

'Yes, how did you know?'

'You've been paying more attention to it than me.'

Mary gave him a dazed look. 'So you're jealous of... a gulf?'

'I scorn the slightest thing that distracts you from me.'

'Then maybe you should be a little more interesting,' she suggested.

'Okay. So, what do you like about me?'

'How can you be so sure that I do like something about you?' she understated him while she was actually picturing him naked.

'Well, you went out with me, so there must be something that you like.'

'Or maybe I went out with you to discover if I'm going to like something...'

'Yes, that's what I'm asking you. What is this thing?'

Mary laughed out loud. Not only did Sotiris have unquestionable beauty, but his sense of humour was remarkable as well. And Mary needed someone who could make her laugh.

'You're funny,' she told him eventually.

'Well, I can make many people laugh,' he admitted. 'So I guess I am funny, as you said.'

Sotiris turned out to be unexpectedly aware of a variety of issues, from ancient history to celebrities' sex life. Mary, who valued people having an opinion on everything, liked that a lot. Seemingly, Sotiris was an amusing and modern man, if not an appealing one. She only hoped she was impressive enough to his eyes, because – let's face it – it takes two to tango. However, she believed she had psychoanalysed him: Sotiris was the type of man who longed for a not-so-easy lover.

Their first date ended, providing them with expectations and impatience for their next time together. Sotiris made it crystal clear to Mary that he liked her. In fact, when he arrived home, he sent her the following message: 'I had a really good time today...' The woman appreciated this gesture deeply. 'Me too!' she texted him back.

Before meeting him, her heart was broken. This is why at first the frequent communi­cation and the bond that gradually developed between them freaked her out. Mary had such low self-esteem that she felt she wasn't worthy of his attention. Nevertheless, the interest he showed in her didn't leave her unmoved. After a short period of time, her heart began to beat fast again and she felt alive again. Every single second they spoke was a flare of exhilaration for Mary. So, little by little she let herself go, since Sotiris brought out emotions she had forgotten. And she fell in love with him for this very reason.