Page 124 of Another Love, Another Time
I’m going to go with my gut and take a chance on him. I’ve agreed to take it slow. He’s letting me set the pace.
~~
Tonight is our first date. Growing up, we hung out, but we never had a date. I’ve been on dates with other guys, but for whatever reason, I’m nervous. That’s stupid since we live together. It’s not like we’ll have an awkward introduction, but this still feels weird. After putting on the final touches of makeup, I take a look atmyself in the mirror. I asked him how I should dress, and he told me: jeans, boots, and a T-shirt.
I can’t get over how nervous I am. It’s ridiculous. This is what I want. Ever since he found out about Melissa, he’s put me first. He’s even reduced communication with his parents. He’s letting me take the lead.
I run my fingers through my hair again for one last look. “It’s now or never,” I tell myself. I walk out of my room and see Auggie sitting on the couch, watching TV.
When he hears me enter, he jumps up. “Hold on for a minute,” he tells me before he walks out the front door and closes it.
Now, I’m just confused, and then I hear a knock. I walk to the door, wondering what the hell Auggie is up to. When I open it, I see Auggie with a bouquet of wildflowers. “Hi,” is all he says with a big smile on his face.
I smile back. “Hi,” I respond. We stand there for a minute, grinning at one another.
He breaks the silence when he tells me, “You look beautiful, River.”
I open the screen door, allowing him back into the house. I laugh at his goofy ass. “You’re such a dork,” I tell him as he hands me the flowers. I hold them to my face and inhale their scent.
Auggie has already gotten the vase out and is filling it up with water. I walk to him and pull the strap off that keeps the bundle together. Once they’re in the water, I turn to Auggie, wrap my arms around his neck, and press my lips to his. I’ve wanted to do that for a while; I can’t help myself. I didn’t want to wait another minute.
He kisses me back and presses me to him as he takes the kiss deeper, but too quickly, he steps back, putting space between us. “I’d like to do that all night,” he says, “but if we don’t leave right now, we will be late.” He grabs my pinkie and leads me out the door.
“Are you still not going to tell me where we are going?” I ask.
He opens the passenger door for me. “Nope.” That’s all he says. I climb into the truck, and he closes my door.
~~
We’ve been driving for about twenty minutes, heading in a direction I’m not familiar with. Our conversation switches easily from work to singing and dancing to songs on the radio to comfortable silence.
Ten minutes later, we are pulling into a place with a barn, complete with horses in a fenced area. I turn to him, giddy. “Are we doing what I think we’re doing?”
“If you are thinking we will be shoveling shit, you’d be correct.”
I gasp. “Eww. No,” I respond, disbelievingly. He’s laughing again. I give him a look of disappointment, but it doesn’t stay on my face for long. “What?”
“I’m just messing with you. If you were thinking we are going horseback riding, you’d be correct.” He grins. I can’t believe he remembered. I had talked about doing something like this when I first moved here. This is so dang sweet.
~~
After we finish riding, we brush the horses, and I find the movement almost meditative. The trail we rode on was magnificent. It was funny, watching Auggie on a horse. I had the best time.
After we put the brushes up and feed the horses, I notice miniature cows on the other side of the barn. I walk towards the fence and start to pet them. They are so adorable, I wish I could cuddle with them all day.
Auggie walks up beside me, and he does the same thing. We had a guide earlier who took us all over the property. I would definitely do this again.
When we finish petting the cows, we tell our guide “bye” and get back in the truck. Auggie opens my door, and I climb back in. When he gets in, he leans over and gives me a quick peck. Before I can think about it, he asks, “You hungry?”
“I could definitely eat,” I tell him, not able to control the smile on my face.
“Good.” As soon as we are moving forward, he grabs my pinkie and pulls it into his lap. I’m so happy, I can’t wipe the smile off my face.
Two months later:
In the past couple of months, Auggie and I have continued dating. It’s weird because we live together and are dating, but we still haven’t had sex. Don’t get me wrong; we have done plenty of other things, but I don’t want to wait any longer.
We have been taking our time to learn the things we like as adults, but I want to know what he feels like now. He’s biggerthan I remember. It’s like we have only been teasing one another since we decided to date, and I can’t wait anymore.
