I'm really sorry for the delay but real life has been crazy busy lately. Thank you for sticking with me and for the reviews, follows, and favorites. You all truly make my day!
Chapter 11 - First Dates and Other Disasters
"Mike? What are you doing here?" She asked, stepping out on her porch and pulling the door shut behind her.
"I got an earlier flight and I wanted to surprise you," he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. She stepped to the side in the nick of time to dodge his too eager lips. "This isn't exactly the greeting I was expecting..."
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in response to the sudden headache she felt coming on and tried to focus on the more pressing problem at hand which was getting rid of Mike before Rick got there.
"I wasn't exactly expecting you on my doorstep tonight and I'm on my way out…"
He nodded and she felt his eyes raking over her body from head to toe. When his eyes met hers again, he licked his lips before curving them into a sly grin.
"I see that and you're looking especially tempting tonight, baby…," he complemented.
"Please don't call me that…," she said trying to shut down any ideas he might have. "I thought we were going to have coffee tomorrow and talk…"
He shrugged and took a step forward. "We can talk now. Maybe even tell your friends you decided to stay in tonight…"
Telling him she didn't want to see him anymore wasn't something she wanted to do out on her front porch, but inviting him in was not an option either. If she was going to do it, it was going to have to be right then…like ripping off a bandage…
"Listen, Mike…I don't think we should see each other any more," she said and she watched as his overly confident grin disappeared from his face.
"Wh-what?" He asked.
"I didn't want to tell you like this but you showing up here really left me no choice…," she explained but from the vacant expression in his eyes, she could tell her words weren't landing.
"You…don't want to see me?" He asked in a weird combination of disbelief and sarcasm. He was looking at her like she'd grown a second head, and she wondered if it was the first time he'd been on the receiving end of one of those kinds of talks.
She thought about telling him what a nice, good looking guy he is to try to preserve his ego before she sent him away but decided against it. His ego would have to be just fine without her half-hearted attempt to make him feel better.
"I just think we should just keep things professional between us from now on. The CDC job is huge for my company and I hope you won't let this get in the way of that," she stated as diplomatically as she possibly could.
He folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at her. "Hold up…what happened while I was in DC? We were good before I left…"
"No…we were trying to force something that wasn't there and wasting each other's time," she countered.
"Michonne…," he began, but there was nothing he could say that she actually wanted to hear.
"You should probably go. I need to leave soon…," she interrupted.
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why," he shouted and any guilt she felt about the situation vanished leaving only irritation in its place.
"Is it really that serious? We went on two dates," she exclaimed.
"I just want to know why a woman like you would reject a guy like me." He stated; the arrogance just oozing out of him and shining a spotlight on the type of man he really was. She couldn't even blame Sasha for not seeing it. He hid it behind a handsome, charming mask that he'd perfected but even it couldn't forever hide the ugliness behind it.
"What do you mean, a woman like me?" She asked, not meaning to entertain his arguing but unable not to once he'd hit her buttons.
"I'm just saying, there are a lot of very attractive women in Atlanta who would love to be with me. What makes you so different?"
That was it. She was done with him and that entire conversation.
"Go home, Mike," she commanded.
"Your friends can wait! I already told you, I'm not leaving until you tell me why," he yelled, taking a step forward so he was towering over her but she stood her ground.
"I don't owe you anything. I can't even say it's over between us because there was nothing between us except for two dinners and an awkward kiss. I'm sorry if this is the first time a woman has told you she doesn't want to be with you, but it happens to all of us and you'll survive," she said, her tone measured and carefully controlled. "Now…you're going to leave while I'm still only asking you to."
"You're a bit…"
"I wouldn't finish that if I were you…," interrupted a voice she barely recognized because she'd never heard it that angry. She turned her head to locate the source and, for better or for worse, there was Rick and Mike's presence wasn't the only reason she wasn't ready for him. In that moment, even though it was the absolute worst time, she couldn't help but think how sexy Rick was and she felt her body heat up at just the sight of him.
