Chapter 16 (5/27/16)

            Dan did text.  On Sunday morning, I got a text from him asking if I wanted to come over for dinner that evening.  “You cook?” I asked in response, realizing just how little I knew about him.  “I cook, but I can’t promise I cook well!” he replied immediately.  I laughed. 

            As usual, completely unable to make minor decisions on my own, I texted Erica and Kelly.  “Third ‘date’: going to his house for dinner.  Crazy, or not crazy?”  An immediate text back from Erica declared it ‘not crazy’, while a couple minutes later, Kelly said, “Can we define crazy?  I mean, I guess you probably won’t get murdered.”  I rolled my eyes and thanked them for their insight, then texted Dan back that I was in.  After confirming, I texted Kelly and Erica, “This has ‘good chance of getting laid’ written all over it.”  “Except for the part where he hasn’t even kissed you yet,” Erica helpfully pointed out.  She quickly followed up with, “But I’ll cross my fingers for you!” 

            I tossed my phone down onto my bed and went back to packing.  I had one week to finish packing all my stuff to be ready to move.  I never realized how much stuff I had until I started packing it, and I wasn’t pleased by it.  I was trying to get rid of as much as I could, but there was still too much. 

            I packed until it was time to get ready to go to Dan’s house.  Once I was ready, I programmed his address into my phone’s GPS and headed out, managing to completely avoid Kevin for once. 

            Dan’s house was in a nice, established neighborhood.  It was probably one of the newer houses in the neighborhood, and it was bigger than I was expecting.  He pulled open the door and I smelled something delicious.  “Whatever you’re cooking, it smells amazing,” I told him, after he’d hugged me in greeting.

            “I hope you’re okay with pork,” he said sheepishly.  “I didn’t even think to ask.”

            “I am,” I assured him. 

He noticed me looking around curiously and took me on a quick tour of the house, ending in the kitchen.  “I want to do some renovating in here but I haven’t really had the time yet,” he said, looking around the room.  “I’ll do most of it myself, and it just seems like a really daunting task at the moment.”

“You cook and you’re handy?” I asked, grinning.  “That’s a deadly combination.”

“Anyone can strip and stain cabinets,” he replied modestly.  “I’m not going to do anything too crazy.”

Dan had made pork chops with a mushroom and Dijon sauce, green beans, and roasted potatoes.  My mouth was watering by the time we sat down.  Partway through the meal, I said, “This is really good.  You lied when you said you couldn’t promise you cooked well!”

Dan chuckled.  “Well, actually I didn’t.  I can’t take credit for this, even though I’d like to because you’re obviously impressed.  My friend who is a chef did most of the work.  I just finished it all off in the oven.”

I shook my head.  “I don’t even care,” I said.  “It’s so good that it doesn’t matter who cooked it!” 

I helped him clear the dishes after we finished.  “I don’t have dessert, but I do have more wine,” he informed me. I let him pour me another glass and we moved to the living room.  He turned on the TV and we flipped through Netflix to pick out a movie.  We playfully argued over the choices until we found one we both liked, then we settled under a blanket next to each other on the couch.

Throughout the movie, I kept waiting for him to make some sort of move.  But he didn’t talk, he didn’t look at me, he didn’t even touch me.  I shifted slightly closer to him at one point and he subtly shifted away.  Rebuked, I wiggled back to my original spot.  “Sorry,” he said ruefully, noticing my movement.  “I’m not much of a cuddler.”  He moved his hand beneath the blanket and squeezed my leg gently, then left his hand there.            

When the movie finished, he looked at me.  “What do you want to watch next?” he asked.  Before I could control my face, my brow furrowed slightly.  “What?” he asked, noticing.

“Are you going to kiss me, or what?” I blurted before I could stop myself.  I immediately felt my face heat up as he laughed gently.

