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“Good. I just finished up some dinner. I was watching the ball game. Just a lazy evening for me.”
“Ah, sounds good,” she said. Shelly held up a pizza box that was in front of her. “I guess we had the same idea.”
I laughed. This woman was driving me wild. We seemed to have so much in common, but not just that. We were in sync with each other, as if we were genuinely cut from the same cloth. I had never really met a woman who got to me the way she did.
“Good choice,” I said. “I probably should have gone to the gym instead, but I just had one of those lazy night feelings, you know?”
“Right. What gym do you go to? You don’t use the one at work?”
“Oh, I do,” I said. “I do that one for my general fitness. But I also go to the MMA academy several times a week to do some kickboxing and grappling.”
“Ah, you’re into martial arts? That’s great. I used to do taekwondo when I was a teenager. I’m not sure why I ever got out of it.”
“You should get back in. Martial arts, for me anyway, is one of the best stress relievers. I’m not sure where I’d be without it. It may sound cliché, but it’s become an amazing way of life for me.”
“Interesting,” she said. “So, you bowl, and do martial arts. What else makes you tick?”
“I play softball at least once a week during the spring and summers,” I said.
“And what about the guitar?” Shelly asked.
I was confused for a second. How did she know?
“Behind you,” Shelly pointed.
I glanced behind me to see my acoustic guitar leaning against the side of the couch. I’d been playing it earlier and had forgotten it was even there.
“Ah, yes. That’s perhaps my biggest passion. I’m actually just getting back into it.”
“What happened? Why did you get away from it?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I used to play all the time and then I didn’t feel the muse lighting the fire in me, I guess. But lately, it just started talking to me again. So I decided to pick it back up. I’m thinking I might start doing some open mic nights again.”
“Oh, so you sing, too?” Shelly asked.
“I do a bit of singing. Whether or not I’m good, that is open to interpretation, but I do enjoy it. And I do some songwriting as well.”
“Songwriting? Wow, I’d love to hear some of your stuff sometime.”
“Sure, I can arrange that. I’m actually thinking of going to the open mic tomorrow night at Jerry’s bar. It’s close to work.”
“Ok, I might have to stop by there.”
“Great, you can cheer me on and tell me how amazing I’m doing.”
Shelly laughed. I loved to hear her laugh and see her sweet smile. Wow, this woman was amazing.
There was a pause in our conversation. I took a sip of my beer and then I decided to open up to her a bit. I wasn’t sure why, but I thought it was the right time. I knew I was probably wrong. I didn’t care. I needed this. I needed some closure. These feelings were driving me nuts. The not knowing was sending me up the wall. I had to find out how Shelly really felt.
“Listen, I am just going to come right out with this,” I said. “I’m really starting to have some strong feelings for you. I know we share this attraction and that it is something that could get us both in a lot of hot water, but at some point you just have to fight for what you want. Now, if you don’t feel the same way about me, or about the situation, then I’ll understand and I won’t bring it up again.”
Shelly was silent for a moment. And then she began to speak. Her voice was soft at first, but it became stronger as she went on. I could tell this was hard for her. It was hard to admit, but it was harder to know that we had to deal with this one way or another. “I know. It’s been eating away on my side too. Since I met you, there has been a very strong attraction between the two of us. I am sure that it will be the end of my career here if I go forth with my feelings, but it’s getting harder to resist. I do think about you… a lot...”
“Great,” I said. “I mean… I do have strong feelings for you. And I thought you had those same feelings for me. It’s a mistake to try to deny that. But we just have to be strong enough to resist the temptation. Getting either of us in trouble at work is the last thing I’d want to do.”
Shelly swallowed hard. “I do have feelings for you. I’ve tried to stop them, but yes… they are there. I wanted that kiss. I wanted to give into it, but couldn’t. I’ve thought about it ever since it happened. I still want it. But if we give in to these passions, it could be the end of our careers. You know that.”
I sighed. “Yeah. It’s not right. They think they can just tell people what to do. That’s ridiculous. But I understand. And I would never do anything to make you uncomfortable in any way.”