Whoever tailored his suits deserved a raise. The dark grey one he wore fit him expertly and paired with the white oxford shirt he'd tucked in and left the top two buttons open, he looked like he'd stepped off the pages of GQ. His hair was still a little damp from the shower and it was combed back away from his face taming his curls into soft waves.
If all of that wasn't enough, he'd shaved reminding her of how he looked the day they met. Somehow his eyes looked even more blue if that was even possible, but there was a darkness there that she'd never seen. The blue that usually reminded her of a warm, summer sky was gone and in its place was an icy, glare she never wanted to be on the receiving end of.
Mike chuckling under his breath brought her out of her thoughts and forced her attention back to him.
"For real, Michonne?" He shook his head at her and started backing away. "I should've known. I never even had a shot with you, did I? Obviously, I'm not your type," he spat, the insinuation far from subtle but she chose to ignore it because she didn't want that bullshit conversation to go on any longer than it needed to.
"Don't go there...," she said, biting back the snide comments that may have kept him on her porch even longer. She was about to tell him to leave one last time when she saw Rick leave his position at the bottom of the steps and move to stand at her side facing Mike.
"Look, I don't know who you are but if you don't leave on your own in the next 10 seconds, I'm going to escort you off this porch," he cautioned; his tone drawing her gaze to his profile. His jaw was tight and his attention was completely on the other man.
There was a brief pause as both men sized each other up and she hoped that it didn't go any farther. Her wish was granted when Mike turned around and descended the stairs.
"I'm out," he yelled over his shoulder, "Enjoy your…date…Michonne."
They stood silently and watched him disappear down the sidewalk and to his car. It wasn't until he was gone that her anger and frustration disappeared, leaving her with a growing sense of embarrassment. This was not how she expected that night to start. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath trying to calm herself down.
"Are you ok?" Rick asked, his voice quiet and she hated the sympathy she heard in it.
"Yeah…I'm fine. Thank you for stepping in…" Her voice sounded almost mechanical, even to her, and he must have heard it too because he was suddenly standing in front of her but she still refused to lift her head to look at him.
"Of course, but you had everything under control," he said, crouching down slightly so he could see her eyes.
Reluctantly, she glanced up and saw the marked concern filling his gaze and she was overcome with the need to tell him everything.
"My friends set me up with him and we went out a couple of times…but I'd already decided to break things off with him before you and I ran into each other but he was out of town and I didn't want to do it over the phone or in a text because that would've been really shitty," she explained without pausing to take a breath. "But then again, how shitty was it for my date to show up while I was telling him I didn't want to see him anymore. I can't believe this is happening…" She pinched her forehead with a trembling hand.
"Michonne…," he began, but she shook her head to stop him.
"Look…I understand if you don't want to go out with me any more. That was a little too much drama for a first date…any date really," she sighed.
He didn't immediately respond so she lifted her eyes to meet his again to get some idea of what he was thinking…maybe to get one last look at those gorgeous blue eyes before he agreed with her and walked out of her life forever.
She was surprised to find him smiling at her like he'd just heard a joke and she felt the confusion settling in on her face. Before she could say anything, his hands found their way to her shoulders and his thumbs started rubbing circles against her skin sending shivers racing through her entire body.
"Listen, whatever happened tonight doesn't change what I think of you," he said, "How could it? You're still the most amazing woman I've ever met and I can't wait to get to know you better."
"You still want to go out with me after all that?" She asked.
"Of course! I'll be dammed if I let that guy ruin our date. Besides…there's no way we're wasting how beautiful you look right now." His smile nearly melted her with its genuineness. One hand left her shoulder to retrieve the flowers he'd left on the top step. "These are for you."
She smiled and took the flowers from him, bringing them up to her nose. He'd brought her a multicolored bouquet of stargazer lilies and she had no idea how he could've known that was one of her favorite flowers.
"Thank you. They're lovely."
"You're welcome," he smiled. "We should get moving. The Uber will be back any minute and we wouldn't want to miss our reservation."
She nodded and told herself to push any and all thoughts of Mike out of her head. Rick was right, and she wasn't about to let that jerk ruin the date she'd been looking so forward to.
