Chapter 3 – Dylan
“Are you okay, Maya? You look nervous.”
She shook her head that she was fine, but I had a feeling that there was a lot more going on in her mind than she wanted to let on. It was a big deal, this dinner, and we both knew how it was going to end. It was going to end with her in my arms, the only way I knew to really show her how much I loved her.
I flipped the chicken breast over and waited for her answer. I was cooking and she had a chair pulled up to the stainless steel table in the back. I knew that was because she didn’t want to be seen through the window by someone she knew, but I liked to think that maybe it was because she wanted to be closer to me.
“I’m fine. I’m a little nervous, but I’m fine, really.”
She said it twice, the dreaded woman words that every man knew did not equate to them being fine. She was angry at me for some reason, or she was into her emotions. If it was the latter, I had a good guess of who it was she was thinking about. Maya was thinking about her husband, and I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about that. I knew that Tyler and Maya were nothing like me and Sasha. Sasha and I had been in love; they were not. But it still bothered me that I was with another man’s wife.
“Maybe this was a bad idea.”
Maya smiled at me and told me that it wasn’t a bad idea. “That food smells so good. There is no way that I’m leaving without trying it.”
I wanted her to be that sure about me, but I guess that wanting my cooking was going to have to be good enough right now.
“Well, it’s almost ready. Do you want to eat down here, or do you want to go up to the apartment?”
I knew the answer was going to be where she wouldn’t be seen, but I waited for her to tell me that she wanted to go upstairs. I’d already started to put the chicken in a take-out container, hoping that was where our destination was going to be.
“Why don’t we go upstairs? I don’t like sitting in front of these windows.”
Quickly agreeing, I grabbed up the rest of the items and had her follow me upstairs. We’d been dating for a couple of months now, and it was time to take it to the next level. I was going to lose it if I didn’t have her in my arms soon. It was all that I thought about, all that I wanted, and tonight was finally going to be the night. All of the time in between had made me a little crazy, and my body was already ready for her. So ready that it physically hurt. Maya had been a painful pursuit, but it was finally going to pay off.
“Do you need help carrying anything?”
I told her that I didn’t. I’d run The James Restaurant for many years, and it was now second nature to carry more items than an octopus. I knew how, and I knew that she didn’t; if I handed her something, it was probably not going to make it upstairs without falling. Maya was many things, but a waitress she was not.
“Are you sure that there isn’t something I can do?”
“No, you just being here is enough for me. I’ve waited for this night for a long time, Maya, you know that.”
I didn’t say what I’d been waiting for. I was sure that she knew what I was talking about. While we’d never said it out loud, I knew that she was expecting the same thing. That was why she’d worn the dress that made me thankful to be a man, and why everything about her was made up. She was ready for what I was ready for, and in that moment I just wanted to throw the food to the side and take her. It was all I could think about.
But I was supposed to take my time. Everything between us had been me taking my time, and I knew that I was going to have to keep taking it slow a little while longer. She wasn’t quite ready yet – and I didn’t mind impressing her with my cooking skills first.
“It smells really good.”
Smiling at her, I told her that she looked good as well. There was something different about Maya today, and I wasn’t sure what it was, but I liked the look. She didn’t look like the innocent woman I’d met on the train several months ago. That woman had been sure of herself; this woman in front of me was still a jumble of nerves. I would have done anything to calm her fears. I was not like her husband. I was going to cherish her, and one day she would be mine. I wasn’t going to lose another woman I loved, not after Sasha.
“I remember you telling me that it was your favorite meal, so I hope it surpasses your expectations.”
Maya grinned before she looked down, embarrassed. “I’m sure it will, Dylan. Everything with you does. I don’t know how we found each other, but I’m glad we did. You keep me sane when everything else is just falling apart.”
She moved to kiss me, and what started as a little peck turned into something more. My own need was blinding and I couldn’t help myself. I got too enthused and I felt her hands pushing against my chest. It took me a minute to realize that I was on top of her, pressing her body into the couch where we were sitting. It was too much, too soon, I knew that, but I didn’t care. I was done waiting and dinner or not, I needed her now.
“Maybe we should eat first, Dylan.”
“Of course.” Cursing myself, I leaned back to my side and tried not to pout. It had been a long wait, one that would have tried the patience of a saint. I’d been waiting far too long.
“I’m sorry, Dylan. I want to, I’m just nervous and I don’t know why. I haven’t been with anyone else but my husband in a long time.”
“Me either. You’re the first woman that I’ve really dated since Sasha. It has been a long time for both of us. That’s why it’s going to be so special.”
Her thoughts of waiting were draining, and when she was the one who moved to me and touched the side of my face for a kiss, I realized that she’d finally made her mind up. It was like music to my ears, and my heart pounded in my chest as our lips met. Maya was something special, and I felt privileged to even be around her.
As I moved to cover her body, I realized that there wasn’t enough room on the couch for what I wanted to do to her. At the same time, I didn’t want to snap her out of the need that she had for me.
“Why don’t we take this into the bedroom, Maya, where I can love you properly?”