“I think I could manage that,” he teased, gently gripping the back of my neck and bringing his lips to meet mine.  It felt weird, kissing someone new for the first time in years and years, but he was a good kisser and I felt myself relaxing into the kiss.  But then it was over, and he was smiling at me.  “So,” he said, grinning lazily.  “What do you want to watch next?”

This time I kept the perplexed look off my face and just took the remote and scrolled through the options.  I picked something and we got comfortable.  This time he slipped his arm around me and pulled me against his side.  I settled against him but quickly got sleepy.  About 20 minutes (and 6 yawns) into the movie I sat up and stretched and said, “I think I should get going.”

“Already?” he asked, looking disappointed. 

“Yeah, I’m really tired,” I replied.  “I’ve been packing all weekend, apparently it’s draining.”  And I had to work in the morning.  And go to my home inspection.

He stood and offered me a hand, pulling me up off the couch.  “Okay, well thanks for coming over,” he said. 

“Thanks for inviting me, and sort of cooking,” I responded, grinning.  “I had fun.”  He followed me to the door and watched me get my stuff together.

“You know,” I said tentatively as I put my shoes on, “it’s totally cool if you’re not into casual sex, but I think we might want different things.”  I straightened and looked at him, anxiously awaiting his response.  It was the most direct thing I’d said to him.

He grinned and hooked an arm around my waist, kissing me lightly.  “I’m fine with casual sex,” he replied.  “I just like to get to know people a little bit first.”

I once again barely caught my face before it contorted into a confused frown.  Didn’t getting to know someone kind of defeat the purpose of casual sex?  “Okay,” I said, nodding, even though I was still confused. 

“So I’ll see you soon?” he asked, grabbing my hand and tugging me closer.

“Yes,” I answered, letting him pull me toward him.  He bent his head down and kissed me again, and I kissed him back, letting my mind wander briefly to wondering what else he did well with his tongue.

When I got to my car, I checked my texts.  I had a couple from Erica and Kelly.  “Well?” Kelly’s said simply.  “I hope you got some!” Erica’s said, optimistically.  I texted back, “Nope, but he did kiss me.  After I basically told him to.”  Then I tossed my phone back in my purse, put my car in drive, and pulled away from the curb.

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Chapter 15 (5/22/16)

            I wanted to put in a full price offer but Mike talked me into going in lower.  It was already after 8pm, so Mike warned me that I probably wouldn’t hear back that night.  I still jumped every time my phone vibrated.  Or when I heard something that sounded remotely like a vibrating phone. 

Once I got home, I pulled my phone out.  I had several texts from Kelly and Erica, and a response from Dan.  It said, “Sure, let me know when.  Good luck!”  I was glad he understood, and I texted him back, “Well, I just made an offer!  And how about tomorrow?”  I got an immediate text back saying, “Awesome! Good luck!  I have dinner plans tomorrow but could do drinks around 9.  Otherwise I’m free Saturday.”  We settled on drinks on Friday, then I text Kelly and Erica to tell them the good news, then headed home.

I didn’t hear anything that night, and I didn’t sleep.  I lay awake, alternately tossing and turning, then staring at the ceiling, imagine how I would furnish and decorate my new house.  Then I’d have to remind myself that it wasn’t my house yet. 

            By the next morning, I was anxious.  The house went on the market today, and I had hoped to have a deal made before that happened, so someone else didn’t come in and make a better offer.  I wished that Mike hadn’t talked me out of offering full asking price.  Then I reminded myself that he knew what he was doing and I did not.

            I tried to not be glued to my phone while I worked on Friday, but it was nearly impossible not to be.  Luckily, my office was fairly casual and no one cared about our phone use, as long as we weren’t ignoring our job duties.  I finally got a call from Mike around 3, and after asking one of my coworkers to cover the phones for me, I hurried outside and quickly called him back.  “Well?” I asked, when he answered.

            “Hi, Jenna,” he replied with a laugh.  “I’m sorry, they didn’t accept your offer.  They countered at full asking price.”

            “Well that’s stupid,” I grumbled.  “Let’s just do that.”