"Let me go inside and put these in water, then I'll be ready to go. Do you want to come in and wait?" She smiled and he mirrored it almost instantly.
"Sure," he agreed.
She opened the door and stepped inside, holding the door open for him to follow. As he walked past her, she caught a whiff of his body wash and she wanted to live in that scent. It was fresh and clean with a hint of vanilla just to spice things up a bit and it suited him perfectly.
"God, you smell good…," she thought she was whispering but it came out a little louder than she expected and he turned to her with a huge, satisfied grin.
"What was that?" He asked.
"The flowers…they smell good," she covered.
He raised an eyebrow but didn't press the issue and she rushed into the kitchen to get the flowers in water.
"You've got a nice place," he commented just as she emerged from the kitchen with the vase of flowers.
"Thanks." She stepped past him and placed the flowers on the coffee table before standing next to him and surveying the brightly decorated room. Her inspiration came from a little bit of everywhere; African and Middle Eastern prints, modern abstract art, with a few of her own sketches mixed in for good measure. "It's small, but it's home."
"It suits you."
She retrieved her purse and keys from one of the end tables before threading her arm through his. "Well, I'll have to give you the tour another time because I hear we have someplace to be."
He cleared his throat and gave her a crooked grin. "That we do. Are you ready?"
That was a loaded question. She hadn't been ready for how good he looked, how good he smelled, how charming and attentive he was…
She especially wasn't ready for how much all of those things made her want him even more than she already did. So was she ready to go out on a date with him where all of those things were going to be even more amplified?
She took a deep breath and held on to his arm a little tighter as he led her out of her home. "Yeah. I'm ready."
XXXXX
First dates had always been slightly troublesome for Rick. His first date ever had been when he was a freshman in high school and had finally worked up enough courage to ask Amanda Sawyer to go to the movies with him. He'd bought her ticket, popcorn, soda, and candy and at the end of the night when he leaned in to kiss her cheek good night, she promptly puked all over him. She mumbled something about too much butter and apologized through a flood of tears. After that, they could barely look at each other at school more or less go out on another date.
His second first date was with the girl he would end up dating throughout high school but you wouldn't have known that by how their date went. Jennifer Brady was a cheerleader and Shane had convinced him to go out with her so he could date her friend. Their double date abruptly ended when Shane irrevocably offended his date and Jennifer left with her in a huff.
After high school, it was a string of first dates that were either not memorable enough for a second date or too memorable for all the wrong reasons. Then, he met Lori and their first date resulted in the nightmare of being stuck in out in the boonies with a flat tire and no spare in the middle of a nor'easter that, upon looking back, he should've taken as a sign.
So when he decided to ask Michonne on their first date, he was fully prepared for an unfortunate event or two. Interestingly enough, finding her looking insanely gorgeous and arguing with another guy on her doorstep wasn't on the list of scenarios he'd come up with. It almost made their first date a non-date and that would've been yet another bullet point on his list of troublesome first dates.
He almost couldn't blame the guy for being upset. Michonne was beautiful, smart, funny…and a million other things he couldn't wait to learn all about. A part of him almost felt sorry for Mike until he saw what a complete asshole he was. Michonne's friend definitely owed her one for getting her involved with that guy.
Of course, she had it mostly taken care of and his knight in shining armor routine ended up being the punctuation instead of the statement, but that was ok. She had it handled and he respected that. Hell, it was kinda sexy watching her be completely in control. It may have even awakened a turn-on he didn't know he had.
That said, he'd been more than willing to defend her honor. No one was going to call her anything remotely demeaning in his presence and he was even surprised by how quickly anger rose up in him when Mike almost called her a bitch after having the audacity to raise his voice at her. It had made him see red and he wasn't sure what he would've done had Mike not left when he did.
Still, he was grateful things didn't go sideways because aside from that inauspicious beginning, this first date was going smoothly. It was actually pretty much perfect, so much so he was starting to think that spraining his ankle the day they met had already satisfied the first date gods.
He'd made the reservation for them at Two Urban Licks right after he'd dropped her off that afternoon. He wanted to take her someplace where he'd never taken anyone else so when the internet didn't help, he made a semi-panicked phone call to Maggie and she'd made the suggestion. He had to call in a few favors to get them in on such short notice but it was worth it when he saw how excited Michonne was when the Uber pulled up.
