Guy and Reason

Chapter 21 (Guy): Confusing

A few days after I'd shown up at Eden's door with Chinese food and questions about her current food preferences, I stopped by when she got home from work. Once again, I'd just started my run and stopped at her place before I got gross and sweaty.

"Hey, Eden," I said. "Good day at work today?" 

She was still in her scrubs, so she hadn't been home long.

"Yes, really good," she told me. "How about you?"

"Had a good one. I wanted to stop by before I got too far into my run to see if you'd be willing to have dinner with me this Saturday."

"Oh, do you need to talk about A Reason?"

"Nope. This invitation is from me, a standalone man, to you, a standalone woman. Nothing whatsoever to do with A Reason."

"So, like a date?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm thinking of it as an exploration more than a date."

"A what?" Eden was understandably confused.

I'd been thinking that a date might not be the best terminology to use with Eden since she was surrounded by her walls where I was concerned. I had to inch us forward if we were ever going to have a chance, and asking her to go on a date might sound too serious.

"An exploration. It's basically two people who don't exactly know each other going out for a meal so they can talk and see if the person sitting across from them is someone that they want to explore getting to know," I explained. "Then, after a couple of explorations, if the interest is there, maybe they'll both be ready to go on an actual date."

"But we already know each other." I could see her trying to work this out semantically.

"We knew each other, Eden. But what I did and the three years since have changed both of us. I'd argue that we don't know each other and so an exploration would be more appropriate than a date at this point."

"I see."

Instead of saying anything -- which I couldn't since I was holding my breath -- I nodded.

"As long as there are no promises or expectations of anything more, I'll say yes."

"No expectations, Eden. Just dinner, and I'll book a place a couple of towns over so we don't have to deal with people here who knew us back when."

"People will still know you. You're pretty recognizable, Guy."

"Sometimes they recognize me. But a lot of times, they don't. I'm always clean cut when I play, so I just won't shave for a few days."

"I can't imagine you with a beard."

"Well, you'll see it Saturday when I pick you up at...seven-thirty?"

"I'll be ready. And just casual, right? Nothing crazy, right, where I need a ballgown, gloves to my elbows and a tiara?"

"Totally casual. You can wear jeans and a simple tiara, in fact, since it's that casual."

Jeans had always been her preferred uniform since Eden wasn't into dressing up. Or, at least, she hadn't been. But she smiled in approval when I mentioned jeans, so I guess that was something that hadn't changed about her.

"I'll get going so you can get out of your scrubs. And I'll see you Saturday at seven-thirty."

"See you then."

I thought about where I wanted to take her, and I knew I wanted privacy without the risk of being recognized. The solution came to me, and I made the arrangements thinking it could go one of two ways. I was hoping it would go the one way, where Eden would take it the right way.