This Is What I Call Perfection

“No Bridget, I will not go on a blind date. I refuse,” I said declining her invitation. There was absolutely no way that I would go on a date with someone I had never seen, let alone met before in my life.

She scuffed at my lame attempt to not go on a date, “Come on Lil’, you need to go out and have some fun. I promise he is cute, and funny. You two are a perfect match.”

I let a feeble laugh escape my lips, letting it flow into the receiver for Bridget to hear. “What was his name again?” I asked, exasperation dripping from my words.

“Matthew. He is an actor, a working one at that. I told him all about you and he is really looking forward to meeting you tomorrow night,” she told me. I could hear the excitement that was climbing in her voice.

“Wait. You told him before you even asked me that I would go out with him?” my rage was taking over my body as I realized what she had done. That was typical Bridget though, completely optimistic.

Bridget sighed as she responded, “I’m sorry. I just want you to be happy. One simple date won’t hurt. Right?”

This time I was the one to sigh into the phone. I held it loosely against my ear as I awaited the squeal that was to come after I accepted. “You’re right. So what time tomorrow night so I will know when to get ready?”

She did what I had expected and let a loud, girly shrill travel through the phone. “Eeeeeeek! He will pick you up at 7 p.m. and I will be over there to help you get ready. Shit! I gotta go, I’ll call you in the morning,” Bridget quickly hung up the phone before I was able to say bye.

Putting my phone down, I let out a loud grunt as my head slammed down to the hard wood table I was sitting at. “Why did I agree?” I mumbled out to myself.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to date, I did, but I was scared. About a year prior I had been dating a guy named Jacob and everything was going great. That is until he randomly cut me out of his life; he picked all of his things up, quit his job, and moved out of state. I didn’t know what to do. I thought for the first time in my life I was in love, but I must have been completely wrong. Almost a month later he wrote me a letter explaining to me that he was seeing someone on the side and they had run off together, but I never read the rest of the letter; I put it in the trash can and never pulled it out again.

Bridget was my best friend and she tried to help me get over him, but nothing worked. Eventually she figured out I would get over it my way and there wasn’t much she could do about it. That is until recently when she kept trying to make me go out either with her to a club or on a date. Every time I had said no, but this time I realized I really needed to stop being afraid. I needed to face the facts that he wasn’t the one for me, but that guy was still out there. It showed that Bridget cared enough about me to try and set me up with someone. I wanted to make her happy and maybe even make myself happy in the process.

>>>

For once I got to sleep in, that was until I got woken up by someone pounding on my apartment door. I swung my legs from my bed, letting them hit the plush carpet with a thud. “Hold on! I’m coming!” I shouted as I hurried to the door. Grasping the knob, I turned and pulled, letting the door swing wide open. “What?!” My eyes gazed up at Bridget’s smiling face.

“Good morning to you too,” she said shoving passed me and into my living room.

“Well you woke me up,” I said muffled as I brought my hands up to my face and rubbed it, trying to wake myself up.

“Lily, it’s noon. We need to go shopping and get you a new outfit for tonight.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me to my room. Throwing open my closet, she looked around for a moment before grabbing a pair of jeans and a top. She tossed them on my bed, “Put these on. Then we will be leaving.”

I just rolled my eyes as she walked out of my room, leaving me standing there dumbfounded. Once it all registered to me, I did what she said and got myself dressed. After I quickly brushed my teeth, I met Bridget out in my living room where she was standing next to the door waiting.

She literally threw my sandals at me, opening the door afterward. “Hurry up!”

“I’m coming. Why are you so pushy this morning?” I asked as I dropped my sandals down to the ground, sliding them onto my feet before walking out of the door.

“’Dunno,” she shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, “I guess I am just happy you are finally going out.” She gave me a smile and handed me my purse that she had swiped from the couch.

Locking my door, I turned around to face Bridget as she stood there still smiling at me. I outstretched my arms and took her in my arms, squeezing tightly. “Thanks Bridge,” I whispered in her ear.

“Anything for my best friend,” she whispered back.