They'd ordered strong drinks, she enjoyed her tuna while he devoured his steak, and they'd shared a decadent slice of carrot cake. The drinks kept flowing and even though he was sure he wasn't drunk, he definitely felt like it. He felt warm all over, his head was spinning, and his face hurt from smiling so much.
Everything about her intoxicated him, starting with that red dress she was wearing. It was sexy without being revealing and the color made her skin practically glow. Her wavy locs were down; falling to frame her face and decorated with more of the little hair clips he remembered from the day they'd had lunch. She'd let how much she liked the way he smelled slip, and he made a mental note to order his body wash in bulk, but she smelled better than he could ever hope to. It reminded him of being on an island where the breeze carries hints of coconut, pineapples, and the ocean.
There was a live band playing the blues and they were sitting far enough away that the music didn't overwhelm their ability to talk. But when they launched into a cover of Red House by Jimi Hendrix, and Michonne closed her eyes and started swaying along to the music as she mouthed the words, he almost lost his mind. She was so sexy and it was practically effortless. All she was doing was singing along to a band and it made him want to just grab her and kiss her.
He was able to control himself, as difficult as that was, and as they talked about everything from their families to their college days, he couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed that much. Every time her face exploded into that breathtaking smile of hers, it made his stomach do flips.
Her hand lightly resting on top of his jarred him from his thoughts and he looked up to find her smiling at him from across the table.
"You know it's your turn, right?" They were in the middle of a game of Twenty Questions to get to know each other better and he was thoroughly enjoying it.
"Ok…why do you have the theme from Jaws as your mom's ringtone?" He asked and she shook her head.
"I should've known you were going to ask me about that," she sighed. "You know how in Jaws, people are just enjoying their day and then BAM shark attack? That's Yvonne Bishop. You could be having a wonderful conversation with her and out of nowhere she'll attack. With me, it's usually about not getting married and giving her some grand babies yet."
Knowing that drama a little too well, he smiled and lifted his glass to his lips.
"Is that something you want?" He asked after clearing his throat to hide his unexpected interest in her answer. It was their first date and he had no business thinking about marriage and kids. He'd been with Lori for years and the thought had never crossed his mind, but here he was; buying a house way too big and asking his date if she wanted kids one day.
"Sure...one day…," she said; her answer making him inexplicably happy. "That was two questions by the way…," she continued.
"Fine. You can have two," he conceded.
"Ok...what's your favorite movie?" She asked and he was thankful for the softball question after where his mind had been.
"Easy one...Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," he said, and she smiled broadly.
"I got vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals," she quoted. "…I love Paul Newman. Your eyes remind me of his." She went all dreamy for a second and he wasn't quite sure if she was thinking about him or Paul Newman.
"That may be the best compliment I've ever gotten," he grinned.
"Somehow I doubt that," she scoffed. "Second question…why is your best friend your best friend?"
He finished what was left in his glass and laughed under his breath.
"Because he followed me home one day and I haven't been able to get rid of him since," he said.
"Be serious," she laughed.
"I am being serious! Shane moved here from Savannah in eighth grade and Woodward Academy is a tough place to be a new kid so my mom made me invite him over after school one day. He followed me home," he explained.
"So why is he still your best friend?" She pressed.
"That's a third question Ms. Bishop…," he hedged but she wasn't having it.
"No, it's a clarification."
"Fine...he's a pain in my ass most of the time but he always has my back no matter what," he concluded.
"So loyalty is important to you…," she sighed and he nodded.
"…should be important to everyone," he shrugged. "My turn…do you have any siblings?"
"I have two brothers...Heath is older and Noah is younger. We're closer now than we were as kids. Back then, I wanted to beat them on a daily basis but they've always been there for me and I'm always there for them too."
"Sounds like loyalty is something we have in common," he said.
"Sounds like it…," she agreed and he could see the wheels turning in her head for her next question. "What was the last thing you googled?"
"Really?" He laughed.
