Chapter Three
Liz
While I waited for Paul to come pick me up, I texted Amy. It had been too long since we talked at work—Mishka had kept us both super busy with new product launch reviews. We’d barely had time to get coffee together, and when we had, Amy had been preoccupied.
Liz: I’m going out with Paul again.
Amy: For reals? That’s awesome! Third date, right? So things are heating up?
I didn’t know if “heating up” was the right way to describe it, but that seemed like a rather harsh way of viewing things.
I typed out, Things are going pretty well!
Amy: Where are you guys going? Are you going out tonight?
Liz: Yeah, just waiting for him to get here. We’re going to the movies.
Amy: Fun! Tell me all about it. I want details if he rocks your world.
Somehow, I doubted there would be any world-rocking, although I really wanted it to happen.
*
Paul held the door open for me, and we stepped out of the movie theater. Even though he was in jeans and a button-up shirt, he looked rather dashing. I knew I was lucky to be going on a date with him, but when we’d held hands during the movie, I had felt virtually nothing. I had to turn this around, but I didn’t know how, exactly.
“So, what did you think of the movie?” he asked.
“I was surprised that I liked it so much,” I said honestly. “I’m usually not into spy movies, but this was actually pretty interesting.”
He looked at his watch. “It’s only ten. You want to head over to Double Rainbow and get some ice cream?”
“Sounds great.”
This was our third date, and we’d started to relax around each other a little more. Paul was surprisingly easy to talk to, and spending time with him didn’t feel fraught with all kinds of unwanted tension or confusion. Solid Paul, just like I’d first thought.
“So, you don’t usually like spy movies?” he asked. His brown eyes were wide and earnest. “Why’d you agree to go to this one?”
I grinned. “Well, you never know if it’s going to be good, and I wanted to spend time with you.”
“Aww,” he said, gently bumping into my shoulder. “Did you ever watch that one…it had Brad Pitt and Robert Redford. Damn, what was that one called?” He gazed into space for a second. “Spy Game, that was it. That was a pretty good one, too.”
“I haven’t seen it.”
The street was pretty crowded, and we wove through people coming out of the theater or going to or from dinner dates. There was such an energy about San Francisco at night, so unlike the Midwest where I’d grown up. I wondered if Paul felt it, too. I opened my mouth to ask him, but he spoke first.
“Well, you should give it a try. I have it on DVD if you want to borrow it, or…maybe you could come over and watch it with me sometime?”
“That might be fun,” I said.
We’d reached Double Rainbow, and he held open the front door for me. I stepped inside and was immediately surrounded with the scents of sugar and sweetness. Paul made a big show of inhaling. “I love the way this place smells.”
I ordered a scoop of mint chip, and Paul got praline, then we sat down at one of the tables near the windows. The place was almost empty, just us, another couple who were too wrapped up in their own conversation to notice the world around them, and two teenagers behind the counter, talking and texting on their phones.
“What else have you seen recently?” he asked me.
“Well, honestly, I haven’t made much time to go to the movies,” I said, taking a bite of my ice cream. Cold, good. So refreshing and creamy. “I usually just wait until it’s available online. How about you? Have you seen anything good?”
He launched into a long summary of an alien spy movie. What was with this guy and spies? I watched him as he talked, his white teeth flashing with the occasional smile, his giant, broad shoulders taking up a lot of space.
The truth was, I still wasn’t feeling it with Paul. Two weeks from our first date and we’d gotten to know each other, but no spark. On the other hand, this was fun. We’d gone out to dinner that first date, then a hike up Mount Tamalpais. And tonight, a movie and ice cream. It was actually kind of a blast hanging out with one person and not feeling like I had to make small talk with a bunch of strangers in a noisy club. Paul was super easy to talk to, also. The spark would come—it had to, because he was obviously a good match for me.
My mind flashed to Jamie’s smile, superimposing it over Paul’s. Now there was some definite spark with Jamie.
But I wasn’t here with Jamie; I was here with Paul.
“You okay?” Paul asked. “You seem a bit distracted.”
“No, I’m great,” I said. “Just some work stress, that’s all.”
His brow furrowed in concern. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I waved my hand in the air. “No, it’s no big deal, really. Just a missed deadline that pissed off my boss. She came down kind of hard on me.”
What was I saying? This was all complete bullshit, but it was coming out of my mouth before I could even think it over. I was lying to this great guy about something that didn’t really matter.
He took my hand in his and squeezed it gently, and I felt even worse.
“She must know what a hard worker you are,” he said. “I’m sure she doesn’t deserve you.”
Paul was great—it was me who didn’t deserve him. Leaning forward across the tiny table, I pressed my lips to his. He kissed me back, opening his mouth slightly to prologue the kiss. His tongue swiped out to meet mine, and I opened my mouth a little, too, sharing his breath, sharing myself with him.
We pulled apart after a second, and my face felt hot.
“What was that for?” he asked.
I touched my lips and smiled at him. “I’d just been thinking what a great guy you are,” I said, feeling myself blush harder.
And I’d been feeling guilty for thinking about another great guy and lying about it…but, of course, I couldn’t tell him that.
Long after our ice creams were finished, we stayed at that tiny table, talking about movies, as well as some documentaries we’d seen. The entire time, our kiss replayed in my head. I’d felt something for Paul, I just knew it. It was small, a faint warmth, but it had definitely been there.
Soon, I hoped, things would heat up more for us and I would feel that all-consuming attraction for Paul that I felt for Jamie.