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“I love to read and I do some creative writing, so I’d like to teach high school English. My grand plan is to teach and also coach the dance team.”
“We didn’t have a dance team at my high school. I know I would have noticed if we did.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you would have remembered,” I tease. “And I can start a team or a club at whatever school I wind up at.”
“You sound like you’ve got it all figured out.”
“Hardly. I mean, I’ve never even said any of that out loud before.” The waiter drops the check and walks away before I add, “You’re easy to talk to.”
“Thanks. A lot of people tell me that.”
“Like who?”
“Uh, I was kind of the go-to guy for our unit. Trouble with your girl back home? The stress or monotony of the long tours getting to you? Go talk to Erikson.” He smiles. “Maybe it’s because I’ve experienced death or loss or whatever, but the guys would often come to me when they had a problem.”
“That’s a good quality, to be someone people can lean on.”
He goes to take his wallet out of his back pocket and I gesture for him not to. “You got lunch the other day, I’ll get this.”
“Grace,” he shakes his head in a way that tells me he’s not having it, “I don’t like that trend. If I ask you out for dinner, I’m paying. If you askmeout, same thing, I’m paying. I don’t want to offend you or anything, but I mean it when I say it’s my pleasure to take you out. Understand?”
“Fine, you win.”
“Thank you.”
He stands and reaches down to take my hand. “You ready?”
Chapter Five
Damien
It’s not like I have many to compare it to, but this might be the best first date ever.
Watching Grace eat barbecued ribs was a sight to behold, and the conversation during dinner flowed so easily, same as the last two times we were together.
And now, while the band was rocking before, they’ve slowed down some. They’re playing a cover of Dawes’Time Spent in Los Angeles, and it’s fitting that I’m standing behind Grace as she sways to the music while she is, indeed, wrapped up in my arms. I hesitated before going for it and touching her this way, but the bar is packed and she was standing so close to me that I figured she’d be down with it. Thank goodness she is.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman, longer still since I’ve enjoyed the company of the woman I’m with the way I’m digging Grace. I keep reminding myself that I have to go slow, but damn, I don’t want to. I want to soak up everything I can before going back to that lonely life, want to soak up every bit of goodness and light from this beautiful girl that I can.
She turns her head to look up at me. “This band is really good.”
“Yeah, Eli told me about them.”
“Eli’s family is from North Carolina?”
I nod. “Right here in Durham.”
“They could just live at home then. Couldn’t ask for an easier commute.”
“I’m sure their mom would love that, but Eli needs to be out on his own. He’s too old to be home. And living in the dorms was the only way they got Gianna to stay in state. I think she wanted to go to Arizona or someplace like that.”
“I could totally picture her at those Vegas-style sorority pool parties.”
“She’s not so bad, but yeah, I know what you mean.” And I have no intention of ruining this night with talk of Gianna, so I’m definitely looking to change the subject when I ask her if she has class in the morning.
“I only have one class on Fridays and it meets at ten.”
“What class?”
