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“No,” the word was out before I could even really think about it, but I quickly realized it was the truth. I reached over and took his hand, the first time I initiated contact with him. “You didn’t blow anything. These kinds of things happen, but I hope you’ll ask me out again. It might not have been dinner, but I had a good time.”
The more I talked, the wider the smile on Bowen’s face grew. It made me feel good and not just because I could alleviate his fears. I genuinely liked spending time with him and the more I was around him, the more I found the reservations I had were washing away.
He brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed the tips of my fingers. “I’m glad. We’ll plan a second date. Maybe in town this time,” he chuckled softly as he rested our combined hands on his thigh, “just in case.”
I was waiting for dread to fill my gut, but it didn’t happen. “I’d like that,” I whispered.
Date number two was two days after our first attempt and it was better, but there were still some hiccups. It was endearing and adorable, really, but I didn’t tell him that. Not when his brown eyes were filled with so much worry as we looked at each other over the burned dinner he tried to cook in his small apartment.
I wasn’t judging him for either thing, honestly. I couldn’t remember the last time a guy had put in so much effort to impress me and his place was clean. It was clear he put time and thought into our date which earned him a lot of respect in my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he grimaced and ducked his head. “Mom offered to come over and cook dinner for me because she knows I’m not very skilled, but I wanted to do it myself.”
The way his chest puffed up with pride at the thought of feeding me something he cooked made my heart melt and a big portion of the wall I built around myself fell with a resounding thud in my soul.
“It was a very ambitious meal,” I whispered. It really was.
If only the mustard chicken wasn’t undercooked while the asparagus was burnt, and the mashed potatoes were like wallpaper paste. The rolls were fine and that’s what we ended up putting butter on and munching on while we talked.
The way he let the mistakes roll off his back instead of dwelling on them and letting them take the night into the dumps and keep it there was admirable. It reminded me that when things don’t go right, you can try and find a way to make them better or you can dwell.
I’d always been someone to dwell. I agonized over forgetting choreography or doing a step wrong. It would eat me up inside, especially when I was growing up and while I was in New York. Since I opened my studio, I would tell my students to let it roll off their back and then keep going, but it was advice I had never been able to internalize myself.
Bowen didn’t let the ruined dinner stop him from spending time with me and being in the moment. He still gave me his whole focus, after, of course, throwing all the food away except for the rolls. It was like nothing got the man down when he was around me. It made me feel important and cherished.
No one else had ever made me feel that way before. Which is why I agreed to this third date and it’s going a lot better.
Even if he hadn’t made me feel important and cherished enough to try a date again, I would have agreed after watching him last night at the toy drive. The toy drive which has been prepped, the toys have been donated, and now families who qualify are coming in to pick out toys for their kids. I could see some of the parents were ashamed because they couldn’t provide their kids with Christmas gifts without help. It made me feel for them.
I wasn’t at all surprised when Bowen stepped in with those people, put them at ease, and made them laugh while helping them find the perfect toy. I was kind of in awe of him and couldn’t take my eyes off him all night.
Ida stepped up next to me at some point, her voice low and filled with barely contained excitement, “Bowen really is something, isn’t he?”
I glanced at her but couldn’t look at her long. I needed to keep watching Bowen, not wanting to miss a moment of the magic he was weaving. “He is,” I admitted quietly, and not just to her, but myself as well.
“I thought he might be the perfect man to help you heal, Aster.” She clapped her hands together and I could only shake my head at her. “You can’t keep hiding. You need to come back out into the light.”
Tears welled up in my eyes and I knew they would fall if I looked at her, so I kept my focus on Bowen. He must have sensed me looking at him because he turned his head and winked at me. I might have swooned; not like I’d admit that to anyone.
For our third date, we got to the restaurant, and we got through dinner, which wasn’t burnt or undercooked. All in all, things have been going swimmingly. The conversation has flowed between us easily while we’ve gotten to know each other even more.
When I first met him, I thought for sure we wouldn’t have anything in common, but that’s not the case. I’m a little embarrassed with myself because I made some big assumptions about him. I would hate it if someone did the same to me, but here I am.
His hand is at the small of my back as he leads us back out to the car, the one that didn’t have any tire issues tonight, and I find myself smiling. He kisses my temple, and my body relaxes a little even though I’m still worried about what happens next. I don’t want to move too fast, but my body is needy and achy whenever I’m around him.
I’m not afraid like I expected to be.
Everything about Bowen is kind of throwing me for a loop.
“You’re so beautiful, my little Spark,” he murmurs right before he opens the passenger side door for me.
I slide in, feeling my cheeks heat up as I do. My stomach twists a little bit in anticipation of what happens next. Part of me doesn’t want the night to end, but I want another kiss from him. Maybe more?
Yeah, definitely more.
When we’re heading toward my house, his hand finds my knee and I feel the heat from his palm against my skin. It’s an intoxicating feeling. I want to feel his large hands roaming all over me.
The thought of him touching me has my thighs clenching together. If he notices, he doesn’t let on.
