Caramel Apple Spice - 2. Chapter 2

My red polo seemed too aggressive. I had considered wearing a pink flannel button-up, but isn't pink too feminine? Orange and yellow I ruled out immediately- so bright that they draw more attention than needed to myself. Finally I remembered a green graphic tee that I bought a while back. That seemed sensible. Ugh- in the wash. Any blue shirt would be too calming. I need just the right mix of assertiveness and outgoing-ness to be manifest in my clothing. After all, first impressions are everything. Although, technically, this won't be his very first impression of me, but it will be the first one that counts for something. The one that might lead to another date. Ah-ha! Maroon. Cool, calm, mysterious and goes perfectly with my jeans.

Now on to the next order of business. When to arrive? I arranged to meet Ryan at a local cafe and restaurant for dinner. Seven he had said. I suppose I could be fashionably late, but then he might think I don't consider our date of that much importance. Then I should be right on time. That, however, might seem too desperate. Early. That would definitely be too desperate. Okay- I'm going to sit in my car and wait until he arrives. Then I'll say that I just showed up.

I left thirty minutes early.

He wore green. I knew it. That color was a perfect first date color. He also looked fine wearing something other than the Starbucks attire that I usually see him in. I watched as he walked from his car to and into the cafe. I soon followed.

"Funny you should plan our dinner at a coffee shop." He welcomed me with a laugh and a brief hug.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize that the last place you probably want to be is around coffee." How many times am I going to act stupid around this boy?

He explained that it was fine and mentioned that this place had more of a cultured feel to it. He said Starbucks was way commercialized these days. As we took our seats and ordered, any chance of conversation was quickly interrupted. A girl in a yellow skirt stood in the middle of the cafe on a small stage and announced that it was open mic night. She encouraged anyone to read something of theirs.

"Can you believe this?" I said, "Who is going to..."

"Be right back." With a wink, Ryan left our table and marched to the center of the little stage. The girl with the skirt handed him the mic and he spoke. His voice was smooth.

"I am not going anywhere. My time is passing as my life stands still."

He showed no signs of nervousness. "I am not going anywhere. That is, unless you take me."

The smile that I know to be his turned into a somewhat sneaky gleam. "Take me out of this life and bring me into yours. Take me out of this bed and lay me into yours."

Oh my. "That is, if you love me." I do. I do. I do.

"I am not going anywhere. Time can pass as long as we lay, still. I am not going anywhere. That is, unless it is with you." The other customers started applauding, I was so in awe I just stared at him. Partially blushing. I know he couldn't have made that poem up right on the spot. It felt like he was talking directly to me- within the first five minutes of our date! He returned to the table. "That was fun. I really needed to get that off of my chest."

"Of course," our food arrived. "There are plenty of times that I need to get off."

He laughed at me. We ate. We talked. We walked around the nearest park. We made excuses to stay in each others company longer. By the end of night I had actually managed to stop putting my foot in my mouth. "They're showing this movie in my dorm," I invited him over, "want to come?"

"I'd love to, but I need to be getting back to my apartment. Class tomorrow." He's not that into me.

"You have your own apartment? Lucky."

"Yeah, I did the dorm thing for one year. Think you could come over sometime and I'll give you a rain check on that movie?" Thank God, he is into me.

"That'd be great." We parted ways. As much as I longed for it, I knew it was too soon for a good night kiss. I climbed into my car, popped in a Whitney Houston cd, and lip sang "I Have Nothing" all the way home. No sooner than I pulled into the parking lot on campus it dawned on me that I should have been singing Brandy's "Have You Ever". Admittedly, I had fallen. Bad.