"Come on...give it up Grimes!"
"Fine," he conceded. He pulled out his phone, and opened Google before handing it to her.
Her lips curved into a cute smile and she placed her palm over her heart.
"Awww...best restaurants in Atlanta for a first date," she gushed.
"Google was my wingman tonight but I still called Maggie to make sure I was on the right track," he explained, feeling a blush creep across his cheeks.
"That's impossibly sweet," she smiled.
Just as he opened his mouth to reply, their waiter appeared at the table to leave the check which he retrieved as soon as it was put down. "Hey, let me at least leave the tip…," she offered, but he was shaking his head before the words even left her mouth.
"No. This is a date and I'm not letting you pay for anything," he insisted.
"How did you end up being such a gentleman?" she wondered. He chuckled at her question as he pulled out his credit card and laid it down with the bill.
"My dad. He met my mom for almost 40 years ago and he's been wooing her everyday since," He loved the wistful smile that appeared on her face with his explanation. She was a romantic and that was good information to have. He bit his lip and smiled at this new knowledge about her. "That counts as a question..."
"I know...give it to me," she said and with him being as wound up as he was, it sounded like she was asking for something else. He fought against the shivers hearing that phrase from her lips sent racing down his spine. He had to force himself to focus on her and their game rather than the NSFW images threatening to take over his mind.
"H-how did you end up being so perfect?" He stuttered.
She shook her head, sending her locs flying into her face.
"I'm a long way from perfect…," she countered.
"Maybe...but you may just be perfect for me," he mused and he meant it.
"Now you're just making me blush," she rose from her chair. "I'm going to run to the ladies room..." He realized too late that she didn't know the waiter was behind her.
"Michonne watch out for..." She was turning before he could get the words out and he cringed as she turned and bumped into the waiter who was carrying a tray of drinks for the next table. Everything after that happened in slow motion. The waiter stumbled, the tray toppled, the drinks spilled, the people at the next table were splashed, and Michonne stood in the middle of it all looking like an innocent, clumsy angel.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry," She exclaimed, her voice filled with extreme regret and embarrassment. The waiter had been able to stop the glasses from falling to the floor where they most definitely would've shattered, so the only casualties were the drinks themselves.
"It's not a problem mamn," he answered but Michonne shook her head and placed a hand on his arm.
"No it is. Let me pay for their drinks," she reasoned but the waiter shook his head. "It's the least I can do," she pleaded.
The waiter finally gave in and took off toward the bar for a new drinks and a towel while Michonne turned to the people whose drinks she'd destroyed.
Rick smiled to himself while watching her apologize profusely to the people the drinks had spilled on; charming them out of their irritation almost effortlessly before continuing on to the ladies room. Even when she was obviously mortified, she was amazing.
The waiter returned to pick up the check and his credit card but Rick stopped him.
"Add the spilled drinks to my check," he directed and the waiter nodded before scurrying off.
A few minutes later after he had his card back and the Uber was summoned, he saw Michonne walking toward him from the ladies room giving him another opportunity to admire her in that dress. Her locs were pulled over one shoulder and she was wearing a chagrined smile probably stemming from the spilled drinks incident. Still, her long legs and the gentle sway of her hips captured his attention and made his mouth drier than the Sahara. It also left him with a tightening in his pants that he quickly had to figure out how to hide.
She reached the table and gave him a half smile.
"Ready to go?" He asked. "I already sent for an Uber."
"The waiter is bringing the bill for the drinks…Hurricane Michonne strikes again," she said, her eyes not meeting his.
He stood up and placed his hand under her chin so he could look into her deep brown eyes and all he saw in them was humiliation. All he wanted to do was take away from her.
"Listen…from what I can see, being clumsy is your only flaw meaning you're better than 99 percent of the people on this planet. It's ok," he soothed. "And the bill is already taken care of."
Her mouth fell open and she shook her head in protest.
"Rick...no! That was all me..."
He only smiled at her and took her hand as they started walking out of the restaurant. "I already told you I'm not letting you pay for anything tonight. Hurricane Michonne damages included."
