Wow, I did not sleep well that night. Part of me was excited for my, "lunch date," with Sara because I was actually going to be able to have an intelligent conversation with someone who was truly interested in crime scene investigation. I hadn't met a single person like that since I came to San Francisco. Now, the other part of me was scared senseless. As Charlotte Brontë once said, "A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow." My brain kept saying over and over again, "Why did you do this? She is too young for you and you leave for Vegas in three days!" I still can't figure out why my brain kept referring to her in an attractive sense. I was just going out to lunch with her to discuss the business. It wouldn't even be considered a real date anyway!
I arrived at the restaurant ten minutes before we were supposed to meet, so I got a table for us and waited patiently for her to arrive. I waited patiently in my black pants and my dark blue dress shirt. I had no idea what to wear, so I decided on clothes I would normally wear to work, since we would be talking about work. I was very happy and comfortable with my outfit, until she walked in. The restaurant was semi-formal, so I did fit in well enough, but oh, she fit in even better. Sara entered wearing a little black dress with thick spaghetti straps and a V-neckline. The dress cinched in at the waist with a black band and flowed down her hips to just above her knee where the dress ended. Her gold metallic heels and gold clutch added a nice punch of colour and worked well with the outfit. Her hair was down, touching her shoulders, but tucked behind her ears which completed the look and gave off an elegant feel. Being the gentleman that I am, I stood up and walked over to her. As we greeted each other, I led her to our table with my hand on the small of her back. I pulled out her chair as she started to sit down, but she made a point of pulling the chair into the table herself, which I liked because it showed her independent side.
The meal went very well. In the first few minutes, I learned that she was a vegetarian because she stuck to the salad menu. I had been planning on ordering meat, but decided that might turn her off, so I ordered fish instead. The conversation stayed intelligent and comfortable throughout the main course. Not only did we talk about criminology, we also explored other fields, like medicine and even teaching. Although our conversation was about work, we both managed to tie in that we were single. I think I might have even smiled a little when she told me she worked a lot of overtime because she didn't a special someone to go home to. I tried to cover up my somewhat happy and excited reaction by telling her I was the same way. With this comment made, she had a reaction quite similar to mine, except she didn't try to hide it.
During dessert, we talked about why I was in San Francisco. I told her I was there for a slew of seminars, conferences, and business meetings. When I mentioned that I would be returning to Las Vegas in three days, a look of disappointment mirrored on both of our faces. I think we were both wishing that I could stay an extra couple of days, since we had now formed this friendship like bond. After dessert, I insisted on paying the bill and then escorted her out to her car, which was conveniently parked across from mine. As we reached the side of her car, she asked me the question I was sort of anticipating and sort of dreading: "Do you want to come back to my place for coffee?" Before my brain fully registered the question, I found my mouth opening and the word, "sure," slipping out. I started to mentally kicking myself, but immediately stopped when I saw the smile that was not only on her lips, but in her eyes. At that moment, my brain completely stopped and my heart took in her immense beauty. Then I snapped back to life when I heard her tell me to follow her car. A few seconds later, she got into her car and I walked over to get into mine. I did what she said and followed her. It wasn't a long drive, I think, but then my mind was busy racing with all of the thoughts of what could happen in the next few hours.
