Where I Leave You

Malik: First Kiss

Sunday couldn't come fast enough.  I decided to start her birthday week by heading to a winery.  I was heading over to her house, which I can't believe I'm even saying that.  This is our third date, and I'm hoping I could kiss her this time.

    We had been texting each other every day since the seafood restaurant.  We'd text early in the day, until late in the evening.  She makes me laugh randomly from her interesting view on people and little jokes about my job as handyman/restaurateur. 

    I think she likes me.  She's very polite and laughs a lot, intelligent, and sophisticated.  But every time we part, she gives me a nice quick hug.  I don't know if she's just not comfortable with me yet, or maybe she only sees me as a friend?  Oh God, the ultimate insult, friend zone.  I mean I guess I could see that.  She is absolutely gorgeous, and I'm just a middle-aged divorcee. 

    Alright, not now with the self-doubt.  Let's tuck that file in the "will open later" for the therapist.  All I can do is trust what she is saying and doing.  She agreed to this date and wants me to pick her up at her house.  A house, at 25.  This girl, where the hell did she come from?

    I pulled up into this beautiful 3 bedroom house in the middle of this rural, urban town.  I parked in her driveway and walked up two little steps until I reached her front door.  Before I could knock, she opened the door.

    "You're early," she beamed.  She greeted me with a hug.  A quick, genuine hug.  Her excitement was infectious.   She had on a sheer white long sleeved shirt with a red skirt.  Another neat looking outfit.  "Come in, I want to show you my home.  You know so I can help you design that restaurant."

    I stepped inside.  The first thing I noticed was the sweet smell of apple cinnamon.  The next thing I noticed was the beautiful blue and silver theme in her house.  She had good taste. 

    "Wow, look at your wood floors!"  I reached down, to feel them.  It looked like liquid wood.

    She smiled that beautiful smile.  "Thanks, they're laminate."

"Wow, you have good taste.  Great taste, look at this."  I was legitimately amazed that this young twenty-something female did all this by herself. 

She laughed again, "Come on, let me show you the rest of it."  She took my hand and led me to her kitchen and family room.  It was an open concept house.  Silvery gray furniture with blue accent walls.  "The backyard is still a working progress."  She slid open the sliding glass to a dirt backyard.

"It has a lot of potential."

"Yes, that's the nice way of putting it.  Come on, there's more."  She took me by the hand again, and let me to the rooms of the house. 

I felt like a child with no home training.  I touched her walls, I lingered to look at the two spare rooms.  One of them she converted into an office.  It had a huge mirrored desk and accent filing cabinets.  She had glass floating shelves with books filled to the max.  I touched her royal blue curtains.

"This is where the magic happens," she laughed at her little joke. 

I stared at pictures of random blue flowers, and scenery down the halls.  She didn't have any pictures up of herself or her family.   I could sense her watching me patiently.  Waiting for me to have my fill until she grabbed my hand and led me to another room. 

We finally made it to her master bedroom.  Now I don't know why I did get a little excited being in her bedroom, even though I knew we wouldn't be doing anything today (but one could fantasize right?  How could she know).   Of all the rooms in the house however, this wasn't the most grandiose room.  The bed was a nice king sized bed, but there was a generic metal frame and little else.  She didn't have an armoire, drawers, or anything but her tv on the wall.  It was a big, empty room without those two things.