It’s lunch break at school and as I was walking down the hallway heading towards the cafeteria, Colton texted me. He wanted me to have dinner at his place tonight. Excited, I texted him back. Things were really heating up between us.
Last night after we left the ice rink, we went back to his place and as soon as we went inside, we were all over each other, kissing and pulling off each other’s clothes. We ended up making love on the rug in front of the fireplace. Afterwards, we ordered take in Thai food and ate it while watching a movie. Then, he took me home.
I guess it was inevitable that I should fall madly in love with Colton. Actually, I think I fell for him since the first time we met which was at a party celebrating Lance’s 18th birthday. Colton was there with Heather, his then girlfriend, a very pretty blonde. The moment I saw him, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Several times, he caught me staring at him and smiled. Then, just before the cutting of the cake, when I was coming out of the bathroom, he was coming down the hallway. He walked over and stood right in front of me, towering over me. I looked up at him, thinking that he was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen in my life. My heart was beating like crazy. We were totally alone. Everyone was in the dining-room, gathered around the table.
“So, are you Lance’s girlfriend?” he asked.
I shook my head at once. “No, we’re just friends.”
He smiled. “Good. I’m glad to hear that. If you’re not busy tomorrow afternoon, I’d like to take you bowling and then for a bit to eat afterwards.”
I was so blown away by the fact that he was asking me out that I didn’t even think of asking him about his girlfriend. I found out a couple days after that he had broken up with her.
“I’m not busy tomorrow,” I assured him breathlessly. “And I’d love to go bowling.” Actually, I have never been bowling but have heard lots of positive things about it. And it’s on several lists of perfect first date ideas.
“Where do you live?”
I told him.
“I’ll pick you up at five-thirty.”
“Okay.”
“See you tomorrow.” And then he was gone. I stayed there for several minutes, leaning against the door, trying to settle my nerves. I couldn’t believe that Lance’s brother had just asked me out. The rest of the evening was a blur for me. I couldn’t sleep that night because I was too excited. Colton showed up at exactly five-thirty, looking sexy in his white shirt and jeans. I saw the way he looked at me and I felt tingly all over. I had my hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing a red top with jeans. We talked a lot on the way to the bowling alley and had so much fun.
Afterwards, we went to an Italian eatery and enjoyed mouth watering pasta dishes. He didn’t take me home right after. We went for a drive along the coast, stopped to admire the view of the Bay for a little while and then he took me home. Outside on the porch, he asked me out on another date which I promptly accepted.
On Monday when I saw Lance at school, I was bursting with excitement. We were standing by the lockers when I told him about Colton. He didn’t seem to mind at all, although I couldn’t see why he should. That was what we were talking about when those girls saw us and went berserk.
After Lance and I parted company, they ascended on me like a swarm of bees and made all sorts of crude and racist remarks which I ignored. I didn’t get into anything with them. I was above that. Instead, I walked away with my head held high. One of them said that there was no way that Lance would be into me because I was an ugly girl with glasses. Hmmph. Well, there was no way that he would be into her because she was hateful.
I didn’t let their remarks ruin my day. I had a date with Colton that evening and was looking forward to it. It was on our fourth date that we made love for the first time. After we went to a concert in the park, we went back to his place. He made hamburgers which we ate on the terrace while we watched the sun set. Then, after finishing our Red and Blue Berry Lemonade Slushes, we went inside.
Without saying anything, he took my hand and led me to his bedroom. After closing the door, he began to kiss me. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him back. The kisses soon became very intense and the next thing I knew, we were naked, our clothes strewn on the floor. He backed me over to the bed, pushed me down gently and then got on top of me. His mouth covered mine the same instant he took me. I cried out because of the pain but it soon went away and all I could feel then was intense and mind-blowing pleasure. I will never forget my first experience.
Last week Saturday my parents went out of town to spend the weekend with my sister and her family. I called Colton and invited him to come over. He came over in the evening. We had the dinner which my mother made earlier that day. There was enough to feed an army. We went for a drive, stopped for some ice-cream and then went back to the house. We spent the evening watching television. It was after mid-night when we went to bed. We were in my room. After we brushed, we slipped under the sheets and made love. We fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The next morning, he was still sleeping when I woke up. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek but he didn’t stir. He was a deep sleeper. I got up and drew back the curtains for the sunlight to stream in. I turned to look at him. He looked so adorable and sexy, laying there on his left side with his hand resting on my side of the bed. Unable to resist, I bent over and kissed him on his shoulder before I went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. I left a clean, folded towel for him to use on top of the wash basin before getting dressed and heading down to the kitchen to make breakfast. We spent the day together and then he left late afternoon, a couple of hours before my parents got home. It was the best weekend I had ever had.
