Page 28 of The Funnel to You

And then she’s gone and apparently, so am I.

Chapter Seventeen

Sasha

Iced Americano with caramel drizzle

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Image Description: Selfie taken in a car mirror of the lower half of face with bright red lipstick still in place, it is dark outside.

Ikissed him.

Like, I actually kissed him. He asked, but I initiated. I never am the one to make the first move physically like that, but it felt so insanely right. I needed to feel his lips on mine. And then he came back for more. And the way he held me close while he kissed me was absolutely perfect! If I didn’t leave when I did, we probably would still be making out in his doorway. Which would not be a bad thing, I decide.

I text him as I step inside my apartment letting him know I made it okay. I am so excited for tomorrow already and can’t wait to see how our day goes. It will be a nice mix between work and pleasure. I have missed hiking this summer and want to get up to Horsetooth while it is a weekday and there won’t be as many people up on the trails.

My relationship with Matt changed at some point this summer. It isn’t just work anymore. I can definitely see things moving in a more relational direction. I enjoyed our time together tonight. It is so easy to be around him. And I feel very seen with him. I don’t have to be “on camera perfect” or ready to sell or take care of people like in the aisles at work. I can just be. He seems to like taking care of me, and I won’t say no to more of those foot rubs. That man should be paid for those massages. I chuckle to myself at that thought then go get ready for bed.

The house is quiet so Carter and Kylie must already be asleep. I had texted Kylie that I was going out with Matt so she wouldn’t be worried, but I am a little bummed she’s not still up so I can go over everything with her.

I take a quick shower and then get my bags ready for tomorrow so I don’t have to stress in the morning about where my hiking shoes and good socks are. I put my hiking water bottle in the fridge and prep some ice cubes too. I’m not sure if they will be fully frozen, but it helps to have some extra cold things in my insulated bottle to make it last longer. Especially since it will be in my car for a few hours in the morning. The weather is set to get in the high seventies tomorrow, so I grab some shorts, a tank top, and a lightweight long sleeve top for if a breeze blows in. Adding my hat, scrunchie, and sunscreen to my bag, I think I am finally set for tomorrow.

Now I can get some rest before another long day tomorrow. A fun day. A day with Matt. But it’s still going to be a longer day.

The morning comes too early, but I am thankful that I have everything ready to go. Kylie is up in the kitchen with her coffee and a book as I bring out my bags and go through my mental checklist again.

“Hiking today?” She asks me. She recognizes my bag and the extra stuff I always have in my car for hiking days.

“Yep.” I let the ‘p’ pop a bit as I stand up and put my hair in a bun on top of my head. “Matt and I are going to head to Horsetooth and then get some work done this morning.”

Kylie raises her eyebrows at me as she abruptly stops reading. The look tells me she knows exactly what I am thinking, and remembering from the doorway last night.

“Again? Is this another date or just hanging out together since Ashley is at school?”

“It’s a date. And last night went really well so I’m excited to get to hang out again today” I trail off a bit as Kylie seems to be a bit shocked. I guess it’s to be expected, this is new. I fill her in on what happened last night, keeping it brief to just the overview. She’s not having it though.

“So…did anything fun happen on this impromptu date last night?” She teases me, a little wiggle in her eyebrows.

“He gives amazing foot rubs. Like, I’m pretty sure he massaged my feet for a solid twenty minutes. And there might have been a couple kisses goodnight at the door before I came home.” I can feel my face heating with a blush. That’s definitely new. I don’t get embarrassed with my friends – not that I’ve had a guy to be embarrassed about in a while.

“Oh my gosh! Kisses? Foot rubs? Who is this man and why are you only just now telling me about this? You should have woken me up when you got home last night!” She practically screams at me.

“I knew if I woke you up last night we wouldn’t go back to sleep until like three this morning and that would not be good for either of us. And I don’t want to build it up too much too fast. It’s new. And he is super reserved, so I don’t want to scare him away by reading too much into things. Yes, I like him, and I really enjoyed last night, but this is new.”

Kylie nods in agreement. “So, how are you feeling about it all now that you’ve slept on it?”

“I think I want to see where this goes. And if it includes another foot rub after our hike today…I won’t say no to that either.” I wink at her as I grab my bag and head out the door. Her laughter follows me as I close it behind me.

I make my way downstairs to the front of the building and stop at the front door for a moment. The windows look out to the street and I take a moment to compose myself. I am surprised that I’m not super overwhelmed right now. I’m a little nervous, of course. I can tell by the little tingles in my fingers and the needing to consciously settle my breathing pace. I double check that I have everything I need in my bag one more time and then peek out the window to see if Matt is parked close.

He is. His car is right outside and I must have impeccable timing because I get to see him step out of the car and begin making his way over to the side of the car closest to me. He leans against the vehicle and pulls out his phone, and the vibrating in my pocket tells me he is checking on me to see if I’m ready. I take another deep breath and then head outside, a very genuine smile on my face as I head over to meet him.

I’m not surprised at all when he opens the door for me and then motions for my bags, “I can put these in the back, your laptop should be okay in the trunk while we are hiking, there’s some good shade at the parking lot before we head for the hike.” I nod at him in agreement and then get settled into my seat, pulling out my sunglasses to wipe them off before putting them on – why is it so sunny already this morning?

“Just a warning - I am not caffeinated yet this morning so I am going to need that soon if you want me to be any sort of pleasant this morning,” I mention to Matt as he slides back into the seat and starts the car. Soft music plays as he buckles up and looks over at me.

“Good thing I know what you need then, huh?” He asks with a smirk on his face as he reaches behind me to the cup holder that I didn’t even notice was there. He passes me an iced coffee and then a small paper bag. “It’s an iced Americano with caramel drizzle, let me know what you think of that one – and then some egg bites. Some protein to get you started and soak up some of that caffeine.”

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