If I Met Drew...

The Only Exception

It was my last night in Seattle; we were heading back to Portland the next day.  I had been dragging this whole affair on for two nights now, and if I was to kiss Andrew, tonight would have to be the night.  I was “saving” this kiss partly because I wanted it to happen gradually, but I also wanted to see if anything would come of this or not, I didn’t want to waste a kiss on something that wouldn’t lead anywhere.  I’m pretty sure Andrew figured out the first part, but I wasn’t so sure about the second part.  

Nonetheless, I was going to sneak back out again tonight, for the third night in a row.  It seemed crazy, really, sneaking out to see a guy that I had just met two days ago, it was scary, fast, and exciting.  

I told my roommate that I was going out with Faye and Emily again that night, and to not get worried if I was out a little later than usual.  I made up the excuse that Faye, Emily, and I were not from Seattle, and we just wanted to enjoy the city as much as we could.  I could feel myself splurting out excuses and wondered how obvious it was that that wasn’t the whole truth.

Faye and Emily did accompany me, to the outside of the lobby.  I met up the Andrew there, and we split ways after that.  I was wearing my navy blue swimming zip-up, a white shirt, my last pair of jeans, and my gray vans.  I had combed my hair on a different side that night, and I was hoping it would stay through the night, especially because it wasn’t raining very much.  Andrew was wearing a gray zip-up, a black shirt, jeans, and his shoes.  We walked for a bit, talking about how each of our’s day had gone

We ended up eating dinner at an Indian restaurant.  It was awkwardly quiet between us during dinner; I couldn’t think of anything to discuss that we hadn’t already gone over, and Andrew couldn’t either.  I didn’t want to bring up that it was my last night in Seattle, and I didn’t want to bring up “us,” our “relationship” and where it was headed, not over dinner.  I ended up apologizing, as I usually do when things get awkward.  But Andrew understood and apologized as well, and with that mutual understanding that we both didn’t have a lot to tell each other at the moment, we ate our dinner.

After dinner I wanted Andrew to lead the night.  But before that, I needed something to take the Indian-food taste out of my mouth, especially if I was going to kiss him; I didn’t carry any gum with me.  I asked if we could get some dessert, ice cream, if we could.  He agreed, and he walked me to a small ice cream shop that was still open.  I wanted to get mint-chocolate chip, I was okay with any mint really, I just had to get that taste off of my tongue, and my naïve mind somehow thought that mint chocolate chip ice cream might help me with a kiss.  

We looked over the menu for a few minutes; Andrew told me to go first since he wasn’t sure what he had wanted yet.  Not thinking anything of it, I went before him and ordered my mint ice cream (yes, they amazingly had just mint).  Andrew was standing right behind me as I ordered, and ordered right after I did.  Our ice cream was brought to the register together, and so we both walked over.  The person at the register then asked a surprising question, at least it caught me off guard:  “This is together, right?”

“Yes,” said Andrew, before I had the time to process and answer the question.  I looked up to him half defiant, half surprised.  He looked down at me, smile, and handed the cashier the money.  I smiled, and turned around, trying to hide my blush.  The cashier then handed us our cones and bid us a good night.

“You didn’t have to you know,” I told Andrew as we turned from the counter.  I looked at him, then had to look away, I felt awkward, embarrassed, but in the good way; my face felt warm, I was definitely blushing.

He smiled at me while licking his ice cream.  “I wanted to.”

“Thank you,” I said, without looking at him.  He continued to look at me.

“Mhmm,” he replied, looking at me and continuing to eat his ice cream.  He could tell he had got to me.

We got to the outside of the ice cream shop.  “So, where do you want to go? It’s your last night here,” said Andrew.

“I don’t know.  I’m not from here, remember?” I responded, looking up to him after licking my cone.  

He thought for a second, and then his face lit up.  He looked up to the sky, as if he could tell the weather from a second’s glance, turned to me and said, “Come on.”

He held out his hand for me.  At that moment, I wasn’t sure if I should hold it or not.  I looked from his hand to his face, and back at his hand.  I let my left hand reach for his right.  As our fingers started to intertwine I noticed how much larger his hands were than mine, and it felt good, it was protective, and they were claiming my hands.  My hand was now his, and his, mine.  I also noticed that his hands were much warmer than mine, and then I felt slightly embarrassed.  He just looked at me, smiled, and started leading the way.

We ended up at the boardwalk, the same place where we had met the first time.  It was mostly deserted, and the waves were lapping in, with some sea spray in the air.  

“Hey…this is the place where you hit me in the head” I joked.

“Yeah,” he laughed, “and it’s where I got your number.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say.  All that came out was a, “Well…” as we reached the railing.  I let go of his hand, he wasn’t expecting that, and let go of mine as well.  We had finished our ice creams, and now i put both of my arms on the railing, leaning on it and looking out to the Puget Sound.  Drew did the same next to me, a good foot between us, looking out to the distance.  We were quiet for a few seconds, it felt like a few seconds at least, I really don’t know how long it was.  But it was getting cold, especially after the ice cream.  I crossed my arms and scrunched up a bit because I was cold.  Andrew looked over to me as I re-situated myself constantly for a few seconds, trying to see which position would allow me to be the most warm.