As I sit down now at the table to have my lunch, I can’t help but reflect on our relationship. We have been dating for half a year now. For me it’s very serious because I’m so in love with him but I’m not sure if he feels the same way. I know that he wants me. I can see it on his face when he looks at me. Just thinking about how much he wants me makes me tremble and feel warm all over. I wish we were together right this very minute but I will just have to wait until later.
Thankfully, the day went by quickly and at a quarter to six, I was standing outside of his apartment and ringing the bell. When he opened the door, my eyes eagerly drank every inch of him. He looked incredible in the black shirt and jeans. His hair was slightly damp as if he had just taken a shower. One of my fantasies is to make love with him in the shower. It was feeling a bit hot in the hallway all of a sudden.
“Hello,” he said with a smile before he reached down and kissed me hard on the mouth. When he drew back, his face was slightly flushed. “Come in.”
I stepped inside, my head spinning from that kiss. A tantalizing smell assailed my nostrils. “Something smells really great,” I exclaimed as I followed him through the foyer and into the living-room.
“It’s Crispy Lemon Pepper Chicken. It’s one of my favorite dishes.”
“Do you need any help?”
“No, thanks. Just relax in the living-room until everything is ready.”
While he was busy in the kitchen, she turned on the stereo and found a station where they played R&B. Five minutes later, he was setting things down on the table in the dining-room. He lit two candles. He called me to have a seat at the table while he went and got our drinks which were Sparkling Pear Punch. He sat down and smiling, he said, “Dig in.”
“This is delicious! How did you learn how to cook like this? Did your mother teach you? My mother taught me—is still teaching me.”
“No, I learned after I moved out and was living on my own.”
“Lance wasn’t kidding when he said that you’re a phenomenal cook. He even said that you’re as good as or maybe even better than your mother.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Did you ever make dinner for your ex-girlfriend?”
“No.”
That made me feel really special and I smiled as I raised the glass to take a sip of the punch.
“Have you told your parents about me?”
“Yes, they’re dying to meet you.”
“I bet they are. Do they know that there’s a considerable age difference between us?”
“Well, they know that you’re not a student.”
“Do they know that I’m white?”
“Yes and they don’t have a problem with that.”
“I’m relieved to hear that. Jaleesa, there’s something I need to ask you after we finish having our dinner.”
“Okay.” I wondered what it could be. I didn’t have to wait very long to find out. As soon as dinner was over and we were relaxing in the living-room, he turned to me, his expression very serious.
“We’ve been dating for a while now. In a few months, it will be a year.”
I nodded, my heart beginning to beat faster as I had no idea where this was leading. I hoped that it wasn’t a preamble for a breakup speech.
“I think it’s time for a change, Jaleesa.” He reached into his back pocket and took out a small box. I watched as he got down on his knee beside me. My eyes popped open and my hand flew up to my mouth as he opened the box and revealed an exquisite diamond ring. “I’m a bit nervous,” he admitted as he looked up at me. “I-I’ve never done this before.”
I was almost beside myself with shock and excitement. Tears were making him a big blur. And the fact that he was nervous about proposing for the first time was very endearing.
“I love you, Jaleesa. I fell in love with you the first time we met. I noticed you the moment you walked into the living-room on the day we were celebrating Lance’s birthday. Even though I was there with Heather, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. And the first opportunity I got, I had to ask you out but before I did, I had to make sure that you weren’t Lance’s girlfriend. Soon after you and I got together, I broke up with Heather. I bought this ring weeks ago and have been dying to propose to you but couldn’t find the courage until now. And even now, I’m nervous as hell. Jaleesa, what I’m trying to say—to ask is, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” I was blubbering now and after he slid the finger on my finger, I held his face between my hands and kissed him. He fell back on the carpet, pulling me down on top of him. We ended up making love in front of the sofa and celebrated our engagement with non-alcoholic wine afterwards.
Yes, life was full of surprises and unspeakable joy.
When he came back sometime later, he saw her waiting for him on the terrace. Nervous and excited he approached slowly, cautiously. She had the scarf draped about her and was looking down at him as he stood at the bottom of the steps. She looked so lovely. He ached to take her in his arms but he shoved them into the pockets of his trousers, trying to look nonchalant. “Hello,” he said.
