Leah Blanco #2
That scared me too. We’ve only been communicating for a little over a week.
I know I shouldn’t be daydreaming about a future with this man.
But it was hard not to. He was perfect in every sense of the word.
I believe our first date will clear everything up and set the tone for how we’ll move forward.
Either it’s going to be the start of a beautiful life or one hell of a hurricane.
***
We pulled around to the back entrance of the restaurant and stopped. I had been here enough times to know that there was a private entrance and dining area. Though admittedly, those areas were reserved for the more high-profile clientele.
The driver stopped and got out of the truck.
He did the same thing as he had done when he picked me up.
He opened the door and extended his hand to guide me out.
I had been out of the dating game for so long I didn’t know what to do with the flowers.
On one hand, I didn’t want to disregard them, but I also didn’t want to act like I wasn’t used to anything and bring them inside the restaurant, so I just left them on the seat.
Once I was out of the truck, the driver tapped on the back door, and it opened immediately. The man, wearing a white button-down with the restaurant logo, greeted me and let me in.
I stood aside so I could follow his lead. The back of the restaurant was twice as nice as the front. Several rooms were concealed by tinted windows and dim lighting, and he led me to one of them.
Inside, Rocko was waiting. He sat there, tapping away at his phone when I entered the room. But when he looked up, the intensity in his eyes as he scanned my body from head to toe made me want to skip dinner altogether.
He stood to greet me and extended his arm. We hugged, and he smelled so damn good. He was dressed nicely too. It was that grown man, ‘all my pants are tailored’ type of attire, and it made him look even more attractive, especially outside that athletic wear.
“You look good, Leah.” He said, leaning down and nuzzling his face into my neck before we parted.
“Thank you. You clean up nice as well.” I said, taking a seat across from him.
“Appreciate it.” He sat back in the chair and watched me.
I don’t think I have ever felt more exposed than I did now, watching him stare at me. I looked around the table; there was no menu or drink in sight. I don’t know if he had already ordered for us, but at this point I didn’t even need the food.
“You nervous?” He asked.
“Yeah. It’s that look.” I reminded him.
“I told you I like what I see.”
I smiled.
The moment Rocko had me blushing like an idiot and acting like a schoolgirl, I knew it was over for him. Somebody had better call Daya and tell her to get me NOW.
“How was practice today?” I asked.
“It was cool. We got some good work in. I needed it.” He shrugged. “What about you? I know you said you were going to meet someone today.”
“Yeah. The couple is having their tenth anniversary party. I just sent them over their contract.”
“You like what you do?” He asked.
“Yeah. I love everything about event planning. I know it’s my job, but I have so much fun doing it that it hardly ever feels like work at all.”
He nodded. “I respect that.”
The conversation took on a life of its own, and we bonded over the fact that we both believed our current careers are our purpose.
Although Rocko was typically a man of few words, he was a good conversationalist. And he was a great listener.
He proved that when the waitress brought out the meal that I told him I ordered every time I came to this restaurant.
I made a big deal about it. Because that’s such a small detail that people typically don’t remember, but he did. He brushed it off like it wasn’t a big deal. But like they said, to be loved is to be seen.
Our conversation went from passion to romance.
Over this last week, we’ve talked, but we haven’t had any deeper conversations.
We had only really covered the basics: names, careers, schedules, where we’re from, that kind of thing.
His schedule was hectic, and so was mine, so we’d text throughout the day or talk for a couple of minutes before we both wound down for bed.
But tonight we didn’t have those limitations.
“Are you ready for a relationship?” I asked.
“Nah.” He was honest.
My chest tightened a bit because I didn’t know how to do casual anything. I would love to be the woman who knew the importance of dating. The woman who could have different men, each serving a purpose. But that wasn’t me. Never had been. Either I was so far removed, or I had to be removed.
“Interesting.” I nodded.
He smirked. “I don’t want anything too serious. I don’t want to live with nobody and have to share my boxers and shit.”
I laughed, but he didn’t.
“I’m serious.” He continued. “I don’t want it to be too much pressure. I definitely want a wife and kids. But not right now. Not while I’m still building.”
I nodded my understanding.
The key word in that sentence was now. It’s basic grammar and comprehension. Because while he meant one thing, adding the word “now” changed it. He had basically just told me that I was the one; all I had to do was wait a bit.
“I don’t do situationships, Mr. Sanders.” I wasn’t trying to pressure him or sway his stance. But I felt the need to give him the same fair warning that he had just given me. If he thought that this was what it would be, he would be in for a rude awakening.
“I never expected you to, baby.” He said, sitting back in the chair like he had forgotten he was in a restaurant, not on a bench.
“You too pretty for a man not to want to show you off and make you his girl.” This man was slicker than edge control.
He was a smooth talker, and the more he did, the more scared I became.
“I hear you.” It was all I said. I did my due diligence by warning him. Whether or not the warning was detailed was debatable, but I issued one nonetheless.