The Edge of the Rain by Patrick Councilor

When David reached for his coffee, Niles noticed his knuckles were beaten. That's when he noticed a cut near his hairline above his right eye. The wounds weren't that fresh – must have been weeks old, but how could he have missed them earlier this afternoon. His profession kicked in, thumbing through the many possibilities like domestic violence, but then again, we were talking about David.

Normally, this is where Niles would ask his patient to skip ahead in the story to get to the point, but this was his flesh-and-blood and through the feelings of frustration and fear, David was actually smiling when he was talking about their relationship.

Niles leaned forward in interest. He smiled. "Tell me about this first date."

David had arrived at the pub early to ensure they had a table. It also gave him time to wipe down his chair without doing it in front of her. He wiped her chair down too.

Danielle showed up in blue jeans, a pull-over top and a shawl. Her outfit made him smile. Being bold with style eccentricities was a strength in personality in his eyes.

"I like your outfit," he said, pulling a chair out for her.

She smiled uncontrollably. "Thank you, that's the nicest thing anybody's said to me all day."

"Oh, are you having a bad day?" He took his seat after she was comfortably in hers.

"No, not really. It's just a nice thing to hear. You couldn't have scored more unless you complimented my shoes."

"Well…" David shrugged his shoulders. "You know… it is our first date."

She laughed. "Don't want to go overboard."

"Surely not. So, what do you think of this place?"

She looked around. "Very rustic in a four-leaf-clover-kind-of-way."

It made him smile and he laughed.

There was a moment of silence. She kept staring at him.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I can't help staring. You're just so good looking." She blushed and nervously looked down at the table.

"I was about to say the same thing about you… but then again… there is that first date thing we spoke of earlier."

She couldn't help laugh. There were water glasses already on the table by the time she arrived and she took a drink. "You have a great sense of humor David."

"Thank you. I like yours too and I love your smile."

"I like yours too… but…"

He took a drink of water this time. "But what?"

"I just want you to know that I don't kiss on the first date."

"Oh?"

"It's not a reflection on you or how the date went, it's just me. I guess I'm just old fashion."

He couldn't hold back his grin. "I like that."

Her eyes portrayed and unexpected look of surprise. "You do?"

"Yes, I find it refreshing."

She exhaled deeply, like she was concerned about his reaction.

"May I offer you something to drink before you order?" The waiter nearly startled them, coming out of nowhere. He handed them menus.

"Could you tell us about your wine list?" David asked.

"David, I'll have a Guinness," Danielle said.

David shot her a look with a smile that couldn't be helped. "Alright, we'll both have a Guinness."

"Very good sir. My name is Michael. I will be your server for the evening."

"Very well Michael, thank you." He turned back to his date. "A Guinness, eh? I didn't think you liked Guinness."

"Well, I'm in the mood for a Guinness."

He nodded. The lady likes to be bold. He smiled.

They kept dinner very basic with a burger and fries. As they talked, they couldn't believe how different they were and yet very much alike. It was amazing that they didn't have the same circle of friends. To bring light to an overused phrase, they felt like they had known each other for years.

At the end of the date, David walked her down a few blocks to the parking lot where she parked. They leisurely walked, enjoying each other's company. As they continued their conversation, they confided in one another about their experiences growing up in Seattle.

When they got to her car, she wasn't going for her keys. Instead, she leaned against her car and they continued talking for a long, long time.

She looked at her watch. "Oh my God, is that the time?"

David checked his. "I suppose it's getting late."

"I'd better get going."

She kissed him. She kissed him. It wasn't a "Oh-my-God,-I-have-to-go" peck and it wasn't a long drawn-out kiss. But she kissed him. It was a warm and wonderful kiss. Her lips were so soft. The kiss was so unexpected. Yet, by no means at all was that a kiss by mistake. It wasn't an "Oh-my-God,-I-didn't-mean-to-do-that" kiss. Her hand. David remembered she reached around him and put her hand on the back of his neck and she kissed him. It was so unexpected. It was so wonderfully unexpected.

She put her hand over her mouth. "I broke my rule, didn't I? I'm sorry."

"You're apologizing for that? Please don't apologize for that. That… that was incredible. And I won't tell anybody. What happened here… just now… well, it's safe with me."

She laughed and hugged him.

When they stopped hugging, David looked longingly into her eyes and asked her, "Danielle?"

"Yes?"

"Can I get your phone number?"

She smiled. "Oh my God, yes." She went through her purse and found a pen and some paper. She wrote it down and handed it to him.

"Would you like mine?"

"You call me and give me yours." After putting her pen away, she gently put her hand on his chest. "Sorry about the kiss, it just felt so right."

He shook his head. "You don't have to tell me. Yes… that did feel so right."

She laughed and then looked at him as if she was trying to remember every detail of his face. "You're not one of those guys that waits three days to call, are you?"

"Not on your life…. Not on my life. I will call. Is tonight too soon?"

She laughed as she retrieved her keys. "Good night David. I had a wonderful time." She unlocked her car and got in. She rolled the window down.

He squatted down by her car window. "The pleasure was all mine. Thanks for having dinner with me."

She placed her hand on top of his which was resting on her car door. "Thank you David."

He gave her a wink and stood to step back out of the way as she started her car.

She gave him a last minute wave as she pulled out of the lot.

He watched her go. Looking down at the number she wrote down, he found only one letter above it: a fancy "D" fallowed by a period. He took in some fresh Seattle air deep into his lungs in great appreciation. His heart was rapidly beating to a rate he wasn't used to. This evening couldn't have gone better. Was this love? Whatever it was, it felt so awesome. He felt like dancing back to his car on a night like this, where the nearly-full moon seemed to be watching over him as he made his way up the street.