"I'm surprised you agreed so quickly." I can't help but smile as I watch her trail through the crowd of people next to me.
"I'm surprised you asked me so quickly." She rewords, pushing some of her loose strands that have lazily fallen from her clip behind her ear, showing off that structurally defined side profile.
She's one of those women who haven't quite come to realization that their beauty is so unique, people are literally left stunned... people like me. But with the way the light from the lampposts are beaming down on her, I'm truly amazed by her entire presence.
"Oh, my gosh!" She gasps, laughing as she reaches out to take my arm within her grasp. "This is my favorite part..." she mumbles, eyes scanning over Sleeping Beauty's castle.
I didn't know what other really exciting things to do, because dinner is just so traditional... Stevie doesn't seem like a traditional woman, so I don't want to do anything less than exciting. It's been a long time since I've been this enticed with anyone, but she makes it easy.
Chuckling softly, I find myself staring at her yet again... All these cool things and I can't keep my eyes off of a true princess, herself. That's exactly what she reminds me of- it might sound pretty fucking cheesy, but it's true. She has the perfect blonde hair, the little button nose, and the crooked, adorable smile.
"How many kids do you have, Lindsey?" Her voice pulls me back in once she's settled down from her moment of thrill.
"I have two boys... so we, uh, never really hung out in princess land." I have to tease her, which does, in turn make her giggle a little. "And you have three?" I recall, eyes falling towards the ground as we walk inSync almost.
"Mhmm," she nods her head softly, "We used to bring them to Disney all the time... and then we started dropping them off four blocks away." She smirks, and this time I can't help but laugh as well... We all had to go through the teenage years of pure parental embarrassment- breathing could set off a teenager on a bad day.
We spend a couple more minutes just chatting, getting to know one another on a more personal level. We talk a little more about our families, though I think our marriages aren't necessarily an ideal topic of conversation, so we stray far from that. But she does open up much more than I had imagined she would when I first asked her out just a few days ago. She even tells me about her career- she wasn't always a novelist, instead she spent a lot of her younger years helping artists write songs... She really is quite interesting.
"Come here," taking her hand in mine, I carefully pull her in the direction of another little gift shop.
Stevie ventures close behind, still holding my hand tight as we slip away from the thousands of people outside. "This is what we need," she smiles, setting a pair of Mickey ears on the top of my head as I try to find a blue cotton candy on the rack. "Cute..." she gives me a little smirk.
~Stevie~
We spend most of the evening trailing around Disney, where magic really is booming... Maybe even between Lindsey and I.
I haven't gotten butterflies in the pit of my stomach in a long time, but suddenly, within the last couple of day's- I've been this giggly mess.
He has a personality unlike any man I've ever met and I'm continuously reminded of that each time he makes a joke, tells a story and even looks at me... I haven't been gazed at quite like that in a million years.
He makes me feel young, which is a trick that very few people are able to conquer. Time does a lot to people, but I feel like I've been thrown through a time warp when I'm with him. It's a new feeling and I am all for the adrenaline that comes with it.
"What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done?" He asks, ripping off a piece of his Cotten candy as he rocks his Mickey ears.
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I do the same with my pink sugary, teeth destroying dessert. "Hmm," popping it into my mouth, I let it dissolve before I continue. "I went to Italy with five of my closest girlfriends the summer after I graduated college and I totally fell in love." It's still the most amazing, spontaneous thing I've ever done, besides create a family... but I still have pictures of that trip hanging in my foyer, even almost forty years later.
"Really?" He nods, a smirk dancing across his face. "The water is so blue in Italy- it's totally beautiful." He adds.
Biting on my lower lip, I try hard not to stare too prominently... it's really hard. "Your eyes remind me of that water." I have always loved the ocean- the vast, extraordinary realness of the open water has been my biggest love for as long as I can remember and maybe that's why I got so lost in his orbs the day I met him. His eyes are in a close race with the beauty that's stored safely in the Mediterranean.
He pauses slowly, causing me to do the same. And for a moment, a split second, I have this inkling that I said the wrong thing... maybe I'm the one getting too ahead of myself- I'm pushing at an unsafe rate. I don't know, but just as I get ready to apologize for crossing the visible barrier, his words fill the air around us.
"I really like you, Stevie." I didn't think I wanted him to say that at first, but once it's out, it's out and I can't deny that is comes as music to my ears.
"I really like you, too." I do, even if it's not totally moral... I still think there is something so inevitably captivating about Lindsey.
"And I think you're insanely gorgeous." He adds, a little smirk as he nods his head really lightly.
Without much thought, or maybe a ton of thought that I'm just not able to process, I lean into him carefully, capturing his lips the moment his hand meets the small of my back.
