“Well… no.”
“Why not? If you don’t do it soon, he’s going to think you’re not interested!”
“Umm.” Susie fidgeted nervously. “I’m not sure what to say. I don’t want to scare him off.”
“Just be yourself.” Callie patted her on the shoulder. “Obviously don’t say anything that would freak him out completely, but the point of this is to see if you can find someone who will like you for your personality. That’s not going to happen if you hide behind some façade or something. You have to be you, no matter what. And if he doesn’t like it, then too bad. You don’t have to jump on the first guy who shows an interest in you. Believe it or not, there are plenty of fish in the sea.”
“You’re right. Of course you’re right.” Suzie smiled. I’ll send him something before I go back on shift.”
****
Hi Ryan. Thanks for emailing me! Sorry I didn’t get back to you right away. To tell you the truth I’m a little nervous about this kind of thing because I’ve never done online dating before. But I’d like the opportunity for us to get to know each other better, so if you have any questions you’d like to start with, then fire away!
Ryan smiled a little as he read the email from his phone. He was sitting in the back of a cab, on the way back from a business lunch, and he hadn’t expected to see an email from her, so it was a pleasant surprise. She came across the same way in her profile—sweet and bubbly, and it seemed also that she was just a little shy.
Pulling out his stylus, he tapped out a quick reply:
Hi Suzie. That’s okay; I’m new to the online dating scene too. So, first question… what kind of music do you like to listen to?
He then replaced the phone in his pocket, and continued his journey back to the downtown office with a smile on his face.
****
When he reached his office, he couldn’t resist pulling out his phone one more time to see if there was a response. To his delight, there was.
Good to know! Makes me feel a little less nervous. Music? Let’s see. I like all genres… but I’m a fan of artists that sort of mix them, like Celine Dion for example. She’s got this blend of R&B and Classical that warms me all the way to my toes.
Alright, now it’s my turn. What kind of books do you like to read?
“Mr. Marshall?” his secretary poked his head through the door. “Just a quick reminder you have a meeting with Mr. Prospect in fifteen minutes.
“Thank you, Jordan.” He waited until his secretary had closed the door, then turned back to his phone with a smile.
Fifteen minutes was plenty of time to send another email, wasn’t it?
****
Susie’s heart was drumming loudly in her ears as she paced back and forth in her bedroom, waiting for Ryan’s call. She’d opened a bottle of wine and had left it by her nightstand to air next to a wine glass, and kept looking longingly at it as a way to calm her nerves. It was there as a sort of celebration as well as to set the atmosphere—not just for her to get drunk off!
“Take deep breaths, Suz,” she whispered to herself. “Deep, calming breaths.” Seating herself on the edge of the bed, she did just that—and then gave in and poured herself that first glass of red wine. She watched it spill into the glass like blood, then lifted it to her lips and savored the first dry drop on her tongue.
They’d been emailing back and forth the past few weeks like giddy, moonstruck lovers, and Suzie had eventually forced herself to leave her iPhone in her locker during her shifts because she couldn’t stop checking her phone whenever it was near. They’d learned so much about each other in such a short time—little things, like his love of Frank Sinatra and midnight walks—but it was still more than she’d know about any other man she’d considered dating in her life.
Eventually they decided that email was too slow, and they’d exchanged phone numbers, with a promise from Ryan that he would call her at eight o’clock tonight. Picking up her phone, the digital numbers told her that it was still only 7:59. She sighed. Why did these last sixty seconds seem like the longest of her life?
The phone rang, vibrating in her hands and nearly scaring the life out of her. Quickly, she thumbed the SEND button and pressed the phone to her ear with a cheery, if somewhat breathless, “Hello?”
“Hi there.” The voice on the other end was friendly, masculine, and just husky enough to send a pleasant shiver down her spine. “Is this Susie?”
****
“Yes. Yes, it is.” Susie’s voice came through the phone, cheerful, but with that hint of nerves that made her human in a way that no supermodel or female power exec ever had for him. “You’re Ryan?”
“I am. It’s nice to hear your voice.” It was light and sweet and smooth, he mused, a smile coming to his lips. Like whipped cream.
She giggled, a foolish sound that warmed his heart. “You don’t sound too bad yourself. Did you know that you called exactly at eight o’clock, on the dot?”
He felt faintly embarrassed that she’d noticed, but didn’t let it show in his voice. “Are you going to sit there and tell me that you weren’t watching the clock for this past ten minutes?” It had actually been more like half an hour, but he didn’t want to come off too strong so soon.
“You’ve got me there,” she admitted with a little laugh. “I guess I just couldn’t wait to talk to you.”