“Cold?” His voice was deep, silky, caring.  He looked at me like he wanted to help.

I stopped moving and looked at him.  I slightly bit my lower lip, not because I was trying to be sexy, but just because I wasn’t sure what was going to come next.  “Mhmm.”

Andrew looked so much taller to me right then.  He left his place at the railing and started towards me slowly.  I just stood there, looking down, and I saw his shoe in front on mine, he was facing me.  I looked up to him as he wrapped me in his arms.  I stood still and tilted my head sideways onto his body.  After a few seconds, he leaned back, looked at me, and asked, “Better?”

“Much,” I said.  He then rested his chin on my head and continued to hold me.  I didn’t want to move, I wasn’t sure if I should move, but it must have been awkward with my arms just falling to my side.

We stood like that for a minute I think, my perception of time was totally off at this point.  Then I moved my head so that it was facing him.  He noticed the change and leaned back so he could see my face.  I was looking up at him, and we caught each other’s eyes.  I quickly looked down.

“Hey Andrew…” I started.

“Yeah?”

“So I leave tomorrow…”

“I know.”

“You know when we were in the ice cream shop?”

“Mhmm?”

“I was just wondering, if, umm, we were going anywhere after this.  I mean, because I’m going back to Portland.  I just wanted to know.” I looked up at him again.

After a couple of thinking seconds, Andrew replied.  “Well, we can see where it goes.  How’s that?”

It wasn’t the exact answer that I was looking for, so I started to ask for clarification.  “So you’d be willing to go out with me then? Even if I was in Portland and you were up here?”

“Only if you’d be willing to do the same for me.”

I half smiled.  “So…would you say that we are…’going out’ right now then? I mean, you were holding my hand.”

He smiled.  “I guess so.  I am holding you right now.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t think of anything.  I closed it, smiled, and put my head back on his body, then moved my arms so that I was holding him as well.

Drew had just rest his head on mine for a few seconds, when I looked back up at him.  He looked at me, wondering what I was going to say next.

I smiled sarcastically at him.  “You weren’t saying all of that just so you could get a kiss did you?”

He smiled sarcastically back.  “Maybe.  Did it work?” he asked as he started to bend his neck so his face was closer to mine.

“Maybe” I responded playfully.  His grip became tighter on me, pulling me in closer to his face.  Our noses touched.  I looked at him, looking at me.  Our noses passed each others, and my eyes closed.

I felt his lips on mine.  Soft, cold, a little wet.  There were there, and then they were gone.  We had kissed.  I opened my eyes.  We were still very close.  Andrew pulled away slowly.  We looked at each other.  I smiled, and he smiled back.  I let my hands go, letting them fall to my side again, and he loosened his grip on me.  I wanted to kiss him again, maybe even make out, but I wanted to enjoy the moment too.  I turned to the side and looked back out on the Puget Sound again, leaning against the railing.  He turned as well, still with his arms around me, slightly off to the side of me, laying his head on my shoulder and hugging my back.

I had to think, think of how this would all work.  We discussed it there, with me occasionally turning back to give him a kiss.  We would work it out somehow, take it day by day, but we would try for a relationship.

I didn’t want the night to end, but it was getting late, and I had to get back at a reasonable hour before my roommate became suspicious.

Sweet and Slow

Andrew called me while I was at rehearsal the next day.  I had to ignore the call because of that, and he left me a voicemail.  I liked the sound of his voice, deeper and more sexy than mine.  It made me quite giddy, knowing that someone was interested in me, especially someone that looked like him.  He was tall, at least half a foot taller than me, and well built, there was no doubt that he was strong.  And he had the most beautiful blue eyes, something I would not mind staring into, set into a very handsome face with a good complexion.  I don’t know what it was with these white guys that seemed to pique my interest so much, Andrew certainly did.  

I, on the other hand, was a little different.  My eyes were a dark brown, my skin a pale compared to what it usually is during the summer months; I had definitely lost color.  I was shorter than him, a mere 5 foot 7 inches, compared to the six foot whatever he was.  I was fit, but not particularly muscular, remnant from my swimming days.  I had medium-length black hair, which would probably be growing out until I cut it in the summer.

It was the early afternoon when I called him back.  I explained to him that I was at rehearsal when he had called, and we made up a plan to see each other that night as well.  It wasn’t going to be a full date, not like the one we had the night before; it would be more like a hangout session, much more casual.  We were thinking of grabbing some coffee or tea (I am not particularly fond of coffee), for an hour or two, depending.

I had to sneak out again, and Andrew picked me up in the lobby once again.  I was in regular clothes that night, nothing really dressy; dark jeans, a gray t-shirt, and my navy blue zip-up jacket and rain jacket.  Andrew was dressed similarly, with jeans, a black t-shirt, and a zip-up jacket.  It was showering lightly outside, no surprise in the Pacific Northwest.

