CHAPTER 18
“Thank you for coming over,” Eline said as she ushered Marti inside the apartment.
Marissa gave her a little wave and said, “I can wait outside, if you want.”
“What? No, of course not. Come on in,” Eline replied. “And thank you both. I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
“Marti told me this woman was the only woman you’ve ever loved,” Marissa said. “Seems like a pretty good reason to be nervous if you’re finally going out with her again.”
“Babe, probably not helpful right now,” Marti replied.
Eline closed the door behind her two new friends and said, “No, she’s right.
When I said yes last night, I thought I’d be fine today, but I’ve been really anxious.
I have taken two showers because I keep sweating, and I’ve gone through my closet five times and still can’t pick out what to wear.
I picked out what I wore to dinner with her last night without issue. ”
“That wasn’t a date, though, was it?” Marti asked.
“No,” she answered and looked around her apartment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even offer you anything to drink. Coffee?”
“Coffee?” Marissa asked.
“Sorry. Habit. I was raised in Holland. We always offer coffee when people come over, but I have other stuff. Water? Tea?”
“I’m all right,” Marissa replied. “Babe?”
Eline saw Marti smile and asked with a chuckle, “You liked that, huh?”
“You know how long I’ve wanted her to call me that?” Marti leaned into Marissa and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s body from the side. “So, yeah, pretty happy.”
Marissa kissed her head and wrapped her arm around Marti’s shoulders.
“I’m very slow, I guess. I should’ve figured this out a while ago.”
“I feel the same about Arlowe,” Eline revealed. “Like, I shouldn’t have given up on us because it was always supposed to be us.”
“Weren’t you kids?” Marti asked.
“Last year in college,” she replied.
“Cut yourself some slack. A lot of people think they find love in college, but then it doesn’t work out. You probably just thought the same,” Marissa reasoned. “Also, we do have dinner reservation, Marti, so we should help and head out, or we’ll miss it.”
“You made a reservation?” Marti asked, seemingly surprised.
“I wanted to do something special for tonight.”
Marissa widened her eyes at Marti, who was looking up at her.
Then, Marti’s eyes widened, too, and Eline wondered what was going on until it hit her a second later – she had managed to interrupt the night that Marissa had planned to be with Marti for the first time since they’d gotten back together.
She didn’t think she should say anything out loud, but she felt bad about ruining their night with her own ridiculousness.
“I’m sorry, guys. I don’t want to make you late for your reservation,” she said. “I can handle this. I’ll just put on any dress and call it a night.”
“No, it’s fine,” Marti replied and patted Marissa on the collarbone. “Five minutes, okay? Let me help her figure out what to wear, and I’m all yours.”
“Okay,” Marissa said and kissed Marti on the lips.
“Want to come back with us?” Eline asked.
“No, I’ll just wait here, if that’s okay,” Marissa said.
“Of course. Make yourself at home.”
Eline then walked Marti back to her room, where Marti closed the door and whispered, “We’re going to have sex tonight.”
“I think so,” Eline replied with a little laugh.
“She didn’t tell me that. She told me she wanted slow, so I’ve been going slow. And I knew she wanted to go to dinner tonight, but she didn’t tell me it was a reservation thing. I didn’t even shave my legs, Eline.”
Eline walked over to her closet and asked, “Do you honestly think she cares about that?”
“No,” Marti said and sat on the side of Eline’s bed.
“Then, I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“God, it’s happening, isn’t it? I finally get to be with the woman I love.”
“I think so,” Eline repeated.
“And you do, too. That’s amazing. I’ll have to figure out how to stall her later so that I can at least change my underwear before she sees me in what I have on now. Anyway, I’m here to help. What can I do?”
“I don’t know where we’re going, but she said just a regular restaurant in her text. I want to look nice for her, though. I’m usually a sweater and nice jeans on a date kind of woman, but I want to wear a dress for her tonight.”
“What are your options?” Marti asked.
“I was thinking about this one.” Eline pulled out a black dress with a flowy skirt and tighter bodice. “Or this one.”
She pulled out a blue dress that was a little more on the business side of things and was sleeveless with a longer pencil skirt.
“I’d say the black one,” Marti said. “The blue one looks like there should be a jacket over it, and you should have a lanyard around your neck because you’re at some business conference networking event.”
