Sue was so excited about going out on her first official date with Sean. After he had left, she began digging through her closet in search of the perfect outfit. She thought about calling Brad for advice, but decided she wanted to figure out things on her own this time. Besides, she didn't want to run the risk of anything interrupting her first date. After going through her collection of clothes, she realized that she needed more options. Lexie had once said that Sue could borrow her clothes whenever she wanted to, and now seemed like the perfect chance to take advantage of the offer. Upon opening Lexie's closet door, the perfect dress was hanging right in front of her. It was a simple, but always classic, little black dress. Sue put the dress on and looked in the mirror. Lexie was a little shorter than Sue, which was obvious because the dress was just a little shorter than Sue was used to. She decided that she would stick with her choice anyway and started to work on her hair. Sue didn't know much about styling hair, but she did know how to successfully use a curling iron, so she added soft waves to her hair. She then applied her makeup. She remembered what Lexie had taught her when she helped Sue get ready for the Chancellor's Ball, so she did her best to recreate the look. She slipped on a pair of Lexie's black booties. After admiring her work in the mirror, she felt more ready than ever for this date.
Despite her newly discovered confidence, Sue's heart still began to pound once she heard someone knocking on the door. Sue did one last 'mirror check' before running to the door to open it. The first thing that she saw upon opening the door was an over-sized assortment of beautiful, colorful flowers. Sean lowered the flowers just enough so that Sue could see his face above them.
"Sean! They're beautiful!" She said in awe, and she could see his bright smile show through the arrangement. He stepped into the apartment and set them down on the kitchen counter. Now he was able to see Sue clearly for the first time since she opened the door. The smile on his face faded away and was replaced with a look of desire.
"Wow, you look...amazing, Suzy Q." The smile on his face had returned. Sue felt slightly embarrassed and she blushed.
"Thanks. So do you!" She replied as she admired him, still wondering how a girl like her could end up with a guy like Sean. Sean was wearing a navy blue, button down dress shirt, a blue tie with white dots, and a pair of neatly pressed, black dress slacks. His dress shoes were perfectly polished and his face was freshly shaven. She noticed that he was wearing a light amount of pleasant smelling cologne.
"Thanks. Should we get going?" He asked.
"Sure! Where exactly are we going?" She wondered.
"You'll see." He said with a grin. He reached out his arm to her and she linked her arm with his as they walked side by side out of the apartment, down the hallway, down the stairs, and finally to the car. Sean opened the passenger door for her and she got into the car. He closed the door behind her and walked, with a bit of a skip to his step, to the driver's side of the car and he got in. Sean looked at Sue and took her hand. He kissed the back of her hand gently before placing it back on her lap and starting the engine. Sue knew that Sean was a polite guy, but had never imagined how flawless he could be. She couldn't help but think back about the kiss that they had shared that afternoon and she blushed a little bit at the thought. She wondered if he was thinking about it too, but right now he seemed focused on their destination. They rode in the car mostly in silence, but it was a peaceful silence. Sue felt at ease and was no longer feeling awkward. There was something different about this moment than the moments they had shared earlier that day and the previous night. They were finally on the same page, sharing the same feelings, the same thoughts, and everything just felt right for the first time in a long time. Sean seemed to notice that Sue was deep in thought and finally broke the silence.
"What's on your mind, Suzy Q?" Sean glanced in her direction and smiled, but quickly returned his focus to the road.
"I'm just happy." She said with a smile.
"So am I." Sean replied. "Okay, we're here!" Sue looked out of the car window with a confused look on her face as Sean pulled into the parking lot. She didn't initially recognize where they were but noticed a sign with a picture of roller skates.
"We're going roller skating?" Sue questioned. She had expected that this would be more of an adult date, which is why she dressed the way she had. She wasn't disappointed because roller skating was something she enjoyed as a child, but she worried about her own clumsiness.
"I thought it would be fun! It's just one of our stops tonight. I hope it's okay." He said with a concerned look on his face. Sue didn't realize it until now, but Sean was just as excited about this date as she was. She remembered roller skating by his house when they were young and falling onto her butt as she waved to him. Young Sean had run over to her and helped her back up. She wondered if he remembered that incident, but then she snapped back into the current moment. She looked at Sean and smiled. "Let's do it!" She cried excitedly. Sean's smile grew instantly and he jumped out of the car and ran to the passenger side to open the door for Sue.
It was New Year's Day and the crowds were non existent at the roller rink. A grumpy teenager sat at the ticket window and begrudgingly gave them their rented skates. The forever courteous Sean wished the teen a pleasant evening and the employee rolled his eyes at him. Sean returned his attention to his date without a second thought and took her hand as they walked into the rink. After they put on their skates, Sue stood up and almost immediately fell. Sean caught her by the arm in a flash and helped her steady herself.
"I haven't done this in years." Sue laughed as she cautiously skated onto the wooden floor. "Don't worry, I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you." Sean said as he linked his arm with hers as they slowly moved across the floor. Sue's confidence slowly returned and she let go of Sean's arm. Part of her wanted to not let go, as she enjoyed their closeness, but the other part of her wanted to not appear as clumsy as she once was. She knew that Sean must be aware of her clumsiness, since they had known each other for so long. She wondered if he chose this activity on purpose so that he had an excuse to hold onto her. She smiled at the thought and continued skating across the floor. Sean followed her closely and a few times, skated in a circle around her. Sean had always been athletic and it was no surprise that he was literally skating in circles around her as she struggled to remain balanced. The hour passed quickly as they skated along. They alternated between skating alone, holding hands, and there was a lot of smiling and laughter. After a few months of angst and worry, Sue was relieved to just have fun with the man she felt destined to be with.
