The First Date

Matt sat in his car outside the apartment duplex. His palms were sweaty and his heart was racing. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard and saw that he still had seven minutes.
He looked in the mirror and made sure his hair was still fixed, then glanced out the window to the door that he knew was hers.

Cait Delaney had been his friend for several years. They had met when she moved to St. Louis for college. She had been in a book store looking for a book she needed for school, and he had been looking for the latest NHL magazine. They had bumped into each other, and had later exchanged numbers hoping to meet again.

Looking at the clock again, he decided to get out with four minutes to spare. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. She was his friend, and she had agreed to this date, so she must have felt the attraction too.

It’s okay. If it doesn’t work out…well, let’s just hope it does.

Matt wasn’t sure why, but Cait meant a lot to him, and he would do anything for her. He wasn’t in love with her, but he was attracted to her and wanted to be with her.

He ran up the stairs and calmed his breathing as he made his way to her door. Hopefully, she was excited as he was about this date. He took a deep breath and knocked on her door.

He could hear the tap of her shoes as she made her way across the floor to answer the door. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her bright blue eyes and her smile from behind the door.

“Hey Matt,” She said quietly.

“Hey Caity.” He said, nodding and smiling at her. He pulled his left hand from behind his back and presented her with the daisies he knew she would love.

“I got these for you.” He said as she took them from his hand. He watched as her eyes lit up as she stuck her nose in the flowers. She blushed when she caught him staring and pulled them away. She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek softly.

“Thank you, Matt. These are my favorite.” She said, bouncing back onto the heel of her shoe.

She opened the door wider, allowing him in as she walked in to the kitchen.

“Let me just put these in some water and we can go.” Cait said as she left him by the door.

He watched her walk away in the deep purple dress. The dress was form fitting and had one shoulder strap. She looked beautiful, and Matt felt like a million bucks when she smiled at him.

Cait walked back in the room and grabbed her small clutch off the table by the door and smiled at Matt.

“I’m ready.” She said, as he grabbed her hand.

“You look beautiful.” He whispered, kissing her cheek.

She blushed and nodded, looking at his attire. He was dressed in a black button up shirt and grey slacks, with his shiny black shoes on.

“You look handsome, Matt.” She said, walking out the door as he led her out to his car.

When they reached his car, he held the door open for her and smiled as she climbed in.

When she was seated and buckled, he made quickly made his way to the driver side and slipped in and started the car with a quick smile sent her way.

They drove for a few minutes until they reached a red light. Slowly, Cait reached over and grabbed his right hand that had been resting on his thigh. She intertwined her finger with his and smiled up at his curious look.

“I was really glad when you asked me out. I have had a crush on you for years. Ever since we met, actually.” She said, laughing at herself. Matt chuckled and squeezed her hand tight.

Exactly nine minutes later, Matt pulled up at one of the nicer restaurants in town and parked the car. He let go of her hand and got out, only to walk to her side and open her door.

“Here we are. I hope you like Italian. You made pasta that one night, so I thought this was a good choice,” He said, laughing at himself.

She grabbed his hand and smiled up at him.

“I love Italian.” She said, walking with him as they made their way inside.

After they had checked into their reservation, Matt and Cait were led to a secluded area where the lights were dim and it was very private. He pulled her chair out for her and pushed her in after she was seated before taking his own seat. She smiled and looked at the menu, looking at all the selections.

Matt glanced at her over the top of his menu and smiled at her. He was happy that she had admitted to her crush. It made him feel at ease that they felt the same about each other.

The waiter came and asked for their orders, and took their menu, saying he would get their order to them.

Matt looked at Cait, and decided to tell her his secret.

“I’ve had a crush on you since we met.” He blurted, looking her dead in the eye.

He enjoyed the sight when her eyes lit up once again and her smile widened. He reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers.

“I can’t believe this.” She said, laughing and rubbing her thumb across the back of his hand.

“I know. I was shocked when you told me about your crush.” He admitted laughing.

Cait glanced up at Matt and bit her lip. She felt at ease with him, as if she had known him her whole life. She felt complete with him, and she really liked that feeling.

Their waiter arrived with their food, and they both looked at the food. It looked delicious. They ate and talked until they were both full, and made their way to his car once again. When they pulled up to her house, he walked her to her door and smiled at her.

“I had a great time.” She said, fiddling with her keys.

“I did too, maybe we can do this again.” He said, nodding and hoping it would happen again.

Her cheeks blushed, and she looked at his lips. He seemed to be thinking the same thing as his lips descended on to hers. Sparks flew as their lips met, and their hearts started beating in time. It seemed that whatever Cait and Matt had been doing before was soon forgotten as their lips moved together. Soon, they both pulled away breathless with smiles on their faces.

He seemed to sigh as he realized that he had to leave her. Before he could move, Cait kissed his lips once more. She pulled back and smirked up at him.

“Want to come inside?” She asked, knowing her couldn’t resist. She grabbed his hand and opened the door before he could reply.

“Hell yes.”