            “I think you should ask for them to pay closing costs if you’re going to pay asking,” he suggested.

            I sighed in frustration.  “I just want this house,” I told him.  “Let’s just make it happen.”

            “Jenna, they haven't listed it yet.”

            “What do you mean?” I asked, not fully understanding him.

            “I mean, they planned to list it today, but they haven’t done anything with it yet.  I assume that means they plan to sell it to you.  Let’s ask for closing costs.”

            I considered this and then relented.  “Fine,” I agreed.

            “You’re making the right decision,” Mike assured me.  “I’ll call you back as soon as I hear something.”

            As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait for long.  Mike called me back about a half hour later.  I again asked a coworker to cover the phones, which she did gladly.  The whole office was about as excited as I was to find out about the house.  “Hello?” I answered, a little more politely than I had earlier.

            “Congratulations!” Mike crowed.  “The house is yours!  Pending financing and the inspection, of course.”  But I barely even heard that part, because I was too busy jumping up and down and squealing.  Yes, actually jumping and squealing.  Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t!  “They also agreed to the quick close that you wanted, but that means you need to move fast to get your inspection scheduled and get stuff taken care of with the bank.  You don’t have time to lose on this, Jenna.” 

            Luckily, I had already done my inspection research and had the numbers of two different inspectors that were highly recommended.  As soon as I hung up with Mike, I called the first one.  I left a message, then called the second.  Someone answered, and I managed to get an inspection scheduled for Monday. 

            I decided to put off calling and cancelling my lease until after the inspection, just in case.  I had a feeling I would lose my entire deposit, but the rental market was pricey enough here that I’d still actually save some money over the course of the year.  Provided, of course, that nothing catastrophic happened where I’d need to replace or fix anything major.

            I did, however, reschedule my movers.  I figured regardless of what happened with this house, I’d be moving one way or the other, so I’d better just reschedule and not cancel. They weren’t very happy with the last minute change, and I apologized profusely and ended up paying a rescheduling fee, but got them rescheduled for when I wanted them.

            When I went back inside, an expectant head popped out of the office closest to my desk.  “Well?” asked Rachael, one of my favorite coworkers.  I couldn’t hide my huge grin and her face lit up.  “You bought a house!” she shrieked, earning a disapproving glare from one of the more senior employees.  “You bought a house!” she repeated, her volume much more reasonable.

            “I bought a house!” I confirmed, grinning like an idiot.  “Well, I committed to buying a house, provided the inspection goes okay and the bank comes through with the loan.”

            Rachael rolled her eyes at me.  “Stop it,” she said.  “Let’s do happy hour after work!”

            “I have a date at 9, but could definitely do something right after work,” I agreed.

            Rachael cocked an eyebrow.  “A date at 9?  What kind of date is that?  A ‘date’?” she asked, using air quotes around the word date.

            Just then, the office phone rang, and I hurried back to my desk.  “I’ll tell you about it after work,” I promised.  I made it to the phone just in time to pick it up.  “Smithson Staffing Solutions, this is Jenna, how can I help you today?” I answered brightly.  Rachael snorted.  She said I had a special voice that I used for answering the phone, and she thought it was hilarious.

            Luckily, the last hour of work went quickly, and Rachael and I walked over to a nearby restaurant that had great happy hour specials.  We ordered drinks and a couple appetizers to share, and then I filled her in on my date.  “It’s just a second date,” I explained.  “We were supposed to go to dinner last night but I bailed on him to go look at this house, so we rescheduled for tonight.”

            “At 9?” she asked skeptically.

            “Yes, at 9,” I replied, rolling my eyes.  “I’m not looking for anything serious anyway, so don’t start on your ‘No man that wants to be your boyfriend is okay with just taking you out for drinks in the middle of the night’ speech.”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she scoffed. 

            “I’ve heard you give the same speech to Katie and Erin,” I pointed out.  “And anyway, 9 isn’t even that late.”

