17
Chad
Ever since I met Emily, I felt attracted to her. It was strange, because she appeared to be very conservative and reserved, which usually wasn’t my type. For some reason her quiet demeanor didn’t stop me from being drawn to her. She also seemed sad, and now I knew why. That Martin character really did a number on her. It wasn’t fair for anyone to live in that kind of relationship. She deserved so much more. Anybody would.
I’m so glad I sat next to her in class and engaged her in conversation. There was something different about her appearance that made me muster up the courage to try to approach her again. My instincts were right. She was open to discussion, and I was relieved. I couldn’t explain how drawn I felt to her. It was real, and it was intense. I knew I couldn’t ignore how I felt.
I was psyched she agreed to spend more time with me. I was glad I’d come up with something to do. If I were in California, I would have taken her into the beach and thrown her in the ocean just to see her laugh. That was what she needed; she needed to laugh.
It sounded like she also needed to have some fulfilling sex. I was shocked when she admitted how dull their sex life was. After the description of his regimented life, I couldn’t imagine he had the ability to satisfy her. According to her, she was never satisfied, which was so sad. I would have loved to show her what sex should be like. I’d have to be patient, though, since she was fresh out of a long-term relationship. I didn’t want to pressure her, because there was this part of me that could see myself with her for the long run.
After the lecture we went our separate ways to change for our paintball excursion. I knew it was a random activity for some girls, but I thought it was a lot of fun. I hoped she did too. I had something to eat, changed into my junky clothes, grabbed my key, and headed out the door. I hailed a taxi and rode to Emily’s place to pick her up. She’d given me the address. I was interested to see where she was living.
I didn’t know New York City very well, so I wasn’t sure what part of town she lived in simply by the address. I noticed we were traveling towards the Upper East Side of the city, which was a more affluent area than where I was living. When the cab driver pulled up in front of this high-rise on Park Ave, I was shocked. It never occurred to me one way or another that Emily came from money. It was nothing I cared about. Although she dressed well, she wasn’t at all snooty. Her behaviors indicated she had been brought up to be polite and well mannered, but I had a feeling this housing structure was where the elite lived.
I was analyzing the building when I saw her come out of the front door. She said hello to the doorman and ran over to the taxi. When she hopped in, she looked young and excited. It made me feel really good. “Ready to go?” I asked her.
“I sure am. I don’t think I’ve been this excited to do something new in a long time. Thank you so much for inviting me.”
I was fairly confident she didn’t have any idea how beautiful she was. “I’m just glad to be sharing this with a friend. Even though I went alone before, it was a blast. I think you’re going to love it.”
She gave me the biggest smile imaginable and looked ahead. Cab drivers in New York drive wild, and I could tell she was keeping an eye on our guy from Pakistan. She engaged him in conversation for most of the ride. She asked him what part of the country he was from. She seemed to know the city he was born in. I wondered if she had ever travelled there.
She found out he was married with three young children. Apparently his wife stayed home with the children since they weren’t of school age yet. The family existed on his taxi salary. I decided I should leave him a decent tip, because it had to be difficult to live in New York with a family on one income. I couldn’t believe how chatty Emily was with this man. He had a very strong accent I found difficult to understand, but she didn’t have any problem understanding what he was saying.
At one point she looked over her shoulder at me. She noticed I was staring at her. “What?” she asked.
“Do you always find out the life stories of cab drivers?” I asked her.
She laughed. “It’s been a fascination of mine since I was little. Most of the cabbies are from other countries. I love hearing about where they’re from, when they came to the United States, and who they live with. You’d be surprised how many are from Pakistan. I’ve never been there, but I feel like I know so much about the country from what I’ve learned over the years. I know some people are snobs and ignore them because their accents can be difficult to understand. I think they’re amazing. Many of these men risked it all to come to the United States so they could provide a better life for their family. I am in awe of them.”
I had never heard her speak so passionately about anything before. It was endearing. She may have come from money, but she couldn’t be more down to earth and compassionate. To say that Miss Jensen wowed me would be an understatement.
“I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t tried to initiate conversation with any cab drivers since I moved here. I’m always hanging on for dear life and praying to make it safely to wherever I’m going. I’ll have to change my approach and find out more about them. You’ve opened my eyes to a whole other world, Emily. Thank you for that.”
“My pleasure. Taking a wild cab ride is part of the fun of living in our city. I’ve just taken it to the next level. I’ve always wanted to know more about everything. That’s why I researched everything I could about paintball while I waited for you. I am ready to play, Chad.” She was beaming with excitement, and once again I was thrilled I had taken the initiative to ask her out.
When we arrived at Extreme Sports, we paid the dues and went in and got suited up. Emily looked adorable in her mask and gear. They explained the rules of the game. The playing field was like an obstacle course. The next match was starting in fifteen minutes. There were ten of us playing in the round. The instructor taught her how to use the paint gun and some tricks to stay alive as long as possible. Emily focused on every word he said. I could tell she wanted to understand the game as thoroughly as possible. I didn’t know if she worked out or not, but she looked fit, which would benefit her in this game.
When we started the course, Emily looked determined. The way she dodged the obstacles was impressive. Every time she shot her gun, she made the cutest sound. I could tell she had a competitive nature. I was so glad I’d suggested coming here. It was obvious she was having a great time. I knew I was.
We spent over two hours playing the field. By the time we were finished, we were both covered in paint. As we took off our masks and padding, I started to laugh.
“What is it?” she asked me.
“You have a ton of paint on your face and in your hair,” I told her. “In fact there’s even paint in your ear,” I said as I reached in her ear to wipe some of it off.
“Who cares?” she said as she wiped her face, which only smeared the paint even worse. “This was the most fun I’ve had in…forever!” she said enthusiastically.
Before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed her face and kissed her boldly. Thankfully she kissed me back and didn’t push me away. When I ended the kiss, I held on to her face and looked in her eyes. “Sorry about that. I couldn’t help myself. You just look so damn cute right now with paint all over your face.”
“Don’t apologize. I’ve never been kissed like that before.” She stared at me intently but with a smile that reached her eyes. I noticed her breathing was labored. “If you wouldn’t mind,” she said seriously, “I’d like you to kiss me again.”
That was the only invitation I needed. I cupped her face and kissed her again. She was incredibly receptive. After a few minutes, I could feel that we were both getting worked up. I had my paint-filled hands tangled in her hair, and she was gripping my shoulders. The adrenaline that we experienced on the playing field transferred its energy straight to our bodies. There was no denying the chemistry between us. Kissing her was better then I imagined.
I let go of her reluctantly and looked in her eyes. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. I need a shower.” She looked disappointed but acquiesced.
We hailed a cab and decided to drop her off at her place first. As she was getting out of the cab, she looked at me again. “I can’t thank you enough, Chad. I had a really great time. See you tomorrow?” she said with obvious hesitation in her voice.
“It was my pleasure. Tomorrow it is.” I could tell she didn’t want me to leave. I didn’t want to leave her either, especially after that kiss, but I knew I had to create some distance before things went too far. I reminded myself that I needed to exercise patience. Unfortunately, I was not feeling like a patient man. I felt very frustrated.