When I got home, I changed into my pajamas and called Jackie. She picked up the phone before I even heard it ring.
‘About time you called! I’ve been dying to hear about your night.’
I gave her a play by play. ‘He’s so easy to talk to, Jack. Maybe it’s because we’ve been through similar experiences with our exes, but I feel like he really understands me. To be honest, it’s a bit scary to feel so comfortable around him so soon.’
‘I think that’s what they call chemistry.’
‘Yeah, I guess.’ I yawned.
‘You sound tired.’
‘I am. I need to sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.’
I crawled into bed and heard my phone ping. It was a text from Eric.
Enjoyed our dinner. Sleep well.
I texted back, You, too!
Even though I had the entire bed to myself, I always slept on the left side, as far over as I could without falling out. When I was married to Scott, he sprawled out leaving me little room. Some habits die hard, I guess. Strange how we continue to do something even when it no longer makes sense.
Morning came too soon. I’d hoped to sleep in but the tenant living above me decided that six in the morning was the perfect time to vacuum. I stumbled into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.
I sat down with my tablet and read the news. Just when I finished, my cell phone rang. It was Eric. He remembered I preferred talking over texting.
‘Good morning!’
He sounded way too chipper for this early in the day.
‘I just wanted to thank you again for a terrific night.’
‘I should be the one thanking you. I really had a great time.’
‘I was wondering about that game of horse.’
‘Horse?’
Eric reminded me of the basketball challenge. ‘So, are you ready to lose?’
I laughed. ‘The only person who’s going to lose is you.’
‘You sound pretty sure of yourself.’
‘I am.’
‘Sounds like we need to settle this once and for all. Can you play this afternoon?’
‘Uh, yeah, I guess.’ I was shocked he wanted to see me again so soon, but the attention made me feel special. ‘But do you really want to drive back here again today?’
‘Absolutely,’ Eric said. ‘I don’t suppose you have a basketball court where you live.’
‘Actually, we do.’ My apartment complex had tennis and basketball courts. ‘But I don’t have a basketball.’
‘I’ll stop and pick one up,’ Eric said. ‘Does early afternoon work for you?’
‘Perfect!’
I immediately called Jackie to tell her about my Sunday afternoon basketball date.
‘Good lord, he’s driving here again today! He must be smitten.’
I glanced around my living room. ‘Guess this means I need to clean this morning.’
‘He’s coming to your apartment?’
‘Yeah, I figured we’d play here. We have those newly refinished basketball courts down by the pool.’
‘Okay, but be careful.’
‘Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m going to let anything happen that I don’t want to happen.’
Izzy rubbed her snowball head against my leg as I hung up the phone, so I picked her up.
‘Looks like we’re getting company, Iz. You’ll get to meet Eric before Jackie.’
She purred and I put her down so I could eat breakfast. I hadn’t planned on spending my morning cleaning, but I hadn’t known I’d be having company either. I never dealt well with the unexpected, but I was trying to change that.
I wanted to be more spontaneous like Jackie. A memory popped into my head of when Jackie and I were planning a girls’ trip to Las Vegas. I had researched the trip for days and came up with an itinerary that was nearly hour by hour.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ Jackie had said. ‘We’re going on this trip to relax, Shel. Ditch the itinerary.’
‘All of it?’
‘Keep a list of things you’d like to see, but part of the fun is what you discover along the way. I know you’re an organizer and a planner. I know you feel uncomfortable not knowing everything in advance. But that’s what makes life an adventure.’
I smiled at the memory. I knew Jackie was right and I was trying to live my life a little more carefree. I hadn’t been entirely successful but agreeing to see Eric when I hadn’t planned to was part of learning to go with the flow. Jackie would be proud. I threw in a load of laundry and dusted and vacuumed my apartment. Then I moved on to scrubbing the bathroom and kitchen floors and watering my peacock plant.
The plant had silver and green markings on its upper leaf surfaces and reddish purple underneath. It always amazed me that a plant could have two sides and look so totally different depending on your perspective. I guess if I think about it, people can be like this, too. Maybe it’s simply a part of nature.