We ended up at a french bakery shop that served hot drinks.  I was content with my hot chocolate that I ordered, it came in quite the cup, it was almost like a bowl.  I have no idea what Andrew ordered.  There we talked about many things, my hometown, a small town, in Hilo, what brought me to the the Pacific NW, our favorite types of music, sports we used to play, whatever came to our minds.  I studied him there, as I do with most people.  I noticed his hands; they were large and I liked that, the better to hold mine with.  I noticed his nails, and saw they were neat, cut nicely, and pushed back to see his cuticles.  Nails are a big deal for me, as I seem to correlate the cleanliness of a person’s nails to their personality.  Nails that are cut really close to the finger that they bleed or you can see the skin in the front is a turn-off for me, as are nails that are small/only visible at the tips of the fingers.  Andrew’s nails told me he was well groomed.

We were outside for a bit that night as well, walking around.  At one point I wanted to see how tall he really was.  I stood in front of him, face to face, and stepped close.  I put my hand on top of my head and measured it to his body.  It reached the top of chin area.  I looked up and smiled, and quickly stepped back.  I didn’t want him to think that I wanted to kiss him…even though I did.

There wasn’t much else to the date that night; I had to be back early because I had a performance the next day.  I invited him to it, but I didn’t expect him to come.  We said goodbye in the lobby, and I told him that tomorrow night would be my last night in Seattle before returning to Portland.  He said he would see me tomorrow night.  There was no kiss that night either.

Just A Kiss

I was lying on the bed in my hotel room, my roommate and I were flipping through the television channels.  My phone was charging on the study table in the corner of the room when I heard it vibrate.  I quickly jumped up to get it, it had been hours since I had met Andrew, and he hadn’t contacted me yet.  I wasn’t sure if he would contact me at all.  

Upon reaching my phone, I was notified of a new text message, from an unknown number.  I opened it.  “Hey, it’s Drew.  I was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner tonight?”

I smiled widely and felt my face get hot.

“Is that Faye?” my roommate asked.  Faye was one of our friends on the trip whom I told my roommate I was going to go to dinner with.  When I had told him that an hour ago, I was actually telling the truth.  I had decided that if Drew hadn’t contacted me tonight, I would go to dinner with Faye.  But as it were, Drew had contacted me, and I wasn’t about to pass up a date with an incredibly good looking man.  Now to explain this to Faye…

I texted Drew back.  “I would love to.” Did that sound too corny? Did I Have to add something more? I decided to send it.  I was very nervous.

I decided that I couldn’t stay in the room with my roommate there.  I wanted to jump up and down and make funny noises and do my happy dance.  But that would cause suspicion, and I was such a horrible lier.  

“I’m going to go and see Faye really fast,” I told my roommate.  I unplugged my phone and headed out the door.  Upon closing the door, I proceeded to jump up and down a couple times.  I had to let my excitement out somehow.  

My phone vibrated again.  I looked at the message.  “Cool.  I’ll pick you up at 7?” I looked at the clock on my phone.  It was 6:07.  “Shoot,” I thought,”I only have an hour to get ready!” 

I replied.  “Yes, that sounds fine.  Where are we going, if I may ask?”

I sprinted up to Faye’s room to tell her what was going on.  Faye was one of my close friends, who was also a lesbian.  I knocked on her door and she answered.  “Evan! What’s up dude?” She had the funniest accent, being from Eastern Europe and all.

“Faye, I have a huge favor to ask of you…” She looked at me quizzically and crossed her arms, wondering what I was about to ask of her.  “Could you cover for me please?” A confused look swept over her face.  “Umm…I have a date…” I whispered.

Faye’s eyes became wide.  She uncrossed her arms and became excited.  “REALLY?! WHEN?! FOR DINNER? WHO?! Is he hot?” She blasted so many questions my way.

“Faye…calm down.  Umm…this guy I met…today.”

“Today? That’s really fast! It’s ‘cause you’re sexy buddy.  You can pick men up like that.” I laughed at her comment.  That was so far from being true.

“Thanks Faye, but umm, I told my roommate that I was going to go to dinner with you tonight, and I was wondering if you could take Emily out instead of me?” Emily was Faye’s roommate and my good friend as well. “And maybe keep tabs on me through the night with her? Just in case? Or something like that? Do you get what I’m saying?” I wasn’t making any sense at all, I knew it.

“I got it buddy.” Faye knew me so well.

“Great.” I smiled.  “So, you and Emily can follow me if you like, make it an adventure if you like.  Or you can leave me alone and just text me and stuff-“

I felt my phone vibrate again.  “Hold on,” I told Faye.  I looked down at it, it was 6:15; Drew texted about this eatery close by, according to my google maps app on my phone.

“Was that him?” asked Faye, excitement in her face and voice.

I smiled at her.  “Yes…” 

Meanwhile, Emily came to the door, listening in on the conversation.  “What’s this about going out to dinner tonight?” she asked, in her ever so polite yet all knowing manner.  

“Damien has a DATE!” exclaimed Faye.

