Chapter Six
T he entire week had felt like a build-up to this moment, and I was ready to see where things would go with Ryan. Kelsey had spent the day helping me get ready, and now I was standing in front of the mirror, feeling more nervous than I had in a long time.
“You look amazing,” Kelsey said, giving me a reassuring smile. “Ryan is going to be blown away.”
“Thanks, Kelsey,” I say, taking a deep breath. “I just hope I don’t trip over my own feet or something.”
“You’ll be fine,” she laughs. “Just be yourself. That’s all you need to do. And besides you’ve tripped at his feet at least twice already and he still asked you out.”
I smile, feeling a bit more at ease. There’s a knock on the door, and my heart skipped a beat.
“That’s him,” Kelsey says, practically pushing me out of the room. “Go have fun!”
I open the door to find Ryan standing there, looking handsome and relaxed. He smiles when he sees me, and I feel a wave of warmth.
“Wow, Hailey, you look incredible,” he says, his eyes shining.
“Thanks. You look great too,” I reply, feeling my cheeks flush.
“Ready to go?” he asks, extending his hand.
“Absolutely,” I say, taking his hand and feeling a spark as our fingers intertwine.
We make our way out of Hamilton Hall with our fingers still linked together and as I think we’ll be walking to wherever dinner may be he surprises me and gestures towards a car parked at the curb. Quickly, I realize it’s his car as he holds open the passenger door for me to get in. I buckle my seatbelt as he rounds the hood to get in the driver’s side. My nerves tick up because I’m not a fan of car rides, long or short, so I start to mentally go through my coping mechanisms. I start inventorying the scenery. The different colors of the leaves on the trees as we pass them. How many places there are if we need to stop, anything to keep my mind busy.
I’ve been so focused on not getting overly anxious about the car ride I don’t even realize I’ve been quiet until Ryan speaks up. “Cat got your tongue?” Ryan’s easygoing nature makes me feel comfortable, and I can feel my nerves settling as he continues to talk.
“So, I thought we could start with a round of miniature golf,” Ryan says as he glances over at me. “I hope you’re up for some friendly competition.”
“I’m always up for a challenge,” I say, grinning. “But I should warn you, I can’t even remember the last time I played.”
“Is that so hmm?” Ryan teases. “Well, we’ll see about that. You underrated yourself at soccer, so I don’t trust your self-assessments.”
Thankfully, we arrive at the miniature golf course after about twenty minutes of driving and I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia. It reminds me of the times I used to go with friends back in Phoenix. In middle school, I think I lived at a safari miniature golf place near our house. The course is brightly lit, with colorful obstacles and playful decorations, and as I take it all in I laugh when I realize it’s jungle-themed. A large, green crocodile mouth stands open for us to walk through into the lobby. The white pointed teeth surround us for a second as we make our way inside. Ryan steps up to the counter and pays for our game. He hands me a club while taking one for himself and then we each choose a colorful ball.
As we walk to the first hole, the playful banter begins. “Ladies first,” Ryan says, gesturing to the tee. This one has a trio of giraffes placed around the hole’s design with strategically placed trees that they pretend to eat from.
“Why, thank you,” I say, taking my stance and doing my best to ignore the giraffes. I line up my shot and gave it a gentle tap, sending the ball rolling towards the hole. It stops just short, and I groan.
“Not bad,” Ryan says, stepping up to take his shot. He hits the ball with a bit more force, and it sails past the hole.
“Looks like we’re both a little rusty,” I say, laughing.
“Speak for yourself,” Ryan says with a grin. “I’m just warming up.”
As we make our way through the course, the competition grows more intense, and so does the flirting. We tease each other mercilessly, laughing and joking the entire time. When Ryan manages to sink a particularly difficult shot, he does a little victory dance that puts me in stitches and has tears leaking from my eyes. He’s confident and he doesn’t care who sees him and it doesn’t come off as cocky either. He’s a great guy.
By the time we reach the final hole, it’s clear we are evenly matched. I line up my shot, determined to finish strong. I hit the ball, and it rolls perfectly, dropping into the hole with a satisfying plunk. I wave my golf club in the air and shimmy my hips being careful not to flash him my underwear under my dress.
“Nicely done,” he says, clapping. I can see his eyes travel from my legs back to my face and inwardly give myself a pat on the back for buying this dress months ago.
“But let’s see if I can tie it up,” he says as he makes his way over to the starting position.
He takes his shot, and for a moment, it looks like it’s going to go in. But at the last second, it veers off course, stopping just shy of the hole.
“Looks like I win,” I say, doing a little victory dance of my own.
“Fair enough,” he says, laughing. “You earned it.”
As he walks up to me, he reaches out his hand and I extend mine with my club thinking that he wants to return them. At the last second, he snakes his arm around my waist, gently pulling me towards him, and brings me flush up against him. He leans his head down and plants a kiss on my lips. For a second I’m surprised because I wasn’t expecting it. It only takes me that second before I use my free hand to reach up and hold his shoulder, softly kissing him back.