A couple of hours later, my apartment was cleaner than it’d been in a long time and I jumped in the shower. What should I wear for our basketball date? Pink nylon running shorts with mesh liner or a pair of denim shorts? I pulled out a white T-shirt that would go with either. In the end, I opted for the running shorts because I thought they at least gave the illusion I knew what I was doing. I smiled to myself. It had been a long time since I’d cared this much about my appearance.
I Googled ‘basketball horse’ to brush up on the rules. It had been years since I’d held a basketball, so I was certain I’d be the first to spell ‘horse.’ But then again, Eric could be just as out of practice as I was.
I glanced inside the refrigerator and found several eggs, a bag of carrots, six bottles of water and a few cans of beer. I didn’t have time to run to the grocery store so I figured if playing horse went well and dinnertime neared, I’d suggest ordering pizza and having it delivered.
I jumped when I heard the doorbell. My stomach started to flutter again. I felt like a teenager. Where were these feelings coming from? When I opened the door Eric, dressed in black running shorts and a white T-shirt, smiled and handed me a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers.
‘Hello, beautiful.’
‘Thanks. Please, come in.’
It didn’t escape my attention that he’d brought my favorite flower, just one of the many questions he’d asked at dinner the night before.
He followed me to the kitchen and I retrieved a crystal vase in the cupboard above the stove. He put his leather satchel on the chair and spun the basketball on his finger. ‘Ready to lose?’ he smirked.
‘We’ll see about that,’ I teased back.
Eric scanned my apartment. ‘Nice place. Do you like living here?’
I arranged the sunflowers and greens. ‘It’s okay. Sometimes I think about buying a bigger place. I’d like a little more room.’
‘Would you ever consider moving out of the area?’ he asked.
I sat the vase on the table. ‘Probably not. I mean, my job is here. Why?’
Eric shrugged. ‘No reason. I just wondered if you’d ever consider moving. Seems like you could do your job anywhere, right?’
‘Yes and no. I could sell real estate anywhere but I’d have to get to know the market first. For example, the housing market here is different than the housing market where you live, even though we’re only two hours away.’
‘Oh, I see. Guess I didn’t realize that.’
I grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator and we headed for the basketball court around the corner from my apartment. It was a sun-kissed day, without a cloud in the sky, and the slight breeze made being outside comfortable.
‘Looks like we have the courts all to ourselves,’ I said.
Eric tossed me the basketball. ‘Let’s practice first.’
I dribbled the basketball. ‘It’s been so long I thought I might have forgotten how to dribble.’
‘You’re doing great. Now take a shot.’
I stopped dribbling and took a shot. I was about ten feet from the basket and it bounced off the backboard. Eric got the rebound and passed the ball to me. ‘Try again.’
I inhaled deeply and tried to remember all the things I’d long since forgotten about form. I squared up to the basket, making sure my feet pointed towards it and my hips were in alignment. I kept my shooting elbow in tight to my hip. I raised the ball above my head so my shooting arm formed an ‘L’ and bent my knees. I could hear my gym teacher say: Let the ball roll off your fingertips as you snap your wrist. Your left hand only guides.
I visualized the shot, imagining a nice high arc like a rainbow. I concentrated on my form and released the ball, watching as it sailed through the air and into the basket. ‘Yesss!’ I punched the air.
Eric retrieved the ball. ‘Looks like I might have some stiff competition. Ready to start?’
‘If you’re ready to lose,’ I teased.
He walked over and placed the ball in my hands. His dreamy eyes pierced mine. ‘If I win do I get anything special?’
I pulled out a piece of gum I’d stuffed in my shorts pocket earlier and held it up. ‘The winner gets this.’
Eric laughed. ‘Okay. Game on. Be prepared to give up the gum. You can go first.’
I shook my head. ‘No special treatment. Do you have a coin to toss?’
He pulled out a quarter and tossed it in the air. We both reached down to pick it up and our hands touched, sending electric impulses throughout my body.
‘Looks like you won.’ Eric smiled.
I went to the free throw line and took a shot. It bounced off the rim.
Eric grabbed the ball. ‘Nice try.’
He shot from the right, about five feet from the basket, and it went in. He retrieved the ball and passed it to me. ‘Your turn.’
I went to the spot where he stood and took a deep breath. Should I use the backboard or aim for the hoop? Back in the day, I was decent at making bank shots so I chose that. Bingo!