As I pulled away, she linked her arm in mine and we began to walk to the elevator to go downstairs. I was on the 3rd floor so it didn’t take long and in no time we were out of the apartment building and into the beautiful Los Angeles sunshine.

We weren’t far from shops so it didn’t take us long to get there. Quickly and swiftly Bridget grabbed a hold of me tighter, dragging me into the clothing store.

>>>

“Really, why is it I have to wear something new exactly?” I cocked an eyebrow as my fingers strummed through the clothing racks.

“Because, I want you to look absolutely fantastic,” Bridget stated in a chipper voice. “How about this one?” she pulled out a short, blue dress.

I cringed at the site of it and shook my head, “No.”

It took us almost two whole hours to find something that both Bridget and I could agree on; even though I was the one going on the date. We decided since it was 2 o’clock that we would sit down and actually eat. We found a place that had seating placed outside and sat down seeing as it was a nice, sunny, and warm day.

“So, what is this Matthew like then?” I asked as I shoved a bite of my Caesar salad, chewing until it was time to swallow.

Bridget quickly swallowed a bite of her food before she responded to my question. At least she has some manners, I thought to myself. “He’s tall, around 6 foot or so. Light brown hair, green eyes. Gorgeous,” she put it bluntly.

A small laugh slipped from my lips as I sipped at my drink, “Okay. Sounds pretty, but what about his personality?”

“Ugh, he’s funny, sweet, and a charmer. Don’t worry Lily, he is perfect for you,” she said trying to reassure me.

“Why do you keep saying that?” I begged as I heard her words.

Her eyes went wide, a semi-shocked expression inhabiting her face. “Because it’s the truth! Don’t be afraid, just let things happen. ‘Kay?” her face slowly melted into a soft, genuine smile as she said this.

I took a deep breath, holding the air in my lungs longer than usual before exhaling it into the world. “Fine, but let’s pay and get back. I still need to shower and stuff.”

“Right,” she agreed with a grin plastered to her face. She knew she had won and I just had to except that.

>>>

I let the burning, hot water run over my body as I stood in the middle of it raining down on me. For some reason I thought that maybe the scalding water would wash away my nervousness, but in the back of my mind the reality stood that it wouldn’t. This date was the deal breaker and I knew that I had to go through with it. I wouldn’t live it down if I didn’t

My hand wrapped around the knob, applying pressure to shut it off. Stepping out of the shower I saw that I had steamed up the whole bathroom, causing me to laugh at myself. Carefully I walked to the mirror, making sure I didn’t slip and fall considering that would be a bad way to start my date night off.

I wiped the condensation off of the mirror, revealing my freshly showered figure that was sopping wet. As I scanned my face I saw something I hadn’t truly seen in a while, happiness. My smile grew larger at the thought and I quickly rushed to the door, throwing it open. “BRIDGET!” I called from the bathroom.

“Yeah?” she came hurried in a panic. “What’s wrong?”

“Come in here and help me get ready for my date,” I said cheerfully, happiness flushing my face.

“Let’s do this!” she shouted and ran towards me to help me get ready.

>>>

“Okay, so how do I look? Honestly?” I asked, spinning around like a model.

Bridget’s eyes scanned the whole of me; up, down, left, right. She shook her head as she whispered, “Nice, very nice.”

“Ha, come on! Tell me what you really think,” I begged her.

“You look amazing, don’t worry. He is going to die and then come back to life because you are so damn gorgeous,” she reassured me. Bridget always knew how to make me feel so…amazing. I guess it was her strange way with words.

“Oh Bridge, you are such a sweetie. Now, what time is it?” I quickly glanced at the clock and saw that it was five minutes until seven. My heart started beating quickly as my nerves kicked it into high gear; Oh shit, not a panic attack.

“Lily? You okay there?” Bridget asked calmly as I stood there in silence.

Knock, knock, knock.

“He’s here! You need to look, um, not so freaked. Take a deep breath and I will get the door,” she said as she made her way to the door, her hand on the knob about to turn it.

I took a deep breath and kept it in for a few seconds longer, and then I slowly let it escape my parted lips. My eyes watched as Bridget opened the door revealing a tall, slender, and gorgeous man. His hair fell slightly below his ears and had a bit of a curl to it. His eyes were dark and large, but something about them entranced me.