“Shhhh.” I said harshly, holding my finger to my lips.  We weren’t supposed to be doing anything other than singing during this trip, and I did not want to get in trouble for breaking rules.

“What time?” asked Emily, a subtle smile on her face.

“7:00.”

“Well, you better go get ready Mr.!” said Faye.

“I will, right after we sort all of this out.”

We decided that Emilia and Faye would accompany me out of the hotel.  They would follow me to the restaurant and have dinner there as well.  For the rest of the time, they would follow me as well, but be on their own friend-date.  I felt like it would work, and made me much more comfortable and a lot less worried.  I mean, who knew, this guy could be dangerous, but I sincerely hoped not.

Andrew texted me again at 6:50.  He was in the lobby of the Mariott, and I was finishing up going over my list of items that I had to bring for the third time, and brushing my teeth.  I texted Drew back that I would be there soon, and I waited for Faye and Emily to get to my room.  At 6:57, Faye and Emily arrived at my room and I said goodbye to my roommate.  We took the elevator down to the lobby, and we went over the plan once more.

The lobby was pretty busy, and I had to look to find Drew.  He was sitting on some lobby couches, wearing a black button up shirt and jeans.  

“Where is he?” Faye asked, punching my arm.

“Right there,” I said, pointing to him.

“The one in the black shirt?” Emily asked.  I nodded.  “Damien, he’s hot!” Oh yes he was.  I was very nervous to go to him, but excitement took over.  Faye and Emily prodded me over to him, and watched from a distance.

He saw me walking toward him and stood up.  I smiled.  “Hi,” I said.  He was a full seven inches taller than me, I hadn’t noticed that on the boardwalk.  

He looked at me through his beautiful blue eyes.  “Hey.” He said.  “You’re right on time.” I felt like I was late, I had him waiting there for a full ten minutes, probably more.  “You ready to go?”

“Mhmm.” I smiled and nodded.  He grabbed his jacket and we headed out.

It was a cold evening outside, but there were still people walking all over.  We walked at least 5 or so blocks, discussing our personal bits, all the while with Faye and Emily behind us.  I told him of my education status, my major, and where I was from, and he did the same.  He asked what we were in Seattle for, and I told him that our choir was performing.  Of course, there were those awkward moments of silence between us, but that was to be expected.

We ended up at a small eatery.  There was a question on my mind, and I was itching to ask it. “So, did you mean to hit me with your volleyball?” Drew looked slightly embarrassed at the question.  

“No, not really.” he answered.

“Are you sure? Because for you to hit me accidentally from that far away would have required some aim…and power.” Woops, I just admitted to him that I had been watching him; I knew where he was playing volleyball.

“I was just trying to catch your attention…” he admitted, putting his hand in the back of his head and scratching it.  “I didn’t think you would let it hit you.”

“Well, I see how it is then…” I laughed.  He seemed like a really nice guy, and I really wouldn’t mind having a relationship with him.  It was just too bad that I was leaving in three days.

All in all, dinner was pleasant, and I could feel that I didn’t particularly want the night to end.  After dinner, we started walking back to the hotel and stopped at an ice cream shop on the way back.

We got to the hotel and I was ready to say goodbye to Drew in the lobby, but he insisted that he walk me to my room.  I wasn’t about to say no.

We reached my floor, and I stood outside of my room.  The hallway was deserted.  I hoped he didn’t expect that he was going to come in.  I turned to face him.  “Thank you.  I had a really great time tonight” I said, smiling at him.  He stood close to me, and I had to look up at his face.

“You’re welcome, and yeah, me too,” he answered back.

I wanted to kiss him really badly, but I didn’t want this to be the end either.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give up such a thing so easily.  

“Well, this is my room,” I said as I shifted my balance from my heels to my toes, my hands behind my back.  I secretly wanted him to bend down and get his face close to mine.  I wanted our foreheads to touch, so that I could lift it up my head to look directly into his eyes before our lips would meet.  I wanted to then put my finger on his lips and whisper to him “I didn’t say which date,” smile, and then slowly back away.  

But that didn’t happen.  He was too good for that.  Instead, he told me goodnight.  I inserted my keycard into the reader and unlocked my door.  I turned the handle, then looked back at him.

“Text me tomorrow?” I asked, a worried look on my face.

“I will,” he said, smiling.

We told each other goodnight a second time, and I let the door close behind me.

======================================================

Alternate ending here.

Teenage Dream

I was trying to make this post as accurate as possible, but this simply isn’t going to happen tonight.  The greater Seattle area does not have a  boardwalk like I will describe, nor a beach area at that.  With those facts in mind, please employ your suspension of disbelief at this time.

I was in Seattle during spring break for our choir’s concert tour; the last time I had been in Seattle was during fall break of freshman year.  It wasn’t the greatest of weather, as mid-march in the Pacific Northwest is usually anything but sunny; but that didn’t stop people from taking advantage of the abnormally dry (but still chilly) day.

