Desires

Stranger At a Bar (2)

Just as our lips were about to meet, I hesitated and pulled back. I'm not sure why, but something just didn't feel right...

I stared at his face, his eyes were still closed as he leaned in waiting for my lips to meet his and when that didn't happen, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at me confused.

There was an odd glint of hurt in his eyes, and it was because of me.
A part of me feared what his reaction was going to be after the initial realization.

Did it hurt his ego? Would he be angry at me for leaving him hanging after initiating the kiss myself?

I was sitting on a stool, and he was hovering over me, I quickly scanned around the bar with my eyes to make a quick escape plan if needed.

At the end of the day, he was a stranger, and I didn't know what he was capable of.

From our short conversation, I could tell that he was sweet, but that could just be a façade and not reality.

He stood up straight without saying a word. I was about to breathe out a sigh of relief, but then he lifted his hand toward my face, making me flinch.

I felt an uneasy fear rush through me. I clenched my fists and waited for the impact, but it never came.

Instead, I felt his palm gently graze my cheek, and I slowly opened my eyes to look at him.

He drew his stool closer with one hand as his other palm continued to cup my cheek.

"Hey, hey, hey it's okay. You're okay, don't worry, just breathe okay." His gentle voice soothed my racing heart.

I took a few big breaths and nodded, burying my face in the palm of his hand.

I looked down unable to look into his ocean blue eyes any longer because it felt like they were piercing my soul. I bit my bottom lip trying to figure out what to say.

"Um, I'm sorry... I don't..."

"Hey, it's okay. Don't worry, okay? I understand that you weren't comfortable, and that's okay. We're just strangers, and I don't expect you to do anything you're not comfortable with. Trust me, whenever you feel ready, I'll be here. If that's tonight great, if not, then that's fine as well." He paused for a moment when I didn't say anything, he sighed.

"If you're still not comfortable, do you want me to leave? We can act like none of this happened. I'll go to my group, and I promise you, I won't bother you again..."

When he started moving his hand from my cheek, I quickly looked up at his face and then grabbed his wrist with both of my hands, forcing it back to my cheek.

"No, no, you don't have to leave. I was taking a moment to take everything in, and I'm very comfortable with your company. Trust me. I don't usually warm up to strangers quickly, but with you, it's different. Maybe we can get another drink and talk some more?"

He flashed me a sweet smile and nodded, "I would love that."

I smiled as well, trying to push away my worries and doubts. I didn't even realize that I was still holding onto his wrist until he tried pulling his hand away.

"Can I have my hand back please?" He asked while chuckling.

I giggled in response and slowly loosened my hold on his wrist.

Instead of letting it drop, I gently lowered his palm from my face, then moved my left hand back while my right hand held his wrist.

I softly grabbed his fingers with my free hand, drew his hand toward me again, and pressed my lips on the back of his hand while looking into his ocean blue eyes.