We stand there kissing each other, our clubs loosely hanging in our other hands. At some point, I drop my club so I can run my fingers through his hair and it’s just as soft as I imagined it to be. He wraps his other arm around me and when we finally stop kissing he drops his forehead to mine and whispers, “I’ve wanted to do that since the first day we met.”
I nearly swoon at his whispered words.
After returning our clubs, we head out to a nearby pizzeria that Ryan has already picked out. As we enter the fresh pizza smell wafts through the air making my mouth water. We find a booth near the window and settle in. I take in my surroundings and I can’t help but smile, this is exactly what I’ve seen in movies when a Chicago pizzeria is depicted. It’s a cozy place with checkered tablecloths, exposed brick walls, and little flickering candles on the center of the table.
A waitress appears and hands us each a menu and takes our drink orders. When she leaves the table Ryan begins to scan the menu. “What do you like on your pizza?” he asks me.
“I’m pretty open,” I say. “But I do love pepperoni and mushrooms.”
“Perfect,” Ryan says. “How about we get a large pepperoni and mushroom pizza to share?”
“Sounds great,” I agree.
“Have you ever had Chicago pizza?” he asks.
“Nope. This will be a first.”
He gives me a lopsided grin. “Well, you’re going to love it.”
We place our order, and as we wait, the conversation flows easily. Ryan tells me more about his life growing up in northern Illinois and working on his family’s farm.
“It’s hard work. Up at dawn, there’s always something to do. Something that needs fixed or an animal that’s hurt. But it teaches you a lot. At least, that’s what I told them in my admissions essay.”
“Ha! Well, I think it’s impressive. Phoenix doesn’t have farms.”
“I’ve not been. Not even to the Grand Canyon.”
“Well I don’t want to shock you, but it’s quite hot.”
He laughs. “It’s hot here in the summer, but I wouldn’t know what that’s like all year. You’ll have to remind me in January what warmth feels like.”
“Mmm…it feels like the surface of the sun. Sometimes it’s so hot you can’t go outside.” I sigh, playing with my straw wrapper. “But I do miss it sometimes.”
“What made you choose Chicago?” Ryan asks.
“I wanted a new adventure,” I say. “And having Kelsey here made the decision a lot easier. Plus, the city has so much to offer.”
“I get that,” Ryan says. “I mean I want to help manage the farm but I also had to get out of that town for at least a little while.”
Our pizza arrives, and we dig in, savoring the delicious combination of flavors. This is the first time I’ve ever had Chicago-style pizza with the sauce on the top. It’s different but I like it and if it wasn’t apparent, I’m sure the moan of pleasure I release as I take a bite out of the thick slice proves it.
Ryan laughs. “I’m guessing you like the pizza then?”
I finish chewing but nod in agreement. When I swallow the last bite I respond. “Yes, it’s delicious.”
I see his eyes move to my lips and when his tongue peeks out and licks his own lips I want to lean over and kiss him. He must read my mind because he leans over and gives me a quick kiss on the lips.
“You’re adorable,” he tells me, then picks up his cup to take a drink. As we eat, we continue to talk and get to know each other, and laugh at each other’s jokes. The chemistry between us is undeniable, and I feel a growing connection with Ryan.
“This has been a lot of fun,” Ryan says as we finish our meal. “I’m really glad we did this.”
“Me too,” I say, smiling. “I’ve had a great time.”
Ryan pays for our meal even though I protest and offer to pay for my half, he refuses to even let me leave the tip. I think it’s cute. We hold hands as we walk out of the restaurant and he’s a true gentleman holding the door open for me in the restaurant and then again at his car. As I slide into the passenger seat, I don’t feel any anxiety about getting into the car and that says a lot about my comfort level with him.
As he slides in behind the wheel, Ryan looks over at me. “Maybe we should come here again sometime?” Ryan asks, a hopeful look in his eyes.
“I’d like that,” I say, feeling the butterflies in my stomach.
By the time Ryan pulls up to the front of the building, I’m feeling happy and elated that this date has gone so well. I go to get out of the car but Ryan puts his hand on my forearm, halting my movement. I look over my shoulder and smile at him.
“I have to go park the car but I just wanted to tell you I had a lot of fun and I hope we can do this again,” he says.
“Me too,” I say, feeling a bit shy. “Thanks for everything, Ryan.”
He leans in and gives me a quick, sweet kiss on the lips. I open up the car door. “Goodnight, Ryan,” I say, my heart racing as I get out of the car. I watch as he drives away, a smile spreading across my face. As I walk back to my dorm room, I can’t wait to tell Kelsey all about it. Tonight has been perfect, and I have a feeling this is just the beginning of something special.