Cristina

Chapter 11

After work, I make my way home and shower quickly. I pull my hair up in a ponytail. I throw on some white shorts, a pink and white plaid top, and some black flats.

I am at the Seaside Diner by 6:20 p.m. I am sitting out on the deck when I see Mrs. Canton is pulling up in the parking lot. She gets out of her vehicle, and I just watch her as she makes her way over toward me. She is wearing dark blue, long skinny jeans, and a white top, fitting. She has some flats on, too. She is looking so good, as usual.

The first thing she says is, "can you not do that?"

I grin, already knowing what she is referring to.

"Hi to you, too. And not do what?"

She takes a seat right across from me.

"Don't play dumb, Ms. Hunter."

I am so done with the formalities at this point.

"Emma, please. Call me Emma."

She smiles for the first time since the day of the retreat, adding, "yes, call me Cristina, as well."

Being silly, I stick my hand out for a handshake at her.

"Nice to meet you, Cristina."

Maybe I just want an excuse to hold her hand.

She giggles, "stop it, Emma."

I grin and stand up, holding my hand out to her.

"Come with me."

She takes my hand with hers, and I can't begin to explain how it feels. Her skin is so soft. Her hand fits so perfectly with mine. It is like her hand was designed to fit only mine.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"You'll see."

There is a genuine smile on her face. She is so beautiful when she smiles.

Right off from the Diner is a nearby beach. It isn't used much because of its location, but if you ask me, it's perfect for strolling.

An ice cream booth is right next to the diner, so we make a stop first. She chooses vanilla, and I choose strawberry.

We walk towards the beach and continue strolling along the beach, having our ice creams. It is so beautiful. The sun is setting, and it makes for the perfect picture.

I suggest we stop and finish our ice creams on the sand. She sits, and I make sure to sit close to her. Our thighs are brushing against each other. Her first comment, I wasn't expecting.

"I haven't had ice cream for so long. This date isn't so bad after all."

I am a bit shocked.

"Really? Don't you and your husband get ice creams and walks together?"

She looks off in the distance and tries to get away from the topic at hand. She knows all the right things to distract me with. She holds up her cone in front of me.

"I'll let you taste mine if you let me taste yours."

She is so cute. It seems like everything she says excites me. I am grinning.

"Let me taste first," I say.

She seems a bit reluctant, but then she pushes her cone toward me. I make sure to take quite an amount of her ice cream.

She hits my arm, laughing.

"Emma, you're so greedy."

I know people say my name to me every day, but nobody makes it sound like her. It has a magical feel and sound coming from her.

I hold my ice cream out toward her. She leans in, mouth open to get some. I pull back so that she would miss. We are giggling like crazy. She makes a second attempt, and I do the same thing again. On the third try, she must have thought I would do it again. She comes so fast toward my ice cream, and I don't pull away. She messes her face with it. She gets some in her mouth, but the majority is on her cheek. I am laughing hysterically while she struggles to keep a mad face.

Without even thinking, I lean in and lick some off her cheek.

I can feel her stiffen.

She barely calls my name, "Emma..."

I don't move away.

I whisper, "maybe I should taste both strawberry and vanilla together," and without missing a beat, I brush my lips against hers.

I feel her shiver, but she doesn't move. I do it again, my lips barely touching hers, and then I finally capture her lips fully in a kiss. The moment I first kiss her, I can feel her hesitation, but after a few seconds, I feel her kissing me back. It is a tender kiss. Her lips are the softest I've ever felt. I deepen the kiss just a little, nipping her lower lip when a tiny moan escapes her lips. It seems to have awakened her. She pulls away just a little. I can still feel her breath on my face. She is breathing a little heavier than normal.

"We shouldn't," she says.

I don't want to scare her off, so I nod my head. We get up and start on our way back to the parking lot. When we reach the parking lot, I walk her to her car. As she reaches to open her door, I grab a hold of her hand.

"I want to ask you something. Please, don't shut me out."

She isn't saying anything. I can feel she will tell me anything in this moment.

"Uhm, I overheard your husband on my way out of your house this morning. What did he mean by accusing you of going back to your old ways?"

She exhales and looks away from me for like half a minute, and when she looks back at me, I can see tears in her eyes.

She says it as a whisper, "I have... I have dated... a woman before... just one."

I don't know how to react. I wasn't expecting that at all. I don't know what to do or say. I do the only thing I can, I pull her close, and my lips find hers. She doesn't hold back this time. She kisses me so passionately, and the minute she breaks our kiss, she hops in her car and speeds off.

What an evening!

I slowly walk to my car and head home. All the way home, I keep hearing her over and over. She dated a woman?! Suddenly, there are so many questions. Why isn't she dating women anymore? What happened to that girl? She seemed so sad about the situation. What was making her sad? Wasn't she happy with her husband? What kind of relationship do they even have? I want the answer for each and every one, but I know I will have to be patient.