9
Bea
There were young guys I knew from college that, although I liked, I wouldn’t have trusted enough to be alone in the car with them. Not that I imagined another scenario like that which had occurred in the ladies bathroom at Tantra, but a car journey and an unspecified location offered the perfect opportunity to be hit on—even to be pressured unduly, depending on the quality of the individual.
But I knew it wouldn’t happen with Damon. I barely knew the guy, but after what he’d done for me, I trusted him.
I was aware that I was going against what would be my typical advice of not trusting strangers—especially strange man—but there was something about this man that was utterly sincere. He was ambiguous in many ways, excepting the fact that he’d taken a liking to me after saving my neck and wanted to treat me as a gentleman should. It was like I’d found a guardian angel of some kind who, even when not fighting off rapists, would endeavor to protect my wellbeing in every way, as he had by listening to the woes of my home life. I’d been so stressed and upset by the fight with my parents that I hadn’t been able to stop myself from letting it all pour out when I’d stepped into the restaurant, but he’d happily listened to everything I said with genuine interest. Honestly, I probably looked a bit crazy for pouring my heart out to him so much on the first date—before I even knew his name!—but he seemed to have taken it in stride.
I was intrigued by what “surprise” he had in mind and couldn’t imagine what it could be. Leaning back in the passenger seat of his Ford Mustang as we drove to it, I suddenly realized how tired I was but managed to empty my head of all concerns and dilemmas as Damon took full control of our purpose and destination. It felt good just to give in, to let the roads and the traffic pass us by, and it didn’t register how long or how far we’d been driving until I came round to find that we’d pulled up at a lake—a calm and secluded body of water, upon which there was no activity other than the glistening moonlight. There was an old and rusty fishing boat docked close to where Damon stopped the car, but otherwise the water was clear of human interference and, as the Mustang’s engine was turned off, I was struck by how quiet it was.
“It’s beautiful out here,” I said, almost whispering for not wanting to break the silence. “I can just about make out the hum of a major road somewhere, but it seems pretty distant.”
“The angle of the hills and forestry behind us stop the noise from reaching almost,” Damon replied, “but we’re not that far away. You could probably walk here, in fact.”
I raised my brows. “But there’s no sign of anyone,” I said. “I feel like we could be in the middle of nowhere.”
He grinned. “We’re in Florida, Bea,” he said. “People have sandy beaches galore to waste their free time on. With all the ocean views and seaside bars, a little beauty like this place gets overlooked. People don’t even bother checking it out, but I like it here. It’s become a kind of sanctuary to me, away from the busy streets.”
“You come here a lot?” I asked.
He nodded. “You see that boat there? That’s mine. I often come to just sit on the water.”
“It’s funny because you look every bit the city boy,” I said with a smile, surprised that someone who seemed as stylish as him would hold such sentiments. I was definitely reconsidering the dark and dangerous vibe which had been my very first impression of him the other night. Damon was a man of contradictions and all the more interesting for them.
“Tell me about it,” he said, returning my smile. “It’s become a bit of a dream of mine, though; a life on the water. Not here—this is just a nice sampler to keep me going. I think I’d like to move up the coast someday, to somewhere a bit more laid back. Maybe open up my own workshop and fix up yachts for people.”
I smiled. “That sounds lovely.”
“If only life was that simple.”
“I’d have to agree with you there. Don’t give up, though,” I said, taking my eyes away from the lake and turning to look at him. For some reason his plans gave me hope, as if a small part of my mind was realizing that if he could make his dreams come true one day, then so could I. Not that my vision was anywhere near as well defined as his. It was a question I really had to start asking myself more seriously. What do you want from life?
“You want to join me in the middle for a little while?” Damon asked, nodding to the boat.
“Oh!” I replied, not expecting the suggestion. “Won’t that be too hard?”
“Not at all. We’re not negotiating Miami harbor; we’ll be out on the lake in less than five minutes.”
“Even in the dark?”
“Trust me.”
