Ryan Hardy awoke bright and early one morning in May in his Brooklyn apartment. As his mind slowly drifted from the cloudiness of sleep, he became aware that today was an important day for him. Claire Matthews was coming up all the way from Richmond to visit him, and he was going to take her out for a day on the town in New York City. He wanted to do everything in his power to make this day special for her, since their first date was sort of a disaster. Ryan was madly in love with Claire; he fell in love with her the second they met. Today, he was even more destined to show her just how much he loved her. He couldn't hide his physical attraction for her any longer and just thinking about her was enough to make his mind wander off to such wild, sensual places.

Still slightly wrinkled with sleep, he rolled out of bed and took one look around his apartment. What a mess, he thought. He got busy sprucing the place up. Claire was due to arrive soon and he didn't want her to think My god, Ryan Hardy is such a dirty slob!

It really didn't take a great deal of time to clean up; once he had finished, he decided that maybe he should run out to the liquor store around the corner and pick up a bottle of wine for after their long day on the town. Quickly, he threw on a pair of jeans and his shoes, and walked out of his apartment, around the corner. He bought a bottle of the finest Merlot he could afford. He walked out of the store and on the way back, passed a bakery. Maybe I should pick up a little something sweet, he thought. He browsed the display case and picked out a few various small desserts they could share.

Just as he was reaching for his keys back to his apartment, his cell phone rang. Struggling to answer his phone, he dropped his keys to the ground. He dug his phone out of his pocket and saw it was Claire calling. With a bundle of emotions running through his mind, he answered it.

"H-Hey, Claire, how are you?"

"Ryan! Hey! I'm just getting off my train at Penn Station now. I should be in Brooklyn in about 20-25 minutes!"

"Oh, that's fantastic!" he answered in a panic. He was a hot mess! He hadn't even gotten to brushing his teeth yet, nor has he even showered or shaved, and she was going to be at his door within a matter of minutes!

"So, I'll be seeing you soon, Ryan! I'm very excited for our day!"

"See you soon Claire!" and he hung up.

Frantically, he grabbed his keys and jammed the door open. He through his goods in the refrigerator and ran straight into the bathroom. Quickly, he undressed and got in the shower. He ran shampoo through his hair, rinsed the suds out, stepped out of the shower and toweled himself dry. He brushed his teeth and quickly shaved. Immediately, he ran out of the bathroom, and searched his closet for what to wear. He found a new pair of skinny jeans with the tags still on them and put those on. He also found a collared shirt and blazer. He put on his ensemble, splashed on some cologne, and ran a comb through his still damp as he was fumbling around for a pair of socks, there was a knock at the door. She was here.

"Be there in just a second", he called.

Claire, waiting patiently in the hall was beyond excited. She was ecstatic when he had invited her to spend the day in Brooklyn with him. She had been looking forward to this since the second they had their first date. She could remember the first time their lips touched with such clarity.

Are you sure you want me to kiss you?

Yeah, I'm sure, I'm a single lady so…

Well alright.

But are you sure?

I'm pretty sure first kisses aren't supposed to have this much conversation.

Did I just ruin our first kiss?

I think it can be salvaged.

He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss upon his lips and her lips passionately engaged with his, their tongues flicking gently into each other's mouths. She moved her hands and stroked his hair from the back.

Ryan opened the door and smiled. "Well, look to decided to show up!" he said teasingly. He embraced her in a hug, then proceeded to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"Well, I'm here now" she responded with a smile. "Mmmmm, you smell good" she said.

He showed her into the apartment. She walked inside, observing its interior.

"What a great little place you've got here!"

"Thanks, it's not much, but it's home" he responded. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Some water would be great, thanks!".

He stood up and poured her some water. When he came back, he sat down and gave her a chance to settle in. It was a long trip from Richmond to Brooklyn after all. They a typical catching up conversation; the "How've you been?" or "What have you been up to lately?" type chatter. Looking at his watch, Ryan suggested, "What do you say we get a start on our day? It's quite lovely!" Claire had never really spent much time in New York City before and was looking forward to spend the day walking around. They spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Lower Manhattan.

As the afternoon slowly began to come to a close, Ryan suggested they head back into Brooklyn Heights for dinner. They came across a quaint, little café just off Brooklyn Bridge park.

"Ryan, this has been such a fantastic day, and I'm glad I was able to share it with you"

"Thanks, I'm glad" Ryan said with a smile. He reached for the top of her hand, and squeezed it. "I'm even happier that it was with you". He wanted to just spill everything at once, but he gathered up the self control not to; atleast not all at once. He didn't want to come on too strong. Once they had finished with their dinner, they took an evening stroll through Brooklyn Bridge Park. By this point, they were walking arm in arm.

She couldn't help but stare at him; My god, he's just so hot, so sexy. Her attraction to him was undeniable. She was also deeply in love. Sure, she thought she was in love with Joe when they were married, but when she was with Ryan, she felt totally different. This is what love must truly feel like, she thought to herself. She wanted to utter the words, I love you, Ryan, more than she could imagine, but she wasn't sure if he'd felt the same way back.

