Chapter 12
I t didn’t take me long to come up with what I wanted to do with Jayla for our first date, because it was something I’d fantasized about for years.
Rose Valley Hills had a lot to offer, but I wanted this to be something she’d remember forever.
This morning, I picked her up, and we went to the airport. We flew to Chicago to start our date.
There, we had Italian beef sandwiches for lunch.
Of course I had to take her to Chinatown afterward so she could get some mango ice cream.
Then, we went shopping and to a custom shoe shop.
After that, we went to chill and change at the hotel suite I’d booked for the day.
The main event of the trip was dinner at Pappadeaux, then a boat ride on the river, where we saw the fireworks at the Navy Pier.
To end our night, we went to Reggie’s for drinks and live music.
We both loved music, so it was perfect. Though we didn’t talk any differently, the vibe felt different.
Our conversation flowed like it always did, but we held hands and stole kisses here and there.
I liked how comfortable and natural the date had gone, but I knew we also would need to talk about how things would be different if we took this next step.
On our flight back to Rose Valley Hills, I decided we’d do that before we parted ways, so instead of taking her straight home, we went to the beach so we could walk and talk.
“So,” I started, looking down at her as we walked across the sand, “did you enjoy yourself?”
“I did,” she cooed, wrapping her free arm around mine. “I loved every moment of the day, and I’m going to sleep dead to the world when I get home.”
“Good,” I said through my chuckle before licking my lips. “Did today feel different for you?”
Her mouth twisted to the side as she considered my question.
“Yes and no. It felt the same but with a level of affection we didn’t have before.
Kissing you on the lips and holding your hand .
. . being held by you while we watched the fireworks .
. . it provided an intimacy to our friendship that we’ve never had before. I loved it. What about you?”
“Same. I love that we were comfortable with each other and that the only big difference was the heightened physical touch. I do think it’ll be beneficial for us to have that cliché get to know you first date conversation just to get it out the way.”
“I agree. I was talking to Brooke about that earlier.”
So that was what we did.
We kept it simple first, sharing the things we already knew about each other.
Except now, my mind worked out ways I could use the facts I already knew about her in different ways.
For instance, she loved music and singing, dancing, and musicals and plays.
Now, I’d be planning dates that revolved around her hobbies.
Jayla was a weed head, so I would plan trips so she could experience different strains on the West coast and different countries.
I got down with plays too because they were a form of live entertainment, which I loved.
We’d be going to New York to experience Broadway soon, and London.
I also loved sports, reading, and gaming of any kind.
I spent Sundays at church with family before we went to the casino, and Jayla thought it was funny until she started joining us once a month. Now, she loved it too.
We talked about our likes and dislikes, our wants, needs, and what we had to offer. By the time we got to our love languages, we were near the boardwalk.
“You wanna go to the dispensary and get some pretzels?” I suggested.
“Baby, if I smoke, I’m falling asleep expeditiously, but that does sound like the perfect way to end our night.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time you went to sleep on me,” I teased. “You know I’ll get you home safely.”
“Okay,” she agreed with a warm smile and skip that made my heart fill with pride.
Loving her was going to be easy, but I’d work at it relentlessly as if it was the hardest thing I’d ever have to do. She was worth the effort to me, and I was willing to spend every day of my life making sure she never questioned my love, commitment, and priority of her.
“Now what’s your love language?” Jayla asked. “I feel like it’s quality time.”
“It is. Acts of service too.”
“That makes sense. It always feels nice when someone serves or caters to you.”
“Yeah, just as long as they are doing it because they want to. Intention is everything.”
“You got that right.”
“I know yours is service and quality time too.”
“How do you know?”
“You’re a hopeless romantic. Why do you think I’m with you damn near every day and always doing something for you—even if it’s something as small as getting you a bottle of water so you won’t have to get up?”
Her steps stopped and she turned to face me. Jayla wrapped her arms around me as her eyes watered. She was so damn emotional. My pooh thought she hid them well, but unless she literally ran, she wore her heart on her face and her sleeve.
“Pookie, you’ve been loving me all along, huh?”
Her realization made me laugh. “Yeah, bae. I told you I fell in love with you the day I met you. I wasn’t playing about that.”
She stood on the tips of her toes, and I lowered to meet her for a kiss. My hands went to her ass, squeezing and kneading and relishing in the fact that I was finally able to kiss her and touch her like this.
“I love you,” she declared in a low hum against my lips.
Moaning, I swallowed hard, as if that would lessen the emotion flowing through me. “I love you more.”
Our eyes remained locked for a few seconds longer before she cupped the back of my neck and kissed me again.
When we finally pulled away, we decided to walk to the dispensary since it wasn’t too far.
We went back to the boardwalk and lit up then got a cinnamon pretzel to share.
Instead of her getting sleepy immediately, we ended up staying and talking for another hour or so before we headed to her apartment.
I walked her to her door, and once we made it, she asked, “Do you wanna come in?”
As much as I wanted to, I declined. “I wanna get through our first date without fucking you. If I go in, that’s going to happen, and I’ll never want to leave.”
A lazy giggle escaped her as she wrapped her arms around me for a hug. I stole a kiss before opening her front door, not walking away until I heard it lock. Even after spending the entire day with her, I felt like I was dreaming. If so, I never wanted to wake up.