“I thought so, but I also like how I look in it.”
“I bet you look great in the black one, too. Try it on. If you want, try both of them on, and I’ll get Marissa in here. We’ll vote.”
“This is embarrassing,” she said. “I should be able–”
The doorbell rang then, and Eline froze; her eyes locked in their wide position, mouth open, her heart racing.
“Did Marissa leave and come back or something?” Marti asked.
“What time is it?” she asked. “Oh, my God. What time is it?”
“Um… Seven.” Marti looked down at the phone in her hand. “Why?”
“Because Arlowe is picking me up at seven. I lost track of time. I thought I had an hour before she got here.”
“Hey, someone’s at the door,” Marissa said through the closed bedroom one.
“Yeah, that’s Arlowe, babe,” Marti replied, standing up to open the door. “What do you want to do, Eline?”
“I’m not ready yet.”
“I can let her in if you want,” Marissa offered. “Tell her you’re still getting dressed.”
“She doesn’t know you.”
“I’ll tell her that you’re friends with my girlfriend.” The doorbell rang again. “Either that, or she’ll probably call you, wondering what’s going on because you’re not answering the door.”
“Uh… Okay. Can you tell her that I’ll be right out and that you were just leaving?”
“Sure. But why are we here in the first place?” Marissa asked. “I assume you don’t want her to know that we’re here to help you pick out what to wear.”
“I’ve got it,” Marti said. “Put on the black one. And do you have any earrings? Small hoops, maybe?”
“Yes.”
“Wear those. Small clutch, too, if you have it, and you’re good to go. Your hair looks great down as is. Do you want to wear makeup or not?”
“I don’t usually wear a lot. Should I?”
The doorbell rang again, and Eline’s heart rate picked up even more.
“Not if you don’t want to. You’re beautiful, Eline. Why do you think I offered to buy you a drink the night we met?”
“Hey, now!” Marissa said with a little laugh.
“You had a different girlfriend that night, so pick your battles, baby,” Marti replied, looping her arm through Marissa’s. “Come on. Let’s go see what all the fuss is about with this Arlowe.”
“What? No, don’t do–”
“I’m kidding,” Marti told her, laughing, and closed the bedroom door between them.
“Oh, God,” Eline said to herself and quickly went about putting on her dress.
Then, she added some hoops to her ears and checked on her hair and face.
She didn’t have a small clutch, but she did have a black purse with a strap that would work, so she grabbed that, stuffed her things inside it, found a pair of black flats, and took a very deep breath before she pulled open the door and listened.
“So, you work in software?” Marissa asked.
“I’m an engineer,” Arlowe replied. “You?”
“Commercial landscaping.”
“That’s cool,” Arlowe said. “And you’re Marissa?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re Marti?”
“That’s me.”
“And you’re both here at Eline’s because…”
Eline felt like that was probably her cue to walk out, so she turned to the living room and spotted Arlowe standing there with her friends.
“Wow,” Arlowe said softly. “You look…”
Eline smiled and replied, “You too.”
“I think we’re going to…” Marti pointed to the door. “Have fun tonight. We’ll pick up… that thing another time.”
“What?” Eline asked before she remembered that they needed an excuse for them being there at the time of her date with Arlowe. “Yes, sounds good. Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Marti replied with a smile. “Come on, gorgeous,” she added to Marissa and pulled on Marissa’s hand. “Take me to that special dinner you’ve got planned.”
“So, hi,” Arlowe said once the two women were gone. “Am I early? I thought we said seven.”
“No, you’re… not.”
“Oh, okay. So, you had friends over right before our date? I mean, that’s fine, obviously. Just–”
“I needed help picking out what to wear.” She motioned to her dress, deciding to be honest. “I was nervous. I am nervous. I met Marti and her girlfriend the day you and I emailed for the first time, and Marti might be my only friend in this country outside of you and maybe your friends, if they consider me a friend. I was so nervous that I took two showers, did my hair after each one, and then I lost track of time when I couldn’t pick out what to wear, so I called Marti and asked her to come over and help, but I didn’t know it was already close to–”
“Hey,” Arlowe said softly as she walked over to her and held out a red tulip, which reminded Eline of home. “You’re doing that cute ramble thing, and I can’t kiss you until the end of the night, so I’m going to need you to hold off on that until I drop you off later.”