Once again I gave in to Damon’s direction, followed him out of the car and allowed him to help me onto the boat. From a distance, I might’ve almost believed the vessel to be out of use, but it felt sturdier once I was standing on it, and the engine that Damon quickly started felt healthy. Soon enough, he’d freed all the ropes holding us steady and we were on our way out into the center of the water just as he’d said. I sat down behind Damon as he worked the controls, which were either not very complicated at all or else he made them look easy.
Once he’d stopped the engine and let the boat drift to a halt, I stood back up and took a look around. Immediately the reasons for people wanting to be out on the open water hit home, even on this little lake. With nothing but calm water in all directions, the troubles of the world couldn’t find you, unless you started up the engine again and insisted on going back. I thought I could just about make out the glint of Damon’s Mustang in the moonlight, but I knew that no one could see us and that the lake was all ours for as long as we wanted.
It was perfect.
Even then, the date was still full of surprises. As I looked up at the stars, which shone more beautifully than they ever could obscured by city lights, I heard the clink of glass and looked down to see that Damon had retrieved a bottle of wine and two glasses from somewhere on the boat.
“What’s this?” I asked with a coy smile. “You had me convinced this was all spontaneous, but now it looks like you planned this all along.”
“I always keep a bottle here,” Damon replied with a wink.
Suddenly I couldn’t help but wonder if he was a smoother operator than I’d been giving him credit for. Maybe he had me exactly where he wanted me now.
“Do you bring all the girls you date here?” I asked, a little shakily for fear of discovering I was just another conquest.
He gave me a long look before speaking up again. “Bea, I’ve never showed this place to anyone,” he replied, “not even my sister, who I’m very close to.”
“Then why am I so privileged to see it on a first date?” I asked, reaching out to accept the glass of red wine he was holding out to me, but then finding I couldn’t take my eyes off his.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” he said.
I thought we might toast to something then, but instead Damon lifted up his free hand and, without breaking his gaze, I felt the soft sensation of his fingertips caressing my right cheek. A moment of stillness followed. I didn’t think I could move my limbs and was suddenly scared of the side of the boat in case I became unbalanced and fell over. Even so, I had confidence that he wouldn’t let me fall, and I continued to look up at him, trembling at his touch as his fingers moved to stroke my hair, which was hanging loose. Being alone together in the middle of the lake had emptied my mind of all the woes that plagued my home and work life and, though I hadn’t planned on any such moment, my mind found no objection to his touch or his kiss.
My eyes closed, my lips pressed against his and I could feel the warmth of his body seeping into mine. Our chests weren’t quite touching, but they could be if I would just give in to the yearning for his embrace. My desire was there, I resisted and pulled back, gently so and to the extent that I was rejecting him. I knew that if we didn’t stop, we’d end up having sex, and as perfect as the lake and the night sky were, and as much as I wanted to be his, I simply wasn’t the type to have sex on a first date. That didn’t mean the moment had to be awkward or ruined, though. After pulling back, I lifted my free hand and held his before smiling warmly up at him.
“Sorry. I can’t let us get carried away,” I said, “as perfect as this evening has been. I hate to sound like a cliché, but I’m not that kind of girl.”
“That’s okay, I’m not that kind of boy,” he joked. “But I got to kiss the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen under the stars and where I love being. I couldn’t ask for much more.”
His words made me blush, though I didn’t think there was enough light for him to notice. “Thank you,” I said softly.
“Do you want to go?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, I love it out here. I’d like to stay.”
He grinned. “Good.”
After telling me not to get the wrong idea, he unrolled a blanket and suggested we lie down and look up at the stars for as long as I wanted to stay.
“This is what I do sometimes, when shit gets a bit too hard,” he told me, once we were lying back and letting the view soak up our senses. “Amazing, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Really amazing.”
I confessed that I couldn’t point out a single constellation or planetary body and was slightly ashamed of that, but the more I looked, the more beautiful the heavens became. Another half hour seemed to fly by, though we were doing nothing other than lying back and talking, occasionally sitting up to take a few sips of wine. By then it was half past ten and I had to regretfully announce that we should get back. The wine could’ve warmed our bodies long into the night, but a late night wouldn’t go down well with my parents when I got home.
It was finally time to face the music.