We were somewhere in the Seattle area, I wasn’t exactly sure where; Seattle is such a big and crowded city and I was a little overwhelmed by it all.  With no performance that day, my friends and I had decided to head out and explore the area.  We had ended up at a boardwalk at about 2:00 pm.  There was a short beach in front of it and small shops behind it.  My friends continued on into the shops, while I quietly went to the edge of the boardwalk to look at the water.  The waves were slowly lapping in and on the boardwalk a steady gust of wind kept my hair up and out of my eyes.   I missed the ocean, especially the ocean back home, and just seeing it made me feel a little better and I was content in taking the whole scene in.  There were two guys tossing around a volleyball not far from the steps to my left, and a couple of other people taking pictures of the ocean to the right.  One of the guys caught my eye; he was tall, blonde, clean shaven, and from what I could see, good looking.  I studied him for a bit, and thought of how nice it would be to have a boyfriend like that; after all, I had none.  I wondered if I was attractive enough to be noticed today, with my favorite red flannel shirt and jeans on, and if my hair wasn’t being too crazy in the wind.  But I decided it was a silly thought and decided to concentrate on the ocean in order to forget about it.  There was no way that that guy would come and talk to me.

I would occasionally glance over to that guy.  Something drew me to him, and I wasn’t sure what it was.  I started playing around with the fantasy of him coming up to talk to me.  I started to zone out while staring at the ocean.  I didn’t notice that he looked back toward me occasionally as well.  

And then it hit me…literally.  I had seen it through the corner of my eye but had no time to react.  I must have looked stupid, falling down and holding onto the railing like I was, with a confused look on my face.  I saw a white ball rolling to a stop about 10 feet away, stopping right before the stairs.  

I was furious.  I crawled my way over to the ball, got up, and stood back where I had been hit, waiting for whoever had hit me to come up the stairs.  Within seconds I heard footsteps hurrying up the stairs.  I raised my arms up, ready to serve the ball.  His head popped up, and then the rest of his body, and I wound up.

“Hey, are you-“

I served the ball…into his face.  I actually hadn’t planned to do that, I had planned to give him a scare and serve it close enough to his face but have it fly down the steps back onto the beach.  But whenever I try to do that, I always end up hitting someone in the face, and I don’t know why that is.  

My eyes opened wide.  “Oh shit.”  I hardly swear, but I thought it was appropriate at the time.  First, I was shocked that I had managed to hit him in the face, second, it was the guy that I had found attractive, and he had fallen backwards to the ground.  I ran over to him, the ball bouncing down the stairs.

“I’m sorry!” I exclaimed.  It must have stung, his face was red from the impact of the ball. “Oh my gosh, are you okay?” I felt so embarrassed; pulling a trick like that was not the best way to meet someone who I thought was attractive.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay,” he said, squinting his eyes and half-smiling.

I knelt down beside him.  “Oh man, I knocked you square in the face didn’t I? I’m sorry.  Did you knock your head?”

“No no, I think I’m okay” he said, staying rested on the boardwalk floor.  I studied him as he lay there, his clean face, blue eyes, blonde hair, muscular arms and chest, there was no doubt that he was serious eye candy.

“Whew,” he breathed out and touched his face.

“Is there anything I can get you? To make you feel better?” I asked as I quickly looked into his eyes.

To that question his eyes lit up.  Something was going through his mind, I just didn’t know it at the time.  “How about a kiss?” he asked.  He smiled, his thin lips framing his straight, white teeth.

I was taken aback.  No one had ever asked of such a thing from me before.  I caught my breath with an open smile.  I looked out to the ocean, then back at him.  He was propping himself up on the back of his elbows.  He had game and I was impressed.  I leaned in a little. 

“That was smooth.  That was very smooth,” I told him, smiling coyly. “But I don’t kiss someone before a date, especially if I don’t know their name.”

He chuckled at what I said.  “I’m Andrew.”

“Well Andrew, I’m sorry for hitting you in the face with your ball.” My phone started to vibrate at that moment, and I reached into my pocket to grab it.  My friend Vivian was calling me, they were probably wondering where I was.  I looked over to Drew, letting him know that I was going to answer the call.  I stood up and pressed “accept.”

“Hello?” I answered.  “I’m by that bookstore… No no, I’m still at the boardwalk… Yeah,  I can meet you guys there…. Okay, bye.”

Drew was standing back up now.  He looked over at me, expecting me to say something.

“So, I should probably get going now.  But if you wanted to grab dinner or something, since I know your name now I mean, you should contact me.”

I turned to walk away.  I hadn’t given him my number yet, and I was about to see if he wanted it.

“Wait,” Drew said, “what’s your name? And your number?”

I turned back around and smiled.  “My name is Damien.  My number is 808 -_ _ _ - _ _ _ _.” I watched him try to enter it into his phone.  “Also, I’m only in Seattle for three more days, so you should plan accordingly.  I’m staying at the Mariott, so if we could stay close to there, that would be great.”

Andrew was soaking it all in, trying to figure out what to do.  I wondered what was going through his mind.  I took one last look at him and tucked my hands into my pockets and turned around.

