Burning Desire

A Taste of Romance

I scrolled through my shirts, attempting to find the right one for the occasion, thinking back to the moment a few days back, when I'd taken the biggest leap I could remember, and the way I felt when she gave me her answer.

"Yes."

Such a simple word, but waiting for her to say it was probably the most vulnerable moment of my life. At that moment, she held my heart in her hands. She had the ability to treasure it, or to break it into a million pieces. I was finally beginning to understand what the others had been telling me all these years, the power that the right person can have over you was immense. It could challenge anything and everything that you had ever known or held dear. I'd never allowed myself to believe that there was a 'right person' for me out there, but then, along came Lacey. No matter how many nights that I'd tried to force myself not to entertain the thought of an 'us', I'd lose all that resolve the moment that I saw her again, falling for her a little more with every second that I looked upon her beauty, and saw the bravery, courage and strength that was so intense within her. With each close call we had, it made me realise that there was no denying the budding feelings that I had for her. They were spreading like flames through my soul, branding her name into my heart and bringing me to my knees with need to be with her in every way possible. I had never known these feelings, they gave me a strength to fight in even the most dire of situations that we faced, and yet, they also terrified me to my very core.

I pulled a dark blue shirt from the back of the wardrobe, tearing the tag from the label as I held it up. I never really liked to wear fancy shirts, but tonight was a special occasion, and that meant I needed to make the extra effort. Sliding it on, I tucked it into my dark blue jeans and moved in front of the mirror. I tugged at the collar, tilting my head feeling annoyingly constricted by the rigid fabric.

"Gonna have to tolerate it." I muttered, expelling a sharp breath and unbuttoning an extra button, tugging it open just enough to allow me some comfort, but not look too casual.

I'd wracked my brain the last few days, attempting to figure out the perfect place for this date. I didn't date, simple as. I had no inclination before to grow close to anyone, so this whole idea was completely alien to me. I'd considered bars, restaurants, clubs, shows, carnivals, the list was endless, and somehow, none of them felt right for this first time. With all of the time that I'd spent considering tonight, I was hoping that I'd made the right choice... only time would tell.

The cab pulled up outside of the flats where Lacey lived, asking him to wait there, I made my way toward the door and pressed the buzzer by her name.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you all set?" I spoke into the intercom, feeling a strong fluttering in my stomach now that it was all so real.

"Be right there." She replied happily.

I retreated back a step, and waited. Barely a minute later, the sound of the latch signalled her arrival. Opening the door, she walked out onto the path, swinging it shut behind her. It was as though my breath had left my body as my eyes roamed over her body, drinking in every spectacular inch of her. She looked incredible in a flowing, long sleeved, garnet red blouse. Its plunging neckline flaunted her toned figure and teased at her perfect breasts. The gold pattern shimmered, delicate twists and twirls covering the red fabric, disappearing under the waistband of the smart, fitted black trousers that were cropped to just above the ankle. Her strappy black heels clicked against the pavement as she walked towards me, and I managed a smile.

"You look amazing."

She tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, its wavy style half clipped back for the evening.