Chapter 3: Laura

I met Percy at Amanda’s home. She made the introductions. Percy had dark hair and was fairly good looking. He didn’t look very enthusiastic about meeting me, but he was polite. He took a good look at my clothes. I had dressed in a nice summer dress. Nothing fancy or extravagant.

“Laura, meet Percy,” Amanda said with a giggle. She was clearly enjoying the situation.

“Nice to meet you,” Percy held out his hand to shake mine.

I accepted his hand, smiling back. “Nice to meet you.”

We spent the first few awkward minutes doing small talk with Amanda.

“My car is parked just outside. Are you ready to go?” Percy asked me.

I agreed, took his arm, and followed him. Amanda quickly departed and teased, “Have fun you two!” And she giggled.

Percy gained points when he opened the door and held it open while I got inside his car.

He drove us to a vegetarian restaurant which had, quite possibly, the best vegetarian cuisine I had ever had. He didn’t look like a vegetarian, so I guessed Amanda told him about my eating habits. More points to him for doing his homework.

We engaged in the sort of casual conversation most couples endure on a first date. Percy had a nice personality and was easy to talk to. He was nice. I did my best to learn all I could about him. He asked a lot of questions about me and my work and he actually listened to my answers. We found our works had a lot in common.

Then, we went to a bar that looked like an English pub. We drank brown ale, which Percy explained to me was sweet and low in alcohol. We played darts, and we challenged each other to a contest. I had a lot of fun. He later drove me home and kissed me on my doorstep. A nice kiss, I must say.

After the kiss, he gave me a curious look. “You’re not quite what I was expecting.”

“No?” I replied. “Is that a good thing?”

He smiled. “Yes, it is.”

A-plus date all around, a true gentleman, great company and conversation, and we tried something new.

I’m not sure what I loved more, the amount of laughing we did, or how relaxed I felt with Percy. I was able to be myself to my fullest. It surprised me how easy it was to talk with him.

There goes my theory about having to go on seven dates with seven different men to find the right one.

As soon as he got home, he texted me to tell me how great of a night he had with me. He added he couldn’t wait to see me again. I texted him back telling him I felt the same way.

Throughout the next week, we texted back and forth every day.

“Don’t get too clingy”, I said to myself. “He is too good to be true. Wait till you find the skeletons in the closet.”

We dated three more times and I found no skeletons at all. He was kind, caring, smart, and easy-going. That was the beginning of our romance. We started going steady and, one magic night, we had sex for the first time.

The more I got to know Percy, the more I realized what a special guy he was.

When I was with him, he made me forget the world around me. He was enough, and, together, we were everything. I felt I had found the man of my dreams, even if I knew him just for some months. I was trying to play it off like my heart was taking it ‘slow’. However, I had no clue what ‘taking it slow’ really entailed let alone how to actually put that action into practice.