They didn't say anything to one another for most of the walk. Suddenly, they reached a point on the water front and stopped. Claire gazed across the river at the sunset falling over the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan.

"Oh Ryan, this sunset is just so beautiful!"

Ryan smiled back, "Well, it's definitely not as beautiful as you are!" She blushed with excitement.

Then all of a sudden, he broke down; he couldn't compress his feelings any longer. He took both of her hands and stared deeply into her eyes. He was almost shaking, trying to gather the words. Claire, sensing something was going on asked, "Ryan, are you okay?" "Well, not exactly; there is something I need to tell you and I-I can't hold it in any longer." He paused, trying to catch his breath. "Ryan, what is it?" she asked, almost nervously now. "I love you, Claire. I love you so much; I'm crazy about you"

Claire couldn't dare to believe it; quickly she responded, "I love you too, Ryan. I really do. I honestly have never known what love has felt like until now. No other man has ever made me feel the way I do now."

Ryan was grinning ear to ear by this point. He couldn't hide his love any longer; it was now out in the open. He embraced her in his arms and kissed her passionately on the river front. He could care less if anyone saw them at this point; all that mattered was he and Claire shared the same mutual feelings for each other. After they broke, Ryan suggested, "Let's continue this back at my apartment" They walked back to his place, hand in hand, throwing in little pecks on the cheek here and there when they stopped at a crosswalk.

When they got back to Ryan's apartment, he opened the bottle of wine he had bought earlier and he presented her with the desserts.

"Oh Ryan, I love these! This is all so very sweet! I really appreciate you thinking of me"

"You're always on my mind, Claire. I wanted to do what I could to make this day special for you"

"Well, just seeing you was enough to make it special", she said as he reached for his hand. He smiled at her.

They finished off with the sweets, and Ryan got up to dispose of the trash. Claire seized this as an opportunity to freshmen up. When she came back, Ryan had put on some music and she went up to him and he put his arms around her waist.

She cupped his cheeks and began to kiss him more passionately than ever before. She was more than eager to show him just how much she loved him. She guided him over toward the bed and he sat down. She sat in his lap, running her fingers through his hair as he began to plant hot kisses on her neck.

He couldn't believe this was actually happening. He couldn't believe that Claire wanted him this way too. This was something he has only dreamed about. But wait, what if he was rushing things too fast, he thought? But by this point, her hands were already on the buttons of his shirt.

"Are you sure, you wanna do this, Claire?" he asked.

"I haven't thought of any man like this in a long time, except for you Ryan"

She undid the buttons of his shirt, running her hands across his clearly in-shape body. This made his muscles quiver. She threw him down on the bed and got on top of him, still not letting his mouth go. His hands traveled up inside the back of her blouse. She undid the belt buckle of his pants and slid her hand in his tight jeans and he let out a small moan. They undressed each other and wasted no time getting down to business. For both of them, it was the most glorious feeling in the world.

Exhausted, they both collapsed under the covers. Claire rested her head on his chest and listened to his heart rate slow down. Ryan ran his fingers through her hair, and planted a kiss on her forehead. They were both still in awe at what had just happened, and they could not have felt happier. They laid there, cuddling, for hours it seemed like. Soon, sleep overpowered them and they fell asleep, happily in each other's arms. Everything about today was absolutely perfect.

Ryan awoke the next morning, thinking for a split second this had all been a dream until he turned around and saw Claire sleeping peacefully next to him. He placed his hand on her back and just watched her breathe.

Claire could sense his hand on her and she just laid their for a little while longer, enjoying his touch.

"Morning", Ryan whispered with a smile before going and planting a kiss on her lips

Claire whispered back, "Good morning" as she stretched and turned herself over to him.

They cuddled for a little while longer until their stomachs began to growl. Ryan took her out and gave her the experience of a genuine New York bagel.

"Mmmm, this is yummy", Claire said with satisfaction

"I'm really glad you like it" Ryan said with a smile. "But I'm even more glad you came up."

"I'm glad too, Ryan. And I hope we can continue to see each other"

"Why wouldn't we want to continue seeing each other?" Ryan said in a more serious tone. "I love you Claire. I want to see the woman I love"

"Well, why don't you come down to Richmond next time?" Claire said. "I'll get a sitter and we can have the place to ourselves"

Ryan smiled. He liked the sound of that. "What time is your train home?"

"About an hour and a half or so; I should probably start going soon"

"I'll come with you back to the station"

"Sounds like a plan"

They finished up with their breakfast, collected Claire's things back at Ryan's apartment and went over to Penn Station. It was difficult for both of them to part.

"Bye, Ryan. I love you so much" said Claire as Ryan embraced her in his arms

"Please don't leave" said Ryan half jokingly "I love you, too. I'm already counting down the days until we can have another night like last night".

"Oh believe me, have I got plans for us" said Claire flirtatiously

"I look forward to it" Ryan chuckled.

Train 495 to Richmond now boarding on Track 4.

"Well that's me; time to head back now" she said. Both were reluctant to pull away from each other. Once they parted, he gave her one last kiss, and she disappeared onto the platform.

He stood there smiling, but all of a sudden felt empty. He really missed her already, but was eager to plan his next trip down visit her.