Page 7 of Beyond our Forever

That was the effect Bruce had on me.

It was only the second night and our first official date.

Have you ever felt a pull so strong that it drags you like the current of a raging river?

“Tell me about your plans for the future,” he asked, breaking the silence.

“I still have no idea and the pressure is killing me. This is the last semester I’m taking generals and still can’t decide. Is it normal that at my age I don’t know what I want to do with my life?”

It was frustrating to admit it to myself, even more to say it out loud. I was supposed to have decided all this by now, but everything I considered seemed insubstantial, hollow, empty. The thought of dedicating my life to just one thing wasn’t appealing. While my friends and acquaintances were clear about where they were headed, I was still lost in the limbo of indecision.

Great impression for a first date. Bravo, Ilythia, you outdid yourself!

The only thing I knew for sure was that one day I was going to Paris. I’ve always loved the city, its cobblestone streets, the little cafes, the tales about love… Everything about the city called my name.

I wanted to bring my hands up to my lap but his fingers stopped me, taking me gently by the wrist, tracing the edge of the watch I was wearing. The caress was soft and at the same time suggestive, intoxicating.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get there. Your time will come,” he whispered and I swear I believed him.

How else could it be? As he looked at me with eyes so dark they seemed almost black, the voices around us faded until it was just him and me in our little bubble.

I never believed in love at first sight, I’m still not sure that I do even now, but I had to admit that something strong, something important—earth-shattering—was growing between us as Bruce told me about his long sleepless nights, sitting in front of the drawing table, outlining the projects that his teachers assigned him. “I swear,” he said to me when I couldn’t stop laughing. “I keep falling asleep on the drawing table, and once I almost ruined all the work I’d done during the night with my own drool.”

“Ugh, Leighton! Have you heard of too much information?” I groaned, laughing. “Now how am I going to get the image of you asleep on the table and wetting everything out of my head?”

“I have several ideas.”

I swear my heart stopped just imagining that slim body between my legs, moving over me, as his body filled mine. My poor cotton panties practically fell off by themselves and were already on their way to the washing machine.

What? I was just a barely twenty-year-old girl who recognized her desire, because even though Bruce had done nothing more than touch my hands, the fire inside me had been kindled.

“Do you want to get a coffee?”

“I hate that concoction!”

He looked at me like I was an alien from another world.

“Everyone likes coffee,” he exclaimed almost indignantly. “It’s the fuel of life.”

“Well, I don’t,” I said defensively.

“How do you survive finals without caffeine?”

“There are many other ways to consume caffeine. For example, China produces tons and tons of green tea a year.”

“Speaking of concoctions…” he retorted with a look of total disgust.

We returned to the house in his truck, a fairly old model but well cared for, which said more about him than any words could. Bruce took care of what he considered his.

A virtue that many admire, but only few are capable of cultivating.

“Now, are you going to give me your phone number?” he asked once we were standing outside my door.

I still hadn’t touched the lock, as I tried to distract myself from his charming words by playing with the keys in my hands.

“I don’t know,” I answered coyly, causing a mixture of laughter and groans to come from him. “What are you going to do to convince me?”

“I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” he murmured.

---