‘I do have some stiff competition,’ Eric teased. ‘Let’s see if I can make this one.’ He went to the free throw line and nailed the shot. It was my turn. I took a deep breath and imagined the ball sailing through the air and into the net. ‘Dang!’ I stumped my foot. ‘Guess I have an H.’
An hour later, I found myself out of water and out of luck. And out of a piece of gum! ‘I can’t believe you beat me three times. Are you sure you haven’t played in twenty years?’
‘Honest. Cross my heart. But I can leave the basketball with you in case you want to practice for our next competition,’ Eric teased.
‘Who said there’ll be a rematch?’ I smirked.
‘I thought you’d want the opportunity to avenge yourself. I mean, I know how competitive you are. I want to give you the chance to beat me.’
I shook my head and smiled. ‘Would you like to come back to my apartment and have a beer?’
‘A beer sounds great.’
I stuffed the basketball in my closet and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. ‘Sorry I don’t have a lot to eat. I wasn’t expecting company. But if you’re getting hungry we can order a pizza.’
‘Do they deliver?’
‘Yeah. And it’s pretty decent pie.’
I ordered pizza and Eric and I took our drinks into the living room and sat on the couch.
‘Comfy couch,’ he said.
‘Thanks. I’ve had it forever.’
Eric turned towards me. ‘Did you have it when you were married?’
‘Yes. I got most of the furniture in the divorce. The only thing Scott took was the flat-screen TV.’
‘It doesn’t bother you having a house full of things you shared together?’ he asked.
‘No, not really. It saved me a ton of money. Most of the furniture I picked out anyway. Well, except that TV.’
The doorbell rang. ‘Looks like the pizza’s here,’ I said, jumping up.
Eric placed his drink on the coffee table and stood. ‘That was quick.’
‘Yeah, it’s not far from here.’
Eric followed me to the door and insisted on paying the delivery boy. He handed him a fifty-dollar bill and told him to keep the change.
The boy’s eyes widened. The pizza was fourteen dollars. I was sure the delivery boy had never received a thirty-six-dollar tip on a fourteen-dollar pizza. Wow, he’s generous!
‘You were right,’ Eric said a few minutes later as we settled back on the couch with our slices. ‘This is excellent pizza. But not as excellent as the company.’
‘Thanks. Are you always this sweet?’
‘I try to be.’
I picked up my napkin and wiped my mouth. ‘I had fun today. Thanks for coming.’
‘Me, too. We’ll have to do it again. I mean, after you practice.’ Eric grinned. ‘No, seriously. I had a wonderful time, Shelly. No one has ever made me this happy before.’
‘Ever?’
‘Never,’ he said.
I felt my face heat up. ‘But I’m nobody special.’
Eric stared into my eyes. ‘Yes, you are special, and I’m so glad I found you.’
He leaned in to kiss me and I pulled away. I wanted to kiss him, but I worried that a kiss would lead to something else, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. ‘I’m sorry, Eric. I like you. A lot. I just haven’t kissed a guy in a long time. Can we slow things down a bit?’
‘Sorry,’ he said, sitting back. ‘I can’t help it. I feel such an intense connection to you. But I don’t want to scare you away. I promise I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to do. I won’t kiss you, unless you want me to. And if our relationship progresses, you’ll be the one to decide how far it goes and when.’
My heart melted as I listened to Eric. He valued me. He wasn’t going to pressure me for anything I wasn’t prepared to give. I realized I was falling for him. I knew it was too soon to have feelings so deep, and yet I couldn’t help myself. No man had ever said the things he said to me. No man had ever made me feel so beautiful and so wanted.
‘Thanks,’ I told him. ‘That means a lot to me.’
‘I was thinking you should come visit me. I’d love to show you around the city.’
‘That sounds fun.’
‘Any chance I could talk you into coming next Saturday? You can spend the night and go home Sunday. I have a spare bedroom.’
‘I’d love to, but before I give you a definite yes, let me double-check my work schedule. Can I get back to you tomorrow?’
‘Sure.’
I walked Eric to his car and he hugged me. I felt as if I were wrapped in a warm, cozy cocoon and I was sad when he released his embrace. I watched him pull away and walked back to my apartment. As I was cleaning up I found a note addressed to me on the kitchen table.
Shelly,
You are special!
Love, Eric