“Hey Bridget,” he said with a smile.

I watched as he stood there with a smile and almost melted. This man was completely handsome.

“Hi,” I piped up and stepped up next to Bridget with a wide smile on my lips.

His smile grew even more as he saw me. “Hey, Lily I presume?”

I nodded my head as I spoke, “Yep. Matthew I’m guessing?”

“Correct. So are you ready to get going?” he asked me as we stood there still staring at each other.

“Yeah, let’s go! Bye Bridget! You know the rules of my place,” I said quickly as I grabbed my things and rushed out of the door. I could hear Bridget yell ‘bye’ from the other side of the door as we began to walk away.

The two of us were both silent as we got into the elevator, but it was nothing near awkward. Matthew was the first to speak, “So, what kind of food do you like?”

I couldn’t help but let a small giggle out as he said this. “Ha, sorry. Um…” I thought for a moment. “Anything really. What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking about going to BAM!. You ever been there before?” he questioned while not taking a single glance away from me.

“Never, but I am always up for new experiences,” I replied staring back at him. “How far is it?”

“Not very far. About 10 minutes away,” he told me as we got into his car and buckled up.

As he took off, I spoke up. “Sorry, I don’t get out much,” I began to blush, looking out the window to avoid any eye contact.

“Bridget told me,” Matthew said as he kept his eyes on the road.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, “What all did she tell you about me?” I was becoming curious of how much she had said about me to him. Did he know more about me than I did about him?

“Just the basics really. She told me how you got hurt and haven’t been on a real date in a while,” he glanced at me as he said this before turning his eyes back onto the road.

“Ah I see. Well then…” I trailed off feeling somewhat uneasy now. He seemed to know my troubles and I wasn’t looking forward to him knowing it at all.

I felt a hand on my own that sat in my lap, quickly looking down, scanning my eyes all the way up to his face. He was looking at me, a genuine smile plastered to his face as we sat at a red light. “Hey, don’t worry. I don’t think of you badly or anything. Stuff happens to people and they move on. I am here to help with it,” he said.

I couldn’t help but to smile at him. I just met him and he was treating me better than any guy has ever treated me before. Tonight was going to be amazing. “Thanks. You know Matthew, you are pretty special.”

He gave a light chuckle as he took off, turning around the curb, and onto the new street. “Thank you. So we’re here,” he said breaking my gaze at him.

I didn’t realize until I went to unlock my seat belt that his hand was still holding mine. I looked down at them together and smiled on the inside, until he took it away to unlock his seat belt. Before I was able to open my door, he had made it around to open it for me. “Thanks, you are such a gentleman,” I beamed at him.

“You’re welcome.” He led us into the restaurant, holding the door open for me to enter first. We went up a small flight of stairs until we hit the actual restaurant. The two of us walked up to the hostess as she stood there waiting to seat us.

“Do you have a reservation?” she asked politely, though I did notice she kept staring at him, never taking an eye off of him.

“Ugh, yeah. Gubler,” he told her as he let his hand fall gently onto my waist.

She beamed at him as she gathered two menus as she said “Follow me.”

We followed after her to a small booth that sat against a window that overlooked the city. The sun had slowly set at this point, the sky painted in beautiful shades of reds and blues. “Here are your menus, a waiter will be over to take your orders shortly,” she said before she walked back to her post.

“So what’s good here?” I asked while scanning through the menu.

“Anything really,” he answered my question as he stared at his menu as well.

I was feeling somewhat uneasy around him, so I tried clearing the air. “So Bridget tells me you’re an actor, how come you chose to do it?”

He put his menu down and looked at me with a grin, “For the ladies of course.”

That made me laugh lightly, a wide smile on my face. “Oh really? What if it hadn’t gotten you ‘the ladies’?” I countered him.

“Touché. Then I would have done magic,” he told me while we looked into each other’s eyes.

Again he made me giggle, “Well Mr. Gubler, you are just multi-talented, aren’t you?” He nodded his head in agreement to my question. I continued talking, “Well can you show me a magic trick then?”