He heard her release a deep sigh and he wasn't sure if it was from frustration or resignation but then he felt her squeeze his hand.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He squeezed her hand back. "You're welcome."
They continued out to the car and all he could think about was how much he wasn't ready for this date to end.
XXXXX
She was a little lightheaded and she couldn't be sure if it was from the drinks or from the man beside her, but either way she enjoyed the way it made her feel. He'd told the Uber driver to wait so he could walk her to her door and he held his hand tightly in his as they made their way up the sidewalk to her townhouse.
"...favorite thing to do on a Sunday?", he asked, continuing the game of twenty questions they'd been playing all night.
"If it's football season, I'm watching the Falcons. If not, curling up with a book is always nice. Sometimes I like to just go explore the little shops and cafes in the neighborhood," she said. A few unbidden images floated through her head of the two of them enjoying some of those things together. She saw them cheering on the Falcons, holding hands as they walked through Little Five Points together, her head in his lap as they both read books on her sofa…
"My firm has a box at the dome and we're all going for the home opener," he stated, pulling her out of her daydream.
"Awesome! I'm so jealous though…," she whined at the idea of being in a box at opening day. It would be a dream come true.
"Why? I know it's two months from now but you're going with me," he said and she couldn't deny the little flutter in her stomach at him making plans for them so far down the road. She glanced over at him and he was still facing forward but she noticed the corners of his lips turned up in a smile. "Your turn…,"
"Well...since you got to witness me embarrassing myself, what's something embarrassing about you?" She asked.
He dropped his chin to his chest and sighed deeply.
"Oh man...don't look at me differently…," he groaned, and it only piqued her curiosity even more.
"I promise I won't," she said and honestly, she couldn't think of anything that would change her opinion of him. They'd reached the steps leading up to the porch of her townhouse and he turned to face her.
"Ok…," he sighed, "…there was this album my mom listened to on repeat for about a year when I was younger and sometimes I just start whistling or humming...even singing those songs without even realizing it. I think I know every word to every song on that album."
"What album?" There was a long pause as she waited for him to reveal his secret shame. Her mind raced with every album she could think of but nothing came to mind that should cause the look of distress on his face.
"Barry Manilow...Greatest Hits," he confessed, twisting his face up in shame. The laugh that spilled out of her made her double over as she imagined him singing along to the sappy ballad king of the 70s.
"That's not too bad I guess," she said after catching her breath. "I mean...he does write the songs that make the whole world sing…" She didn't even know where she pulled those lyrics from but she was thankful for the plethora of useless information she kept stored in her brain.
He rolled his eyes and hung his head again.
"Michonne…"
She gently poked him in the ribs and smiled even wider.
"You know...the songs of love and special things…", she sang, loud and off-key, and not caring about the neighbors. She watched as a slow smile crept on his face and his shoulders relaxed before he threw his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into his side.
"The songs that make the young girls cry. I write the songs, I write the songs." He sang just as loudly and off-key as she had and she laughed so hard that her vision was blurred with tears as she joined her voice with his.
"I am music and I write the songs!"
She couldn't remember the last time she'd had as much fun with anyone. They were both laughing then; and without even thinking about it, she wrapped both arms around him and hugged him tight against her as he led her up the stairs to her door and she felt like she was at home in his arms.
"Neither of us can sing for shit," she laughed and he nodded, releasing her from their embrace.
"Yet another thing we have in common…so if you're done teasing me, we're at your door so last question…", he said.
She wasn't happy for the reminder that their date was coming to an end. After the shaky start, it had turned out to be a great date. The restaurant and food were perfect as was the music and especially the company. Rick had turned out to be everything she'd thought he was and the attraction that she'd felt almost from the moment they met wasn't just in her head. They hadn't even kissed yet and the man had her feeling things she hadn't felt in a very long time.
She had a feeling the kissing issue was about to be rectified when she turned around and leaned against her door and he simply stood there quietly observing her with those intense eyes of his. She found herself becoming even more lost in them and then he stepped forward until they were standing so close that she felt his body heat radiating off of him.
"And it's all yours…" She wasn't sure if she meant the last question or her body and she honestly didn't care which one he decided to take.