            Rachael shrugged.  “When you catch feelings and he’s 1am booty-calling you, don’t come crying to me.” 

            “I won’t,” I assured her. “But when he catches feelings and I just want a 1am booty call, I might come crying to you.  Because that’s annoying.”  She laughed and let me change the subject.  We stayed for a couple hours before I figured I should probably head home and get ready for my date. 

            Kevin was in the living room when I got there, so I took the opportunity to update him.  “My moving date has changed. I’m having movers come on the first now.  Sorry for the switch.”

            “Okay,” he replied.  He didn’t move his eyes from the TV.  I didn’t wait for him to say anything else, I just turned and walked downstairs.  I jumped in the shower, careful not to wet my hair.  I redid my makeup, used my curling wand to put some loose waves in my hair, and pulled on a casual but cute outfit. 

            “Going out?” Kevin asked, as I came upstairs and headed to the closet for my boots and coat.

            “Yep,” I answered, not saying anything else. 

            “Cool,” he replied, sounding bored.  I pulled my boots and coat on, grabbed my purse from where I’d set it on the floor, and left without another word to him.

            I was in such a hurry that I didn’t even realize how early I was until I parked.  It was only 8:40.  I briefly considered just going in and getting a table and having a drink by myself while I waited, then quickly discarded that idea, because I was just not confident enough to drink by myself in a bar.  So I fiddled with my phone, reapplied my lip gloss three times, and managed to smudge the wing of my eyeliner while trying to de-clump a tiny section of eyelashes—all in the span of a mere 4 minutes.  I was so intent on distracting myself that I jumped when my phone sounded from my purse on the passenger seat.             

            “I got here a little early so I grabbed us a table,” Dan’s text said.  I laughed to myself that he had done exactly what I hadn’t.  I didn’t want to look like a crazy person, so I forced myself to wait 3 minutes before I replied.  “Just got here, I’ll be in shortly!”

            I checked my makeup and hair one more time and then headed inside.  “Hi,” I greeted Dan as I found the table he had taken over. 

            “Hi,” he replied.  “You look great.” 

            “Thanks,” I said.  I realized as we greeted each other that our greetings sounded a little stiff.  I chalked it up to nerves, but noticed that I didn’t really feel any sort of excitement when I saw him.  This isn’t the movies, Jen, I scolded myself in my head.  And anyway, you’re not looking for anything serious.  You’ve just got to get back into the game.

            “So, any word on the house?” he asked, when I returned from the bar with a drink.  I recounted the story for him, and he seemed genuinely happy for me.  I relaxed a little and we settled into easy conversation. 

            About two hours into our date, Dan frowned thoughtfully, and then said, “This is really random, but can I ask what you’re looking for?”

            “What I’m looking for?” I repeated.  “What do you mean?”

            “Like, are you looking for a relationship, something casual, you know?”

            “Oh!” I replied, blushing.  “Obviously.  Something casual.  I’m not in a hurry to get in a relationship, so casual dating and…well…” I blushed even darker, realizing what I just implied.

            Dan bit his lip, trying not to laugh at me.  “Got it,” he said, nodding and saving me from whatever embarrassing thing was about to explode out of my mouth. 

            I took a long drink of my gin and tonic to give myself a chance to collect myself.  “What about you?” I asked, when I had it together again.

            “The same,” he replied, taking a casual sip of his beer.  “If I find something great, then that’s awesome.  But I’m not looking for it.”

            I thought that going back to regular conversation would be hard after that random interjection, but it wasn’t. We ended up staying another couple of hours before parting ways.  

            Since we’d both made our intentions clear, I hoped that the evening would end with at least a kiss, if not an invitation back to his place.  It had been far too long since I’d kissed a new person (Jamie didn’t count, because I’ve kissed him before), and I was slightly giddy with anticipation. But Dan just hugged me and promised to text to set something else up for next week.  Disappointed, I got into my car, wondering if he’d actually even text.

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