As I walked away, I couldn’t believe what I had done.  I gave my number to a complete stranger.  I hoped that he wasn’t a rapist or something, I could never be sure in a new city.  I was scared, but excited at the same time.

Now starting with the 2nd scenario

because I’ve come up with a pretty great 2nd scenario.

Need You Now

Drew and I had been seeing each other regularly since that night.  We went on mini-dates when we could fit it in, and he was around when he could be.  I was beginning to get bored of the kiss at the door and say goodbye routine that we had.  I think Drew knew that, because he seemed like he was planning something.  After having dinner together at a local eatery, Drew invited me back to his place.  I realized that I had never been there, and I became nervous and excited.  I wasn’t sure what this meant.  Would I be spending the night? Was it the next step in our relationship? It was about a month since we started to really date.  I wanted to keep it going.

Drew was living in the Pearl district, the nicer part of downtown.  He held my hand up through the elevator and to his door.  With his other hand he switched his keys and opened up the door.  It was a modest, handsome flat.  I definitely approved.  I looked up to him and smiled.  He looked at me, smiled, bent down, and picked me up and carried me into the room.  He has such strong arms.  The door closed behind us.

He looked to me, “Do you want a tour?” he asked. We were standing in the middle of the room.

“Yes please.”

“Where do you want to see first?”

“Surprise me.”

“Well,” he swung to the left, “that’s the kitchen,” swinging the the right, “and that’s the living room.” He took a couple of steps, leaned my head back to the left, “that’s the bathroom…” Drew started to walk towards the separate room in the flat.  “And this…is the bedroom,” he said, smiling.

He turned on the light and laid me down on the bed.  I straightened out and looked at him.  Something was going to happen, I just knew it.  He leaned over me and his lips touched mine.  This wasn’t a normal goodnight kiss at the door.  It was passionate, amazing.  We hadn’t made out before.  Drew got onto the bed with me.  My hands found their way to his body.  His hands, I didn’t even know where they were.  I looked at him and he looked at me.  I could smell his cologne.  He started to kiss my neck.  I started to bite his ear.  He took his shirt off, but I wasn’t about to take my own off.  He reached under my shirt and started to feel up my back.  He made it to my shoulder and took off my shirt.  His hands then traveled back down my body.  It stopped at my beltline.  We stopped kissing.  Drew looked at me. 

He could tell I was unsure.  I didn’t think I was ready…just yet…

“Drew…I…I don’t think I’m ready…just yet…I’m sorry…”

He smiled his sweet smile back to me.  “That’s alright, when you’re ready.”

He gave me a kiss and laid next to me.  I turned towards him.  “I’m sorry.”

He smiled.  “It’s fine, really.” We kissed again. 

“Do you want to go back home?” he asked.

“Could I spend the night with you?”

“Of course.  Come here.” He pulled me close and held me. 

I woke up the next morning in his arms, my back to his chest.

I wish I could actually meet you.  Then these stories wouldn’t have to be fantasy.

I Just Want You

We continued to talk to each other on facebook and got to know each other.  We had seen each other a couple of times during the following week after his first visit to my campus.  I really started to like him.  I had been showing him around North Portland during those times.  But this time would be different.

It had almost become routine.  Drew came to campus on the days I didn’t have class and we just hung out.  But today was different.  Drew was a little late.  Maybe a little more than a little…and he hadn’t called…yet.  But I didn’t call him.

After an hour he called me.  “Hey,” called the sweet, deep voice, “sorry, I’m a little late…” I played it off fine.  “…but did you want to go to dinner tonight…”

I was about to answer “Oh sure,”

“…just the two of us?”

My heart skipped.  I smiled ear to ear.  My heart started to race.  I wanted to scream in joy.  I didn’t answer for a couple seconds.  “Yeah, sure, I’d love to.  Where were you thinking of going?” I was going crazy.

“Oh, you’ll see,” said Drew, “is it okay if I come to pick you up now?”

I didn’t know what I was thinking, I was so very excited.  “Oh, yes.  Sure.”

“Okay, great.” I could see his smile through the way he talked to me on the phone.

“Okay, see you soon!” I could hardly contain myself.  I jumped up and down and decided to get ready.  I didn’t know how much time I had so I looked through my closet for something nice.  Did I have a nice shirt? Was everything washed? Where were my collared shirts? Did I use it the last time he was here? I finally found something for the night.  Was it a date? I hoped so! But I didn’t want to make it one if it wasn’t.  No, I couldn’t expect anything.

Ding dong- my doorbell rang.  He was here.  Already.  Was he outside the whole time? I finished up getting ready then ran downstairs.  I reached the door, took a deep breath, and opened it.  He was there, wearing jeans, nice sneakers, and a collared shirt.  He looked so amazing.

Drew smiled at me.  “Hey.” 

“Hi” I answered back.  I could feel my head getting hot.  Was I blushing? Was it noticeable? I hoped not. 

“You ready?” he asked.  All I could think was “Is this really happening?”

“Yeah, let me just grab my wallet-“

“No, it’s okay, you don’t need to” said Drew.  But I had already grabbed it off the counter.  I just smiled and closed the door behind me.

