No Such Thing As Perfect Love (A Christian Romance Novel)

First Date

Luke POV
"Add wine to the sauce for flavor," I read. "Considering we are both Christians and don't drink, let's just do sauce from a jar. I'm not Italian; I can't make my own sauce."
I worked against the clock, trying to make the perfect dinner for our surprise picnic.
Finally, the picnic was packed up.
I grabbed a blanket and the picnic basket and put it in the back seat of my truck.
As I was coming back into my apartment, I glanced up at Jennifer, my neighbor's, balcony.
"Shoot. I need a flower," I whispered.
Roses lined Jennifer's balcony in pots and on bushes.
Should I ask her for one? I don't want to be rude. Oh, whatever!
I ran inside and took the stairs two at a time. Jennifer answered almost as soon as I knocked on the door.
"Luke, honey, hello! Do you want to come in?" She was an older lady, but not super old.
"No, I..well I am actually going on a date and I was wondering...would it be possible...if..can I have one of your roses?" I stumbled.
"Of course honey! I'll be right back!" Jennifer went as quickly as she could. She came back with a beautiful red rose wrapped in a paper towel.
"You can take the paper towel off when you walk up. I would imagine that she would want to put it in a vase," Jennifer informed.
"Thank you so much, Jennifer. I don't know how I can thank you," I rushed.
"What is your date's name?" Jennifer wondered.
I smiled. "Chloe."
"The look on your face when you said her name was payment enough. You better get going. You would not want to be late," Jennifer advised.
"Bye Jennifer! Thanks again!" I called running out of the hallway and to my truck.
I arrived at Chloe's apartment building at 6:01 and rang her buzzer at 6:02.
Chloe buzzed me up after telling me which apartment was hers. I walked up to her apartment and pause before knocking.
I was dressed in a pair of jeans and a nice, button down shirt that was light blue. I knew she liked that color because it was the shade of her glasses. My shoes were a nicer pair of black tennis shoes that were still good for walking. The red rose was in my hand, free of the paper towel, and a silver watch was on my wrist.
I ran my fingers through my hair and opened the door. It wasn't long before Chloe opened it.
"Hi!" She greeted, taking in the sight of me, no doubt making sure she wasn't over or under dressed.
"Hello. This is for you," I said, holding out the rose to her.
"Thank you! It's beautiful," Chloe murmured, a smile creeping up on her face
"Not as beautiful as you," I told. Chloe was in jeans and a nice, semi-fancy shirt. Her shoes were similar to mine, and I was relieved to see she wasn't wearing heels. Those would be bad for walking. She still had her cross bracelet on one arm, and a watch on the other.
"That was cheesy," Chloe mumbled, blushing.
I had to pull my thoughts off of her beauty in order to remember what we were talking about, and I almost rolled my eyes at myself when I realized we were talking about her beauty. "I say it because it's true."
Chloe smiled and blushed deeper. She turned around so I wouldn't notice.
"Do you want to come in while I put this in a vase?"
I hesitantly stepped in and looked around. There wasn't much to look at. Just a couch, a TV, a table, some pictures, the usual things people have in their living rooms. I didn't have much time to look around before Chloe put the vase on her table and ushered me out of her apartment, and then out of her building.
I opened the door to my truck and let her in. I was thankful that I had remembered to clean up as Chloe inspected the cleanliness.
"Where are we going?" Chloe wondered.
"It's a surprise," I said with a smile.
"I'm not sure if I should be scared or excited," Chloe joked.
"Who knows, I could be kidnapping you," I told, raising an eyebrow.
She laughed. Thank goodness I didn't scare her!
"So, how was your day?" I asked.
"Just like any other day. The best part is that I get to hang out with you," She said casually, looking out the window.
Was that...flirting?
"How was your day?" Chloe whispered.
"Good for the most part," I answered.
"For the most part?" She questioned.
"Talking to you was better than good," I responded. Two can play that game.
"Do you want music?" I said, clearing my throat and reaching to turn the nob for music.
Chloe reached up her hand and stopped me, holding my hand in her own and letting our entwined hands fall in between us. "I like to talking to you," Chloe murmured.
I glanced in the mirror. My face was red. I didn't even know that guys blushed.