"When can I see you again?" He whispered.
"My week is crazy with the project starting…but I'm free all next weekend," she explained with a smile and he nodded; his gaze dropping to her lips and letting her know how he wanted their date to end but leaving it completely up to her.
"Well…I'm claiming your Saturday night, if you'll have me."
"That sounds good," She leaned in a little closer, their foreheads nearly touching as everything about him flooded her senses. His head moved slightly forward and she couldn't take it any more so she tilted her head and met him halfway.
The moment their lips touched, her eyes fluttered shut and the world around her vanished. She felt his hands come to rest below her ears with his fingertips tangling in her hair and his thumbs gently caressing her cheeks. Their breath mingled as his soft, warm lips pressed against hers leaving her feeling like she was floating. Her fingers grabbed on to the lapels of his jacket in an attempt to tether herself to the ground. It didn't help. That flutter she'd been feeling all night had taken flight and she wasn't sure if she ever wanted to come back down. It was the fireworks made out of butterflies that she'd been searching for but never thought she'd find.
A happy sigh parted her lips and he took advantage by capturing her lower lip between his and increasing the urgency of the kiss. Still, she felt him holding back, leaving any escalation completely up to her. As much as she wanted to give in and invite him inside, she knew it was too soon. He was just coming out of a relationship and she couldn't afford to fall in love with him just yet. She was halfway there already and if she invited him in, she was going to be all the way gone. After that, if his break-up ended up being a speed bump instead of a brick wall, it would crush her.
Her unspoken reservations brought the not quite innocent but entirely too brief kiss to an end, and she had to fight against her desire for him that was coursing through her veins. Their noses brushed against each other as they parted, and her eyes slowly opened to find his eyes sparkling back at her. His full lips curved into a shy smile and she couldn't help but smile back.
"The driver is going to leave me if I don't get back over there," he said, regret tingeing his words.
"Yeah, you'd better go," she agreed.
He backed away from her, stumbling a bit at the top step but catching himself before it turned into a full-blown, Hurricane Michonne quality fall.
"Your clumsiness must be catching," he joked, his eyes still trained on her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.
"In that case, you'd better watch where you're going," she laughed and it brought a smile back to his face as he carefully backed down the rest of the stairs and landed on the sidewalk. He paused there for a moment, standing there with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and forcing her to realize that he was probably the most handsome man she'd even seen.
"Good night, Michonne," he grinned, "…and thank you for the best first date of my life."
His sincerely spoken words sent warmth traveling through her body. He made her feel like a giddy school girl and she was loving every minute of it.
"Good night, Rick, and same here." He turned around and walked toward the car, giving her one last look over his shoulder before climbing into the backseat.
She watched the car pull away before unlocking her door and stepping inside her home with thoughts of Rick dancing through her head. Laughing to herself, she kicked off her heels and sank into her overstuffed sofa with a smile. A low buzzing from her purse shook her from her haze and she reached over to fish her phone out. She bit her lip to hide her smile when she saw that it was a text from the man dominating her thoughts.
Rick: The uber driver is currently playing Barry Manilow. He says we inspired him.
Michonne: hahaha! Are you singing along?
Rick: God, no! It's already been determined that I can't sing for shit. Besides, the driver is doing just fine on his own.
Michonne: Are you almost home?
Rick: Almost.
Michonne: Do you want me to keep to company until you get there?
She kicked her legs up on the sofa and waited for him to answer, the anticipation and those three dots making her heart beat faster. She hadn't been that excited to trade texts with someone in a very long time.
A blush crept across her body and she smiled, sinking even lower into the cushions of her sofa when his reply finally came through.
Rick: I'll always want your company.
The man had absolutely no chill and she loved it. Her fingers flew across the screen composing her response that she had to delete twice because it revealed a little more than she was ready to reveal. It was too soon to let him know how unsettled he made her feel; too soon to let him know that a little piece of her heart already had his name written on it. So, she kept things light because they were supposed to be taking it slow, even though she already knew that probably wasn't going to last.
Michonne: Good because I want yours too.
XXXXX
As always, let me know what you think!
