Hold Me In Your Everlasting Arms

Part 19: Just Your Modern Heloise and Abelard Love Story

I suppressed even a subtlety of excitement as I flattened my grey skater skirt. I sat cross legged on my couch constantly looking between the watch on my lap and the anticipated car over my right shoulder.

My mom was surprisingly unconcerned with my upcoming whereabouts which made me all the more guilty.

I ran piano playing fingers on my lap ignoring Daniel's face that kept appearing in my head. I shut my eyes in meditation but I couldnt stop from thinking/ assessing my mortality.

I was going on a date with a teacher. Even saying that makes me think of myself at a candle lit dinner with my gross 7th grade history teacher who's lumberjack beard emphasized his ever growing gut. 

Heloise and Abelard. Heloise and Abelard. But is it all worth it? I dont love him! I like talking to him, and his cute dimples, and the way he says "hello"..

"Maude! I think Blake's brother is outside!" my mom yelled from upstairs. "Thanks!" I shouted eager to get Ezra away from my house.

I jumped into his car and said out of instinct, "go go go!" Without saying anything he swiftly eased out of the driveway, but not before wrapping his arm around me.

I noticed his fingers tapped on his bouncy knee with anxiety. The loud radio and foot tapping proved to be too much for my already chaotic mind. I pressed the off button on the radio and placed my hand on his knee.

"Are you nervous?" I said half jokingly. "To be honest, yes," he sighed as though I lifted rocks off of his shoulders, "I just really hope you like it." He said like a little boy.

Without thinking I responded, "if you love it, I probably will too." Will love prevail in a court of law?

Heloise and Abelard

He kept looking over at me, i could tell he was getting nervous because I obviously was. I couldn't tell you why, but there was an air of awkwardness. We were soberly about to cross the threshold between a platonic student-teacher relationship to the title dating.

"We still have another 15 minute drive, and I love contemplative silence as much as any other guy, but I'd love it even more if you'd talk to me." He said flashing a risky smile.

"Okay," I said searching for a converation topic, "so you know about me: little sister, parents divorced, an asylum patient of a father. What about you, what is your family like." I said

He smiled reassured of himself.

"One sister. Her name is Emma, and shes artfully hilarious. Two parents, continuous marrige. Respectable, in terms of occupation, and their morals are questionable."

He clapped his hands on the steering wheel to signal he was done, and smirked looking over at me.

"Thats it?" I dubiously raised my eyebrows.

"Thats it." He said firmly, but then he sensed my doubtfulness.

"Hey, this isn't one of those things you tell people on a first date. You are just going to have to stick around to hear my stories that tell you about them." He said enticingly

"Alright, so tell me something I don't know." I said

He started laughing, "I used to be in a rap group!"

I bust out laughing, "Ezra, you wear boat shoes!"

"It was my rebellious phase, I sang about weed and pizza so try to figure that one out." He said ad his cheeks were heating up.

                                                        

In the midst of my laughter I turned my head to look out the window and saw the most spectacular view from the water. I've lived in this city near the water all my life, but I've never seen a view like this one. My laughter dwindled into awe.

"Ezra, how did you find this place?" I asked as he pulled to the side of the road so that the car was facing the water.

"I was driving home from my old girlfriends house and it was in the middle of rush hour. I didn't really feel like taking the thruway so I took these backroads and I happened pass by here and i felt this urge to stop..." He paused and looked over at me

"It was one of those 'life' moments." He said with an uneasiness.

I wanted to make fun of him for being a romatic or something, but i could tell that he was expressing a raw earnestness.

"It's beautiful." I said for lack of better phrasing. The waves curled against the shore like an infant crawling toward a loving mother. And the sun was setting like a sinking rock. And the silence, it was all so beautiful.

"I love it." I said in disbelief. I felt his arm on my shoulder lift and that caused me to shift in my seat towards him.

"Maude, are we really going to do this." He said his voice lowering, i turned up to see his brown eyes staring into me.

"Yes" i practically whispered, as we both simultaniously leaned toward each other.

A kiss, our first kiss, and it was more than that, it was a promise. We were going to do this. But how were we going to do this?