"We will be there in around five minutes," I informed nervously, giving Chloe's hand a squeeze.
Chloe lightly brushed her thumb back and forth and against my thumb, causing shivers to spread up my arm.
I slowly let go of my breath and focused on the road, turning down a path and parking the car.
I reluctantly let go of Chloe's hand after giving it one last squeeze and reached into the back seat, pulling out the picnic basket and the blanket.
"A picnic in the park," Chloe muttered, connecting the dots.
"I am not a fan of people, and something tells me you aren't either," I said with a smile.
"You are right," Chloe responded, smiling back. "Can I help you with anything?"
"No, i've got it," I answered, getting out of the car.
I started walking away with Chloe following behind.
"I know the perfect spot. Barely any people go there, and it is near my favorite spot in the woods," I said.
We got there, and I laid the blanket down along with the basket.
Chloe looked around in awe at the clearing. The woods lined one side, an another side looked out at the sun. All we could hear were the birds and the rustling of trees.
I sat down in the blanket, and Chloe sat across from me. We both decided to take of our shoes so that we would both be more comfortable. I opened the basket and pulled out the containers that I put the pasta in.
"Here you are, M'lady," I said, taking the lid off and handing her the still hot pasta.
"This looks delicious. You must have spent all day on it," Chloe breathed.
"Anything for you," I whispered, causing her to blush.
We talked while we ate. When we were done with our pasta, I pulled out some grapes, and we made eating them fun by throwing them at each others' mouths and seeing how many we could catch. Yes, we didn't eat a lot, but it was worth it since we both laughed continuously.
When that was over and the grapes that littered the ground were thrown into the grass for some animal to find, we packed away our containers.
Chloe stretched out her legs, and she accidentally touched my criss-crossed leg with her foot. I wasn't sure if it was so accidental when she kept it there. I moved the basket away and scooted forward so I was sitting next to her.
When I stretched my own legs out, our legs brushed against each other. I couldn't believe how much I wanted to be with Chloe. She truly made me feel happy.
"You said you just moved here, but how did you already know about this spot?" Chloe asked me.
"I do a lot of hiking and outdoor things. I always find the best spots," I explained.
"I love outdoor stuff, too, but I never learned about this place. I guess I've needed you to show me," Chloe said, touching my fore arm with her hand.
I don't think I've ever felt this way. It wasn't something bad like lust, it was something else, something...different.
"Get up," I whispered. "I want to show you my favorite spot."
I got up and held my hand out to help her. Together, we walked into the forest. Our hands brushed against each other, and I gently took Chloe's hand in mine. Soon, we had arrived at the place I had been looking for
It was a spot that was very hard to find. You had to move aside some tree branches in order to get through, but once you stepped inside, you knew it was worth it.
It was a clearing big enough to fit a good amount of people, yet small enough that you wouldn't feel overwhelmed with just one or two. Trees lined it on all sides, except where a small pond sat in the corner and flowed deeper into the woods.
"This place is beautiful," Chloe murmured.
"Isn't it? I've never taken anyone here," I sighed. "I was just waiting for the right person."
Chloe looked at me and smiled. I led Chloe over to a rock that was big enough for two people to sit on. We sat and talked for awhile before it got darker. We emerged from the woods in time to see the last bit of the sunset.
I picked up the basket and the blanket and Chloe and I walked to the car.
By the time we pulled into Chloe's parking lot, it was 9:45. I walked her up to her building.
"I had a wonderful time," Chloe told me.
"I would have a wonderful time no matter where we were," I whispered.
Chloe smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Yeah, if I don't see you in my dreams," I said.
"Okay, that was super cheesy!" Chloe laughed.
"I know," I admitted, giving her a smile.
"Bye," Chloe murmured.
"Bye."
We stood there, staring into each other's eyes for a moment longer until Chloe opened the door to her apartment building and disappeared inside.
I stayed where I was for a couple more minutes before climbing into my car and driving home. Something about Chloe Anderson gave me a glow in my heart. I barely knew her, and now I wanted to know her better. She deserved someone she could open up to; I wanted to be there for her. Honestly, I wanted to rush to her apartment and beg her to tell me everything about her: her faults, her insecurities, her likes, her dislikes, what she truly cares about, everything.
Call me creepy if you want. I just had a really good feeling about her.