Kindred: A Love Story (Editing)

Chapter Fourteen - The Date

*This chapter is sort steamy so I hope you don't mind. The song is I Can Take It From There by Chris Young. Damn, that man's voice is something else. Whew! After that, all I can say is thank you for your support.*

Alex and Pete are sitting in a very elegant, dimly lit restaurant that is located in the city; a kind of place where men had to wear dress coats or they would not get in. The tables are dressed with white table cloths and a small row of votive candles as the center piece as well as soft music playing in the background. There is a small stage and a dance floor to the back of the restaurant. The maître de is dressed in a dark blue three piece suit and the waiters are wearing dark blue pants and crisp white shirts.  It is by far the nicest place Alex has ever been.

They’ve been quiet through most of dinner, just exchanging glances here and there. She is very nervous and unable to think of a damn thing to say. Finally Pete breaks the silence.

            “So how was your dinner?”

“It was good. How was yours?”

“It was good”

There is an awkward silence.

“Thanks for coming with me.”

“Thanks for inviting me.” Another awkward silence then Alex says, “So are we gonna do this all night?”

“I know right. It’s like we just met. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous on a date especially with someone I already know.”

“I know me too! So you never told me when your last date was?” She says looking at him intently, her elbows resting on the table and her head tilted slightly resting in her hands.

He looks at her for several seconds before speaking. It almost looks like his ability to breathe is stunted for some reason. She notices he seems to be concentrating as he stares in her eyes. It should be making her very uncomfortable but instead it just turns her on, a lot.

“About two years ago. It was probably one of the worst dates ever, but it had been a while ya know. One of those moments where you wish you could go back in time and smack yourself. But this girl took the cake. She was so desperate and all over me, which was a huge turnoff, plus she had the intelligence of a garden tool. Jenny Beecher’s fiancé set me up. Said she was very mature for her age. Guess he meant age twelve. Don’t get me wrong, the girls are always there trying for some reason or another but I’m a settle down kind of guy and always have been. I’m not into hooking up and hanging out like most guys my age.”

She smiles at his story. He is absolutely right about the women because she has witnessed it first hand with the women in their town.  Actually she has caught a few women in the restaurant gawking at him. It’s borderline ridiculous.

“That bad huh! I’ve got you beat as far as length of time is concerned. It’s been over five years since I’ve actually gotten up and gone out on a date. I met this guy right before I came back home, and we dated for a short time, but duty calls. I had to leave and he wasn’t into long distance relationships. He was a nice enough guy, and even took to Sarah, but somehow deep down I knew he wasn’t the one.”

            “His loss is most definitely my gain. Can I ask you a question?”

 “Sure.” she answered intrigued.

“Why me? Why did you choose to go out with me after five years and I know dozens of offers?” He asks sitting back in his seat smirking and cocking one eyebrow.