After surviving the hour of skating without injury, Sue and Sean returned their rented skates and headed back to the car. Sean started the engine once again and headed for their second destination.
"That was fun." Sue said.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, I had fun too. I hope you're hungry!" Sue had forgotten about food but upon it being mentioned, she felt her stomach rumble.
"I'm starving!" Sue said joyfully. Sean was happy to be with someone who would actually eat. He had dated girls in high school and went on a few dates in college, but he never felt as content as he was feeling right now. Sean wondered how he had never considered dating Sue when they were younger, but he chalked it up to his own immaturity. They pulled up to their next destination, a new steakhouse that Sue had driven by many times, but never thought she would try. Sue suddenly felt bad when she thought about the cost of dinner and not being able to afford it herself. While she was aware that Sean came from a higher income family than her, it was something she didn't like to think about. They walked into the steakhouse, hand in hand. Upon discovering that there would be a 2 hour wait for a table, Sean felt guilty for not making better plans.
"I'm sorry about this, I should have made reservations. I wanted everything to be perfect..." Sean said sadly.
Sue took this opportunity to avoid her own guilt. "I have a better idea she said." as they walked back to the car.
"Are you sure about this?" Sean asked, concerned about where the date was heading. He looked out of the car window at a familiar, run down pizzeria. They had eaten pizza from there several times in between classes. In fact, it was during one of their pizza "dates" when Sean attempted to ask Sue out on a date before she had suggested setting each other up. He was still kicking himself for not speaking up about his feelings right then and there, but it didn't matter now. What mattered was that the truth was out and he was with the girl he loved, even though he had not yet admitted that to her.
"Sure, I love pizza...and I love...spending time with you." Sue said. She had realized what she had almost said and thought it was too soon to feel that way, even though they had known each other for so long. She didn't want to spoil the moment, although she knew deep down how she truly felt. There weren't any tables in the pizzeria so they decided to get it to go. Sean suggested that they go back to his apartment to eat. Sue agreed and they began driving in that direction. Even though they had been close during the past year, Sue had never been to Sean's apartment. When they arrived, Sean once again opened the door for Sue and helped her out of the car. As they walked to his apartment, she wondered how the rest of the night would progress and she suddenly felt nervous. They had mostly been out in public since that kiss they shared that afternoon. She wanted to be kissed that way again, and wondered if he felt the same way. Sean unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside. Sue stepped in after him and took a look at her surroundings while Sean placed the pizza down on the kitchen table. His apartment looked a lot like hers, but it was obvious that guys lived there. There was a stack of video games next to the TV. There were no decorative throw pillows or paintings. A Colts blanket hung over the back of the couch and an unopened bag of chips sat on the coffee table. Other than the misplaced chips, the rest of the apartment appeared to be neat and clean. This was no surprise to Sue as she was used to the Donahue house.
"Sorry about the mess." Sean said nervously and scratched the back of his head. Sue had a confused look on her face.
"Have you seen my house?" Sue laughed and Sean laughed too. Sean went into the kitchen and took clean plates out of the cabinet and brought them to the kitchen table. He gestured for Sue to sit down and she happily complied. Sean sat down in the chair next to her and opened up the pizza box.
"This isn't how I expected the night to turn out." Sean said as he took a bite of his pizza.
"What do you mean?" Sue asked, while she took a slice of pizza out of the box and licked her fingers.
"We've done this a hundred times...hanging out, eating pizza...I wanted tonight to be special." Sean said sadly.
"Tonight is special, at least it is to me." Sue said as she placed her hand on top of Sean's. Sean looked down at her hand and then back up to her face. He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, but at the last second, Sue turned her head and their lips met. The tension that had built up earlier that day instantly surfaced and suddenly, the two of them were standing, knocking a chair over in the process. Sean ran his fingers through her hair as they passionately kissed. Sue lightly bit his lip by accident and Sean groaned with pleasure. Sean picked Sue up and she wrapped her legs around him while he carried her to the couch. He sat down and Sue was on his lap. Sue grabbed onto the back of his neck and she kissed him while he ran his hands up and down her back. Sue began to loosen his tie and unbutton his shirt. Without realizing it, her hands were suddenly on his bare chest and he kissed her harder. Sean kept his hands on her back. As her hands reached near his belt, Sean slowed down the kissing and tried to speak.
"There's something...I should tell you..." He said in between kisses. Sue backed her head away suddenly and buried her head in his shoulder while breathing heavily.
Sean tried to catch his breath before continuing.
"I've never...you know." Sean said nervously. Sue realized what he was saying and was suddenly relieved. This was something she hadn't thought about because she had always assumed he had no trouble finding girls to be date.
"Never?" She asked with a shy smile on her face, aware that they were still in a compromising position.
"Never." He said. "And I've never been in love...until now." He continued. He looked into Sue's eyes as he said those words and she quietly gasped.
"I haven't either...both of those things." Sue said, a little embarrassed.
"I love you, Suzy Q...and I don't want to rush this." He said as he gently stroked her cheek.
"I love you, too." Sue said and she leaned in to give him a gentle kiss. He kissed her back, more calmly this time before pulling away. Sue gave him a hug and then she climbed off of his lap while smoothing down her dress. Sean cleared his throat as he buttoned up his shirt.
"When the time is right?" Sean asked. Sue nodded as she stood up. At that moment, Sean grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto his lap, eagerly pressing his lips to hers. She returned the kiss just as eagerly, beginning to unbutton his shirt once again and tugging at his belt. Suddenly there was a knock on the door that sent Sue flying off of his lap and onto the other side of the couch. They looked at each other, a hunger in their eyes, and Sean took a deep breath.
"What now?" He said, frustrated as he got up to answer the door.