We walked down the steps at row, me following him because I was not sure where we were headed.  We ended up at a parking space in front of a car.  He walked over to the passenger side and opened up the door.  I followed and got in and he closed the door after me.  “How gentlemanly!” I thought.  I felt very giddy, but I didn’t think I should show it.

He got into the driver’s seat, started the car, and started to drive.

“So…where are we going to?” I asked.  Drew wouldn’t tell me.  It was a surprise.

We ended up downtown at a restaurant called Montage.  It was a nice restaurant, and I definitely felt like I was on a date.  But I still wasn’t sure.  We talked, we ate, and we enjoyed one another’s company.  Then the bill came.

He took the bill before I could take a look at it, slipped in his card, and placed it back on the table.  I reached for it, was about to grasp the side, but noticed it wouldn’t move.  Drew’s fingers were still on the bill.  He looked at me and gave me a look saying “what are you trying to do?”

“You know, if you don’t let me pay, that means we’re on a date,” I said, smiling coyly. 

“I know,” said Drew, also smiling.

I let go of the bill, looked at him, smiled, felt too giddy, and looked away.  This really was happening.  I played with my food, blushing, thankful that I was dark so (hopefully) he couldn’t see.  The waiter came to take the bill.  I didn’t know what to do.  He was so calm, so reserved, just smiling.  I laughed, looked up to him, and smiled. 

“I’m sorry, I’m making this really awkward…haha,” I exclaimed.  Drew got his card back from the waiter.

“Do you want to leave?” he asked, smiling.

“Yes, please.” We got up and headed out.  We reached the car.  He opened the door for me again and I got in.  He got into the driver’s seat.

“You know, I’ve never been on a real date…” I told Drew.  I looked over at him.  He smiled.  “Well, is this a good first date?”

“Mhmm.  A very good first date.”

“Good.”

Drew started the car and was pulling out of the parking lot.  I wanted to keep the date going a little longer.

“Hey Drew,” I said.

“Yeah?” He looked over at me.

“Have you ever been to Mount Tabor?” I knew he probably hadn’t.

“No, do you want to go there?”

“Kind of…unless you had anything else planned,” I smiled, “but it’s away from campus, not on the way.”

“Well, we can take a look at it” he said.

“Okay.” I smile and input the information into my phone’s GPS and we headed up to Mount Tabor.

We made it into the parking lot and we both got out.  The park was deserted, and I was happy.  Drew didn’t know where to go so I lead the way.  We walked up all of the stairs towards the top of the mount.

“I’ve only been here once before… but isn’t it beautiful? When we get to the top you can see some of the city.”

We reached the top, and I saw the bench under the tree branch that I remembered from months ago.  I headed over to it and looked over the city.

“See?” The sky was clear and the city’s lights were pouring out.  Drew came up close behind me.  I could feel his chest against my back.

“Yeah, that’s really pretty.” We continued to stare out to the city.  It really was a site to see.  It was too bad I couldn’t concentrate on it.  The sexiest man I’ve ever met was right behind me, and I could feel him.  I shifted my weight so that I had to lean into him a little.  He noticed and compensated.  He laid his left hand on my hip.  I turned my head so that it was against his chest.  I barely reached his neck.

I turned around slowly, keeping close to him, so that we were face to face.  I looked up at him, he looked down at me.  His hands were on my hips, my hands on his chest.  We stared at each other for a little, and then it came.  He started to lean down, and I waited for his lips to contact mine.

He closed his eyes.  I watched his face come closer to mine.  And then I felt it.  His lips caressed mine, and we kissed.  My eyes opened back up, I guess I had closed them too.  He lifted his head back up and smiled.  I smiled back.  I hugged him, and he hugged me.  We stood there in front of the bench for a couple of minutes, rocking back and forth. 

“Do you want to sit down?” I asked.  He nodded and we lead each other to the bench.  We sat and I laid my head on his left arm, my head couldn’t reach his shoulder. 

Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)

