Finally

Chapter 6

Ding! Jamie's phone went off early the next morning; she groggily rolled over the mountain of pillows on her bed and turned on her phone. The overwhelming brightness caused Jamie to shriek out in pain, and she laughed at herself. When she finally was able to read the screen, she saw that the message was from Edward. That's odd, I wonder what he wants this early...

Dear Jamie, I know it's early and I sincerely apologize, but I have to tell you before I get to work: I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since yesterday in the grocery store. I've just missed you so much and, I'm running on pure adrenaline right now, but would you consider going out with me tonight? I need to have an actual conversation with you again. Please? - Ed

Wow, Jamie thought, he hasn't been this straightforward since.... A warm feeling came over her as she remembered that night at camp one summer. She texted back:

Edward, I have to admit that I haven't been able to stop thinking about you either. I get off work at 4:30, but I would love to have dinner with you tonight.

She began to get ready, seeing as she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. Standing under the hot rain of the shower, she thought about everything that was suddenly happening in her life. After she stepped out of the shower she was amazed to see a reply already.

Great! I'll pick you upon at 6 :)

Sounds great! It will be good to catch up. Bye.

Jamie made sure to text him her address and drove to work. She spent the rest of her day on a cloud, dreaming about the way the night would go and reminiscing about memories past. Sure, their last "break up" had been one of the worst moments in her life, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. She didn't even realize when the clock struck 4:30, and Melanie told her it was time to go. "Huh?" Jamie asked clearly in another world.

"You seem a little distracted today..." Melanie said, "anything exciting going on tonight?" Melanie spoke with a somewhat mischievous tone. Jamie looked at her and blushed, giggling to herself. "Well...." she began, "I may or may not be meeting up with an old friend for dinner tonight."

"I'm sensing by your slight embarrassment that this isn't a female friend." Melanie raised her eyebrows at Jamie. Jamie looked up with a twinkle in her eyes, "No, it's not." And she erupted into a fit of small giggles. "You behave yourself missy!" Melanie playfully shook her finger at Jamie, which only made her laugh more. "Yes mother!" Jamie responded jokingly, and drove home to get ready.
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"Today's a special day", Mark said to himself. It was a Wednesday, and normally on Wednesdays he was leading youth group. More like controlling a group of untamable tigers. Sure, Mark enjoyed their company, but he was glad his dad was letting him take a day off. Mark had a second date planned with Kaitlin, and he needed to be at her house at 6. So far, it was 5:29 and he hadn't showered yet. "Great.. This should be interesting..."

He spent the next 20 minutes rushing around his house; somehow, he managed to shower, get dressed, and stop for flowers before arriving at Kaitlin's house, to which he arrived at precisely 6. "Some pretty flowers for the pretty lady." Mark said, while presenting Kaitlin her flowers with an awkward curtsy. "Aww! Mark!! You're such a gentleman!" Kaitlin said as she wrapped her arms around his head and planted a small, sweet kiss on his cheek. "Ready for dinner?" She asked innocently.

"You bet I am." Mark leaned in and sweetly kissed her forehead. "Now let's go, I don't want to miss our reservation." Mark opened the sunroof on his car and let the wind flow through the car. "So much for curling my hair!" Kaitlin laughed. Realizing what had happened, Mark shut the sunroof and apologized.

"It's fine! Who cares what my hair looks like!" Kaitlin decided. Mark opened the sunroof again and the happy couple spent the rest of the ride chatting away about different events that were happening at their church: so-and-so's wedding next week, the lady's banquet, and other topics.

They pulled up to a fancy Italian restaurant, Essence of Italy, and parked. Kaitlin looked at Mark suspiciously, almost accusing him of taking her to yet another fancy, expensive restaurant. Mark mouthed the words "trust me" and placed his hand along the small of her back, guiding her inside the restaurant.

The inside was dark and warm, and it smelled like the streets of Italy: fresh bread, sizzling meat and seasoned pasta. There was a line of people waiting for their table, and Mark panned the room to see if there was anyone he knew. His eyes stopped mid-pan. Oh no.
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Jamie put in her second diamond earring, brushed a hair off of her face and applied one more coat of lipstick. Perfect. For her date she had decided to wear a black knee length dress, teal wedges and a multi-colored statement necklace that completed the look. Not too fancy, but not too causal.

Ding, dong. "Jamie? You ready?" She could hear Edward's voice on the other side of the door. Ready as I'll ever be. She opened the door and was taken aback the biggest bouquet of flowers she'd ever seen. "Oh my goodness! Edward! That was so sweet of you! This is the biggest bouquet I've ever seen in my life! Where did you find this?"

She surveyed the large collection of roses and other various blooms. "Edward, these flowers aren't even in season!" She pointed to a few florescent purple tulips. She set the arrangement in a vase on the counter, and the kitchen suddenly looked small compared to the bouquet. "I know a local specialist." Edward winked, and the two headed off in Edward's convertible.

"So where are we going?" Jamie asked. The two were driving along the South Carolina countryside, and Jamie allowed herself to take in the beautiful scenery. "Some place in town called the Essence of Italy, I hear it's really good." Edward said, turning to Jamie. Jamie turned to face him with a look of shock on her face. "Ed! That's probably the expensive place in town! I would have been content with the pizza parlor! Are you sure?"

Edward suddenly sounded defensive, "Look, I haven't seen you in three years and frankly, I want to make a good impression. I don't mind taking a pretty lady like you out to a big fancy restaurant. Can you humor me tonight?" Jamie almost felt bad for asking the way she did. "Of course Edward. I'll have a great time regardless of where we go." With that she reached over and put her hand on his arm. The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

Stepping out of the car, Edward offered his arm and Jamie gratefully took it and the two walked into the restaurant. Edward checked the reservation, which the waiter said would be ready in a few minutes, and the two sat on a bench. Occasionally people would walk in and Jamie would glance up at them. One couple caught her attention and she squinted to see who it was. Mark. And Kaitlin.

"Hey Jamie!" Mark and Kaitlin said with enthusiasm, although Kaitlin seemed slightly upset. Edward leaned over and asked Jamie, "Do you know them?" Jamie nodded her head yes and said hello to the two of them. Luckily Jamie and Edwards were seated soon after Mark and Kaitlin arrived, so they were able to avoid an unnecessary awkward conversation.

Minutes later, Mark and Kaitlin were seated in a booth across the aisle from them. The rest of the evening went well. Jamie occasionally snuck some glances at Mark, and nine times out of ten, his gaze met hers, and they looked away awkwardly.

Mark and Kaitlin left early, giving Jamie some time to focus on just Edward. Throughout the meal they talked about how their lives were going; most of the time, however, was spent reminiscing about old stories from college. Once the meal was finished, Edward paid the bill and drove Jamie home. When they reached her door, Edward scooped up Jamie's head in his large, warm hands and slowly touched his lips to hers; the kiss was short, but still enough to leave Jamie weak in the knees.

As Edward walked away, he called over his shoulder, "goodnight Jamie-bug." drove off.
Jamie stood in her doorway, unable to function. What just happened? she asked herself. Ed's always been straightforward in the past but, wow. That's all she could say, wow.