His smile widened. “Same here.”
They spent a long time on the phone, talking and laughing like old friends, sharing details about their lives, both past and present. He learned she was from Arizona, and had brothers living back there.
“Life on a farm as the only girl was tough,” she admitted. “But eventually I went to college, got my nursing degree, moved out here.”
“Why New York?” he wanted to know. “It’s so far from your roots. Taking off across the country to start a new life must have been hard.”
She sighed, and he thought the sound was a little wistful. “I admit I do miss Arizona and I go back every so often to visit the family. But at the time I was so sick of country life, and after going to college and getting a taste of what the city was like I knew I couldn’t go back. So I got out a list of states with the biggest urban and suburban cities, looked at some brochures, and decided New York was it for me. I packed my bags, booked a plane, and I’ve been happy here ever since.”
“Wow. You just came in blind, without ever having set foot here before?” He shook his head with a low whistle. “That’s brave. Incredibly brave.” And he couldn’t help but admire her for it.
“It was tough and first, but I was able to land a job in my field with little difficulty. After that, things just sort of took off. So what about you?”
“I’m afraid I’m not so adventurous.” He laughed. “I was born and raised on Long Island with two sisters and one brother. My dad owned a local construction company, and I learned the ins and outs of the business growing up, and then went off to college for an MBA. Once I got out I worked for him awhile, then decided that the family business deal wasn’t for me, and moved on—no hard feelings,” he assured her, not wanting to scare her off with the idea that he had family issues. “The company I work for now is in construction too, funnily enough—except we’re big time. We do a lot of corporate and government-type contracts.”
They continued on in this vein, tossing questions back and forth much the same way they did in emails, and yet it was somehow so much more intimate. Emails didn’t enable you to share a laugh in the same moment, to hear the breathy little sighs and giggles of the woman you were talking to. It didn’t allow you to hear the subtle nuances in the person’s voice, or to hear what was unsaid as well as said.
“If I could, I would spend the rest of the night talking with you, but I’ve got to be up bright and early,” he finally said.
“Me too. I’ve got patients, you’ve got clients.” She paused for a moment. “You want to call, same time tomorrow?” That hint of shyness, uncertainty was back in her voice—did she think he would say no, after all this? He wondered why she was so insecure, what it was she was worried about that he wouldn’t like, but he didn’t press.
“Of course. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Goodnight.”
****
That night, she dreamed of Ryan. Of walking on the beach with him, hand in hand, the moon rising up over them like a guardian, to light their path and watch over their love. His sandy hair was tousled by the night breeze that crooked grin from his profile picture on his face. But instead of his eyes being sleepy and sexy, they were filled with affection as he stared down at her, as they poured their souls out to each other on that moonlit beach.
When he took her in his arms, when the warmth of his fingers seeped into her body and his lips pressed gently against her own, she felt it was the most natural thing in the world. He caressed her curves lightly through the summer dress that she wore, and didn’t seem to mind that she was more ample than most. And when he slid the straps down her shoulders so that the dress pooled at her ankles, she didn’t feel the least self-conscious.
He made love to her slowly, tenderly, her orgasms crashing over her like the waves smashing against the rocks near the surf. It was sweet, it was agonizing, it was everything she’d ever wanted.
And when she woke up, she carried that dream close to her heart, and it warmed her for the rest of the day.
****
“I had a dream about you last night.”
“Oh?” They had been talking for nearly forty-five minutes, and this confession had come from the left field. But rather than making him feel uncomfortable, Ryan was intrigued. “What about?”
The hesitation on the other end of the line only intrigued him more. “Umm… we were walking on the beach, at night. Holding hands.”
“A moonlit beach walk?” Ryan couldn’t help but be touched that she had dreamed of him in that kind of setting. “That must be your romantic soul coming out,” he teased.
“Oh, like you don’t have one yourself,” she protested, but he could hear the laughter in her voice, and knew she wasn’t upset.
“So, what did we do? Just walk?”
“We walked, and we talked, just like we always do, except you were there in person.” She gave a little sigh. “Your hand was warm against mine and when you kissed me—”
“Kissing?” Ryan grinned. “Was I any good?”
“You were terrible. Kissed like a fish.” Her tone was slightly petulant, and he knew she was annoyed because he interrupted, but he couldn’t help laughing.
“Mwah, mwah, mwah.”
“Oh hush.”
“You know you liked it.”
Susie laughed. “You were a great kisser. And…” she trailed off, and if he had been a fox, his head would have come up and his nose would have started twitching. She was holding back something.