Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
I could tell she was embarrassed, but I couldn’t help but laugh. I thought she was adorable, and I didn’t hesitate to tell her so. It seemed to reassure her that I didn’t mind that she wasn’t well versed in wine. The truth was, I was only just beginning to learn the details, and there was plenty I didn’t know.
“Maybe we can learn more about it together,” she said.
And that sealed it. There was no question I wanted to see her again, as soon as possible. But I could also tell she had some hesitation. She seemed happy to be with me and immediately agreed to see me again when I asked her, but she was firm and unwavering about our date ending on the porch in front of her apartment door.
That definitely wasn’t something I was accustomed to. It went along with not being the dating type. Not to say there weren’t dinners, drinks, and other types of activities with the women who drifted in and out of my life. But those never ended on front porches. At least, not without me going inside for a while first. There was never any ambiguity about it. Never any question. I was up-front with those women and expected the same from them.
That was one thing I wouldn’t compromise on when it came to my interactions with women. I knew what I wanted, and I was honest about it. They knew when they hooked up with me it was going to be temporary. We’d have fun together for however long it lasted, but it wasn’t going to last very long. A few dates, max. And they felt the same way.
It was completely different with Camilla. I enjoyed every moment with her throughout that night, from holding her hand as we walked through the vineyard to the kiss good night. And I didn’t mind that there wasn’t more. I desired her. I still had the craving for her deep in my belly. But I was willing to wait. I wanted to spend time with her, to get to know her. It wasn’t something I’d ever considered before, but for Camilla, I wouldn’t hesitate.
That was how that first Friday night date led to another one the next Friday. And then the Friday after that. It became our weekly standing date, spending Friday evening together for the next few weeks. We didn’t go back to the vineyard restaurant every week. Instead, I found myself enjoying coming up with new things for us to do together every week.
We went miniature golfing one Friday. I indulged myself in watching her bend over to grip her club and to scoop up her bright pink ball. I also learned she was really bad at golfing and had no problem cheating, which led to us rewriting all the rules of the game and ending with negative stroke counts and cheeks aching from laughter.
I found a drive-in movie theater a couple of towns over, and we went to a marathon of terrible old horror movies. We sat in the front of the retro convertible I borrowed from my brother, cuddled under a blanket in the cool night air, and ate popcorn. Camilla pretended to be afraid so she could jump and curl up closer to me. I happily wrapped my arms around her to protect her from the useless monsters.
She packed a picnic for us, and I brought her out to the far back corner of one of the fields where guests weren’t allowed to go. We spread out a blanket near the vines and ate under the stars.
We still hadn’t slept together. I never mentioned it, and neither did she. I figured when the time was right, we would both know, and it would just happen. We didn’t need to have a big conversation about it. I was sure Camilla had some sort of timetable in her head and was just waiting for the moment she had decided was right. I wasn’t going to push it.
Instead, we spent our time together talking, really getting to know each other. We held hands and ran our fingertips along each other’s faces and arms. We shared soft kisses and sometimes just enjoyed being together in silence. Over those weeks I learned that dating, real dating, was totally worth it. And that I could be truly happy.
I didn’t think I had smiled this much since my grandparents were alive.
Of course, being one of five brothers meant I wasn’t going to possibly escape a bit of ribbing on the part of the other four. As soon as I walked back onto the vineyard the day after our first date, I started hearing about my moony face. The teasing only increased as the weeks progressed and my brothers saw how the budding new relationship was affecting me. Apparently, I had taken to occasional sighing and staring off into the distance. And they loved poking fun at me about it every chance they got.