“Indeed I can. Did you know that Harry Houdini didn’t like magicians?” Matthew asked me with a straight face, though his eyes danced with happiness as he sat staring at me.

The fact caught me off guard a bit, “Um, no. I did not know that.”

“Did you also know that there was a white rose behind your ear?” he asked as he reached behind my ear, his hand lightly brushing my cheek causing the heat in my body to sky rocket. When he withdrew his hand, he was holding a white rose in his hand.

I was honestly dumbfounded. “How did you do that?”

He leaned closer to me, the two of us being just mere inches apart. “A magician never reveals his secrets,” he whispered to me. His breath hit my lips, making me want to just lean a bit closer and kiss him. His hand held the flower to me, indicating for me to take it from him.

“Thank you,” I said for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night. I took the rose from him, smelling it before I placed it gently on the table.

We went back to our menus, making small chat while we waited for the waiter to come and take our orders. He ordered us a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal Brut champagne to go along with our meals. We made small talk until the server brought our orders to us.

“Okay, I have to ask you something,” I said barely audible through my laughter.

“And?” he asked as he watched me laughing.

I calmed myself down before I went on to ask him “Why do you wear two different socks?”

Now he was the one to start laughing. “You noticed?”

“Indeed I did. So, why is it?”

“Because they are for good luck. The one time that I wore matching socks, I twisted my ankle,” he told me as we both were sitting there laughing.

“That,” I paused and thought about it for a minute before continuing, “is a good reason. I will accept that.”

“Oh, well that is good you are going to accept it. I wouldn’t know what to do if you didn’t,” Matthew said through laughter. “Okay, okay. Are you ready to get going?” he asked looking down at my plate and his.

“Yes I am,” I stood up at the same time as him. The waiter had come earlier to give us the check and Matthew had placed the cash on the table.

He took my hand and led me down the stairs and out the door. Abruptly he stopped in front of me which caused me to run into him. “Ah, sorry,” I laughed out.

“Oh, no, it’s cool. Do you want to walk to the beach?”

He took me off guard at first, his question slowly registering in my mind. “Yeah, let’s go.”

We began walking down the short road to the beach, hand in hand. The two of us were a little bit tipsy, but we still knew what we were doing. Neither of us said a word on the way to the beach, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was comfortable and it felt so right to be there with him.

“Take your shoes off,” he told as we hit the sand.

I did as he told and removed my flats, letting the sand run between my toes. It was soft and cold, sending a small shiver through my body. I thought that my shiver was unnoticeable, but he silently put his sweater around my shoulders. “Thanks,” I said quietly. My eyes glanced up to his tall figure and saw that beautiful smile that always seemed to be on his face.

“You’re welcome,” Matthew whispered in my ear.

I felt his breath on my neck, causing another shiver to run throughout my body. He took my hand again, my other holding my shoes and we walked silently on the beach.

After walking a few feet I just sat down in the sand, my hand still in his. I tugged at it as I looked up at him, “Sit with me.”

He didn’t question my actions, but placed himself in the sand next to me. I turned to look at him and saw he was already studying my face. “What?”

“You’re just,” he paused and looked out to the water as it swayed quietly against itself. “You are so gorgeous and so amazing. I don’t know how anyone could just leave someone like you.” He turned and looked at me again; I started to study his features, stopping at his eyes. It was dark, but we were so close I could make out every single crease and mark that was there.

“Well, it happened. But I, I think I’m over it. All I care about is right now. And right now is pretty damn amazing; you're pretty damn amazing Matthew,” I told him without ever taking my eyes from his.

He didn’t say anything back, but his actions were enough to replace the lost words; he leaned forward, closing his eyes, causing my eyes to flutter shut. I felt his lips touch mine as he only applied a small amount of pressure; I pushed back causing us to be even closer. His lips parted slightly, his tongue gliding onto my bottom lip. I hesitated at first, but let my lips part just enough for our tongues to touch.

Matthew laced his hands in my hair, pulling me on top of him until his back was against the sand. We began to kiss intensely, until we both needed air. I pulled from him, but placed my forehead against his. Looking in his eyes he whispered, “You are perfection.”

I grinned at him and responded, “So are you.”