A smile was on my lips as I opened my eyes and remembered how the night ended. It was amazing to be with Jasmine and I couldn’t wait to wake up and tell her how much I needed her. How much I wanted her.

Yet, she was gone.

I sat up and looked around.

“Jasmine?” I called out, wondering if she stepped in the back to make breakfast or something. She never came around. I got off the bar counter and started picking up my clothes, dressing as I went. Her clothes were gone. It was obvious she had left in a hurry.

The perfect night was suddenly not so perfect, because my hope was to tell her how much she meant to me and hope that we could evolve from that one night. Feeling disheartened, I finished getting dressed, then left through the back door and made sure it was locked.

I pulled out my keys and jumped in my car. On the ride home, I kept thinking about her and how I didn’t understand why she would leave in such a hurry. Did I do something wrong? I wondered. I questioned if I pushed her into something she didn’t even want to do. Maybe I should have double-checked to make sure this was really what she wanted. I would have never forced her into having sex or doing anything she wasn’t comfortable with.

I heaved a sigh and kept driving, but the further I got to my house, the more I wondered if there was an underlying reason she tore out of there. I started playing the night in my mind again, even up to the minute we closed our eyes. I love you so much! The words popped into my head, as if she was saying them again.

“That has to be it!” I said aloud, certain that I had put the keys of the puzzle together.

I didn’t say it back and it wasn’t because I didn’t feel them; it was because I had drifted off to sleep, almost not even recognizing them, until the light of day that was. When the coast was clear, I made a U-turn and started driving the other way. I was glad I had put her address in my GPS, just in case the need arose.

I hit a button on my GPS system. “Take me to Jasmine’s house,” I said.

Finding Jasmine’s house, the GPS said, bringing it to life. It then started rattling off her directions. I sped through the back roads, taking the extra fifteen minutes I had already lost by driving to my place first. I finally pulled down the road where she lived and it informed me the destination was on my right. I found the correct address and sure enough, her jeep was in the driveway.

I got out of the car and barely took the time to shut it off, before hurrying up her front steps. I reached her front porch then pounded on her door. She didn’t answer, so I rang her doorbell. I was there for a good five to seven minutes, before she finally opened her door.

“Trevor? What are you doing here?” she asked.

“May I come in?” I asked.

She hesitated, but finally pulled the door open wider so I could enter. She looked at me, seemingly not happy and I was certain I was right.

“Why’d you leave so suddenly?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Why not? You got what you wanted and I figured it was time for me to go.”

I tilted my head. “You’re saying you didn’t want it?” I asked.

She looked away from me and so I asked her the question again. She then looked up. “That’s not exactly what I’m saying,” she softly replied.

I then knew that I was right.

“You told me something right before we fell asleep. Did you leave because of my response?” I asked.

She sighed. “What response?” she sarcastically asked.

“Jasmine, I know you’re upset and I can’t even blame you. I should have told you exactly what I wanted to tell you. I wanted to be with you last night for so long, but it really happened at the perfect time.”

“It did?” she asked. “Why do you say that?”

Her eyes softened as I ran a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze up to mine.

“It happened after I had already fallen in love with you. You aren’t alone here. I love you, too.”

She nearly melted against me.

“You do?” she asked.

I smiled and nodded, then leaned closer to her. Right before I touched her lips with mine, I whispered, “You have no idea how much!”

We then kissed and I wrapped my arms around her and held her closer to me. I would spend the rest of my life proving those words to her, no matter how long it took.