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Just look at him. Holy hotness.
He truly is like a model straight from a billboard. And he’s mine. How’s that possible?
Ryan takes my hand in his, but this time he doesn’t pull me closer. Instead, he raises my hand up to his mouth and plants a soft kiss to my skin.
The fluttering spreads outward from my stomach, and soon my whole body feels like it’s trying to lift off the floor. This man drives me insane in the best possible way.
“Let’s go, gorgeous.”
After I get my coat and purse, we leave the hotel hand in hand.
It’s only a short cab drive to the restaurant where we enjoy the best Asian comfort food I’ve ever had. The meals are absolutely delicious, and I have a hard time taking my eyes off my date. When we leave, both my heart and stomach are full and happy.
Ryan helps me into my coat and reaches for my hand. How is it possible everything regarding us is still so new yet so embedded in my whole being that it’s the most natural thing in the world? I don’t even need to think about us because we just are.
Ryan squeezes my hand. “Do you want to stop at our bar before we head back to the hotel?”
“Our bar?”
“Yeah. The one from New Year’s.” He pauses for a moment and studies me. “We don’t have to. I just thought it could be fun to revisit. Maybe have a drink and a dance.”
I hold on to his arm with my free hand and nod. “I love that idea. Let’s do it.”
He chuckles and raises his hand for a cab. The bar isn’t far away from the restaurant, and this strange sense of awareness runs through my whole body when we enter the slightly dim place. It’s still a nice touch of casual and classy with a mix of leather booths and bistro tables and the free space in one of the corners for people to dance.
The same table I sat at last time is unoccupied, so I walk straight to it with Ryan right behind me.
We sit in the same exact spots as before, and it’s surreal. I look up and our gazes collide, the same attraction and desire for him still there, but much stronger. My heart isn’t just skipping beats, it’s racing. Everything is more intense, the heat in my veins, the butterflies in my stomach, and the tingling from pure desire.
But what’s changed the most is the euphoric feeling every time I’m with him or think about him, and I savor every moment I have with him. And when the dark side creeps in and doubts and fears take over my mind, he’s my compass, allowing me to find my way back to where I belong. I feel safe and whole, and I don’t think I’ve ever known how much that truly means to me until I met him.
Ryan surprises me with a Shirley Temple and gets a club soda with lime for himself.
My taste buds rejoice at the sweetness of my drink.
I place the drink back on the table and lean toward Ryan. “Thanks so much for today. It’s been such a fun day.”
He mimics my position and uses the chance to peek inside the top of my dress with a grin. “Thank you for spending all this time with me. I can’t tell you how much I wish I could stay longer.”
I make a pout because my chest hurts. “Me too. I’m trying not to think about it.”
“I’m sorry.” He takes both of my hands on top of the cool surface and rubs his thumbs over my knuckles. “Have you thought any more about what we talked about? How to continue things?”
I shake my head and let out a heavy sigh. This topic always sucks the energy straight out of me. “I’ll be able to travel more easily again now that I’m settled in my job. It definitely helps that I can work from anywhere which means I could probably visit for longer if you wanted. And then we can go from there?”
Why don’t you just tell him that you want to move to California to be with him?
Because it’s way too soon for that, isn’t it? He’ll think I’m nuts.
Ryan nods. “I’d like that. A lot.”
My gaze drops to our intertwined hands. I love his hands. His long fingers, the prominent bones, and let’s not forget the veins. Why are they so dang attractive on men?
I disentangle my hand from his. “I already miss you, and you haven’t even left yet.”
Being vulnerable is never easy for me. The fear of saying something wrong, or something that’s over the top can quickly become overwhelming. Not everyone likes to hear those kinds of things either. And while Ryan and I have gotten to know each other way more than some other couples might in this short timeframe, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the other person.
Ryan chuckles, which pulls me out of my staring contest with the table.
