The Business Proposal (A Love Story)

5. The Second Date

       The car ride was quiet. Too quiet. Katherine wasn't sure if it was something she did, or said, but she couldn't help but think that she somehow messed this up. She finally manages to choke out, "is everything okay, Cole? You're really quiet.". He looks over at her with a smile, "nothing is wrong love, just excited for tonight. I have something special planned."
     The rest of the ride was silent, no one said anything the rest of the ride. They pulled into a walking park, it was dark and chilly outside, she wasn't sure why he had brought her to a park. She looks up at him and says, "where are we? Why are we at a park?" He looks at her with a big smile on his face, "you'll see. I promise you'll love it." He gets out and walks to her side, opens her door and gives her a gentle kiss on the lips, and takes her hand in his. He leads the way down the walking path, it felt like they had been walking forever. She was in heels so she could feel her feet starting to throb. She stops walking and looks at Cole, "are we almost there? My feet are killing me." He swoops her up into his arms, "we are almost there. I'll carry you." She laid her head on his shoulder, starting to get excited, but also a little nervous because she was after all in a park in the dark with a man she barely knew. But she looks up and sees candlelight, and her face lit up. He had set up a lovely picnic with candles and wine, and fancy sandwiches. Music was playing lowly, it really was perfect. He sets her down, and takes her hand and walks her over to the blanket he had laid out.
     They sit and he pours her a glass of wine. They eat, and make small talk about each others day. A slow song comes on the radio and he turns it up slightly, "would you like to dance?", he says softly, and holds his hand out to her. She could feel her face getting red and her heart started pounding. No one has ever put this much work into a date for her before. She wasn't sure what to do, or say, so she took his hand, and he led the way into the candle light and pulled her gently to him, she had never slow danced before, but it felt like she knew what she was doing. He guided her, and she laid her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her tighter. Was this love? Was this what love felt like? Because if it was, she never wanted it to end. After the song ended, he lifts her chin to make their eyes meet, and kisses her softly. "Katherine, I've never felt this way before." He says to her quietly. "Me either, I don't want it to end.", she replies to him. And she kisses him again.
       It began getting late, and they packed up their picnic and headed for the truck. They were both tired, but the night was absolutely perfect. On the ride home, he rested his hand on her thigh, and she had never felt more loved, or more at home than she did with him. How could she be falling in love with him already? It couldn't be this easy to fall in love, could it? Surely not. But she didn't want to end the night badly. She grabbed his hand and held it in hers. Rubbing her thumb across his hand. She really didn't want him to go. They pull into her apartment parking lot, and he walks her to the door. He looks down at her, and smiles. "Thank you for tonight, it really was the perfect date." She says softly with a smile. He leans down and kisses her lips, she kissed him back passionately, and he pulls away. "Not tonight love. I'll call you in the morning?" She looks up at him with desperation, wanting him so bad. But she knew he was right. "Of course, goodnight Cole." And she gives him one more quick peck on the lips. "Goodnight Katherine."
    Katherine closes the door, and falls against it. She really was falling for this man. How could a business proposal turn into something so much more? She pulls her heels off and walks to the kitchen and sits at the counter, thinking about how perfect tonight was. Out of her whole 25 years of being alive, no one has done something special for her before, until Cole. She genuinely felt something between her and him. Something she had never felt before. Even from the man she thought she loved 5 years ago. This was just, different. But a good different. She decides it's time to go to bed, as she has to be up for work in the morning. She goes upstairs and slips into bed, and dreams of the wonderful night she had with Cole.
     The next morning, her alarms go off at 6:00am again, except this time, she didn't dread getting out of bed. She jumps in the shower, throws her hair in a bun, and throws on her work clothes. And heads down to her favorite cafe to tell Susan all about last night.
     She walks into the cafe, with a huge smile on her face. Susan notices and says to her, " I take it last night went well? You want your usual?". Katherine smiled even bigger, "yes last night was perfect. And yes the usual.". Susan brings Katherine her coffee and sits down across from her, "so spill the beans girl! I need to know what happened! Did you sleep with him again?" Katherine chuckles, "no we didn't sleep together again. But our date was literally so perfect. He set up a picnic in the park, with wine, and music, and we danced under the stars. After he took me home, he kissed me goodnight, and went home. It was so special." Susan looks at Katherine and says "wow! He really is a gentleman, that sounds lovely Katherine. I'm so glad you're happy again. You deserve it so much."
     After Katherine finished her coffee, she headed to work, just waiting for Cole to call her. It felt like she waited days for him to call, but it was worth the wait. She gets caught up on documenting everything from this past week, when her phone begins to buzz, it's a text from Cole, "good morning love, can I call you after work?". Katherine's face lit up as soon as his name came across the screen. She texts back "good morning Cole. And yes that would be great!" She sets her phone back down and goes back to her work. Maybe selling her part to Cole wasn't such a bad idea? Maybe they could run the business together? Get it together Katherine, you can't be thinking that far into the future yet, she tells herself. But it was hard to not picture a future with a man as perfect as Cole. She couldn't wait to see him again.
     Work went by slow, but it finally struck 5:00pm. She quickly gathered her things, and locked up her office. And went straight home, just waiting for Cole to call when he got home. She put on some coffee and a movie while she waited. She didn't want to focus on work right now, all she wanted to focus on, was Cole. She started to drift off to sleep when her phone rang. Her screen lit up with the name she had been waiting for. She answers it quickly, "Hi, Cole. How was work?" She says to him. "It was great love, how was your day? I miss you." He replies. She couldn't help but to smile, cause she missed him too. She really did. "It was good, I miss you too. Do you want to come over?" She says. There was a long pause, and he said "sure love, I'm on my way. Should I bring takeout, and a movie?". "That would be lovely" she replies before hanging up the phone. She jumps up to tidy up the house before Cole arrives. She was excited to see him. It felt like forever since she'd seen him last, even though it was just last night.
      She heard a knock on the door, and couldn't help but to jump up and run to the door. She gathered herself and opened the door, to see him standing there with takeout, wine and a movie. Tonight was going to be wonderful.
    They snuggled up on the couch with their takeout, and watched The Notebook while drinking red wine,  she laid her head on his shoulder and she felt at home. She was no longer nervous around him, all she felt was happiness and she hadn't felt that in a long time. She looks up at him, just admiring him. He looks down "what is it love?". She kissed his lips, and says "nothing, you just make me happy." She says with a smile. They ended up falling asleep on the couch, and woke to their alarms going off at 6:00am, as they both had to go to work. She gets up, and says "shower with me?" He looks up with a smirk, "I'd never turn that down." He walks up to her, kisses her lips and picks her up and carry's her upstairs to the bathroom, kissing her the entire way. Maybe it was too early, but she wanted him to live with her. She never wanted to be apart from him. She decided to talk to him about his proposal to buy her business. But not today, it could wait till tomorrow. She just knew she never wanted this to end.