Eline took the flower, glanced down at it with a smile, and looked back up at her date.
“You can’t kiss me now?”
“Nope. That’s breaking a second first date rule, and I’m all mature and grown-up now, so I don’t break rules.”
“Liar,” Eline teased with a little laugh.
“You look beautiful,” Arlowe said. “I would’ve loved you in jeans or sweats, too, though.”
“You’re not wearing a blazer tonight,” she pointed out, just now noticing it.
“I didn’t have the need for the extra pocket tonight, so I went with a button-down and my best pair of black pants. Enya said my butt looks good in these.”
“Why is Enya looking at your butt?”
“I asked her to,” Arlowe replied. “I needed help getting ready for tonight, too, Eline. I’m just as nervous as you are, if not more.”
“You can’t be more.”
“Are you sure? I had to plan the date, and I have no idea if I got it right or not.”
“Arlowe, I don’t care where we go. I just want to go there with you.”
“I know, but I still wanted to make it special,” Arlowe replied. “Gabi actually gave me an idea, so I can’t take full credit, but I did it a little differently than what she suggested, so maybe I can give myself partial credit. Are you ready to go, or do you need a few minutes?”
“Oh, I should show you around, at least. You’ve never been here. This is the living room. The kitchen is in there, and I should probably put this flower into some water before we go. Do you want–”
“I don’t need any coffee before we go, no,” Arlowe interjected.
Eline smiled and blushed a little.
“I was going to ask if you wanted water or something else to drink.”
“I’m okay. Can I get the tour later, though? I don’t want to be late. I did a whole thing for tonight.”
“What whole thing? Arlowe, I thought it was going to be dinner at a restaurant.”
“It’s dinner, but not at a restaurant.”
“What? Should I change? Is–”
“Eline, you look perfect. Do not change. Put the flower in water, stop worrying about everything, and let’s go so that we can have a nice night.”
“So, I shouldn’t change? Arlowe, I’m not good at surprises. You know that.”
“I do know that, but I’m asking you to trust me on this when I tell you that you’re dressed fine, and that it’s going to be okay. Do you trust me?”
“I’ve always trusted you,” Eline said seriously.
“Then, put your tulip in water, and we’ll go.”
“I don’t have a vase. I’ll have to use a glass.”
Eline walked over to her open kitchen.
“I’m glad I didn’t get you a dozen, then,” Arlowe joked. “I kind of like the idea of one flower. I don’t know why. I guess I feel like it somehow means more than a whole bouquet. Am I wrong on that? I should know your thoughts on flowers before I go buying you more.”
“You know I love tulips.”
“Yes, but how many tulips should I get for you on our second second date?”
Eline turned on the faucet, but she was looking over the counter at Arlowe when she said, “You might want to consider getting me a vase, too, if you’re going to get me more flowers.
And while I love the gesture, flowers aren’t required.
You can pick me up for our second second date without any, if you want.
” She placed the flower into the glass of water delicately because she wanted it to live forever and then walked around and back into the living room.
“So, we’re going on another date, even though this one hasn’t even started yet? ”
“I think so, yeah. I feel pretty confident that we’re going to have a good time tonight and that you’ll want another date with me based on previous experience.”
“Are you taking me to a university bookstore so that we can touch the same book and act like we just met?”
Arlowe shook her head and said, “No, I could never act like we just met. And I definitely wouldn’t want to do anything to mess with how we met the first time. It was perfect.”
Eline smiled, held out her hand, and told her, “I’m ready when you are.”
Arlowe took it and entwined their fingers.
They hadn’t held hands like this in over twelve years, and Eline’s heart already had not stopped racing since she’d heard the doorbell ring, but now, it was going even faster because this was the moment.
Everything had been leading up to them getting back to this place where they could hold hands and maybe let go of parts of the past while hanging on to the parts they never wanted to forget.
“After you,” Arlowe said, nodding toward the door, and then she walked them toward it and pulled it open with her free hand.
Eline walked out first, waited for Arlowe to follow, and she swallowed, trying to get her nerves to calm, as she locked the door behind them. Then, she turned to look at her date, gave her a smile, and off they went.