It was 10:00 Saturday morning.  I was laying in bed, drifting back into sleep.  It had been several days since I met Drew.  I was wondering if he would ever contact me, hoping that he would, but at the same time not expecting him to.
My phone rang loudly at my desk table.  It was 11:30  I lazily opened my eyes, expecting the call to be coming from one of my friends (they usually call at this time).  I slowly get out of my bed and head over to my phone.  My phone didn’t recognize the number.  Perplexed, I answered.
My signature, “Hello?”
Then I heard it, his deep, masculine voice…”Hey Evan, it’s Drew.”
“Oh, hi Dru.  What’s up?”
He asked if I would be at school today and if it was a good day to visit the campus.   I was very excited, told him that today would be a very good day, and asked if he knew how to get up to the campus.  Turns out… he was already there.
“Oh really?” I started to panic.  “Ah, okay, umm… do you know where you are right now?” He was outside of the Pilot House.  “Okay, I’ll be right there.”
I had to shower.  I had to brush my teeth.  I had to get ready.  I rushed and met him at the Pilot House.  I couldn’t really believe that he was here…but he was.  I welcomed him, and asked him how he was, and did all that friendly stuff.  I then started to show him around campus.
It took me an hour to show him around, and we stopped by my room.  I told him as a graduate, he’d be able to live in our Row housing, where I was fortunate enough to live.  I then took him to the Commons for some lunch as we both hadn’t eaten. 
After that we just hung out, talked about where we were from, and all of that fun stuff while we were walking around the bluff.  It was great, really. 
“So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” I asked at around 4:00.  Drew wasn’t sure yet, he hadn’t really made any.  I asked if he’d like to get dinner later at this really good Italian place called Nicola’s.  He agreed.  I was excited.  I really do love to get to know new people…plus, he was really really good looking.  We met up with my friends to go to dinner, and went to Nicola’s for a really good dinner.
After dinner we all hung out, but Drew needed to leave before the buses stopped running.  I walked with him to the bus stop and made sure he knew where he was going.
“You should visit me downtown one day” he said. 
I wanted to kiss him.  “Oh yeah, maybe.  You really should think about coming to our school next year though…in the fall I mean.”
“I’m thinking about it.”  He smiled.
“Well, good…” I smiled.  We were about to say goodbye.  I went for an awkward hug.  It was very awkward.  But it felt good to be held.  He left.
Later that night I logged onto facebook.  He friend requested me.

Enchanted

It was a beautiful summer day in Portland, Oregon.  Taking advantage of our time off from summer classes, my friends and I decided to head downtown for the day.  We walked the town; visited the waterfront, took pictures next to the fountains, and were enjoying our day.  At about 2:00 we got hungry.  It was past lunchtime, and way before our dinner time and we wanted a snack.  We decided to head to voodoo doughnuts, being mindful that the wait might be long.

We were walking through the streets and were about to cross an intersection when something caught my eye in front of me.  It was him; tall, towering above most others.  I took in my sight of him; blond clean-cut hair, handsome face, muscular arms, big hands, long legs, khaki shorts, running shoes, a very nice camera.  Definitely good looking…and I was walking straight towards him.

He was looking around the buildings; I couldn’t tell if he was lost or not.  I continued to walk towards him, slyly staring and studying him.  I figured he was looking for someplace and wasn’t sure where to go.  Possibilities were forming in my head.  I wanted to help him, maybe by chance get to know him.  I kept on looking towards him in hopes that we would make eye contact, maybe he would ask me for help if he needed it.  Would he need help? ‘Maybe I’m being foolish’ I thought to myself.  He didn’t look towards me and I ended up passing him by, his scent mildly wafting around.

I hesitated.  I spoke up to my friends, “I think that guy is lost.” We all looked back and it became clear that he was looking for some place.  At that moment I decided I would try to make contact.  “I’m going to see if he needs any help.” I turned around and started to head his way.

My behavior would not have seemed weird to my friends.  I do things like that all the time, helping others find their way.  But this time I wanted something out of it.

I approached him from his side.  He was looking across the street and was about to walk.  I knew this was going to be awkward.  “Hi,” I said, slightly nervous but caring and confident on the outside, “are you lost?”

He turned to me and looked down (I’m about 7 inches shorter than him).  “Oh hi, umm, yeah, I’m looking for voodoo doughnuts… do you know which way that is?” He smiled… I noticed his teeth…perfect smile.  Oh, and his voice…deep…manly…sexy.

I became excited.  “Oh! Yeah, my friends and I are heading there right now.  Do you want to come with?” I hated the way I was forming words.  I could have said something much more eloquent.

He smiled.  “Sure.”

“Cool.” I smiled and turned around towards my friends who were patiently waiting for me several feet away.  He was close in step, walking much slower than me because of his long legs.  I reached my friends.

“Hey guys, this is…umm.” I realized I had forgotten to introduce myself to this stranger, and was very embarrassed that I had forgot to do so.

“Andrew.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t introduce myself.  I’m umm…” I started to get flushed.  “…Damien.  These are my friends, Amy, Rhea, Greg, and Spencer.”  He shook hands with all of us. “Drew was headed to Voodoo, and I thought he could join us.” My friends agreed (they’re always so polite), and we continued our walk to Voodoo Doughnuts.

“So Drew, where are you from?” I asked as we continued walking.  Drew answered me, and asked me where I was from.

“Hawaii.  But I’m here for college.  What brought you to Portland?”

He was looking to go to graduate school.  This was my chance.  “Oh really? What are you going to study?” Drew answered again.

“You should check out the University of Portland! We have great graduate programs.” I always love to represent my school to anyone interested. He seemed genuinely interested. 

“Oh look, there it is!” Voodoo was packed, as usual, the line stretching across the sidewalk.

We reached voodoo.  My friends and I started to explain the weirdness of voodoo to him and recommended a couple of doughnuts for him to try while he was taking pictures. We switched back to talking about college, about our majors, and I offered my number for him if he ever wanted to visit the University of Portland campus, as I was a student ambassador and would be more than willing to show him around.

We then left Voodoo, and I said goodbye to Drew.