First of all, you can forget about this Bryan (Brian?) character from over a week ago. He never called me after our first date and then when I texted to say hello, he never responded. Suck a dick, you stupid liar. See if I'll eat french fries and drink whiskey with you again! >:( ARGH!!
Moving on....
While I was riding high on the Bryan-train not too long ago, I was also exchanging e-mails with this fellow named Chris. He seemed nice, average-looking with a pretty good job working at a hospital. He wasn't as forth-coming as Brian was, in fact he seemed a little more shy. We e-mailed for like a week before he took the leap at giving me his phone number. Then we began to text regularly. I wasn't doing much talking since I wasn't very interested, just responding to his questions. He was very sweet, engaging and thoughtful. This went on for another week before he finally found the courage to ask me out. It came at an unlikely time. Last week, my friend Ralph passed away and my grandmother was rushed to the hospital. I was fighting back tears for a whole week, sitting in my grandma's room in urgent care, hoping she'd get better. Chris was kind enough to talk me through it and had encouraging words. His job puts him in these sorts of situations on a daily basis, so he knew just what to say to make me feel better. When he finally worked up the courage to ask me out, I was all for it. At best, I might find a cool guy to date. At worst, I'd get a free meal? Haha.
So we decided on Italian food and bowling in my old neighborhood of Whittier. I put extra care into my outfit, making sure everything matched and of course, that I showed ample cleavage. I figured if I wasn't a stimulating enough conversation partner, maybe he'd walk away with a cool memories of my bodacious rack, hahah!!! I will admit, when I arrived at Lascari's on Friday night, my heart was pounding so loud...I could feel it in my ears.
I show up and Chris is already waiting for me. I see him stand up. He looks better in person than he does in his pictures on Match. He's adorable in his checkered, flannel button-up shirt with cuffed jeans and black-rimmed Buddy Holly-style glasses. A white boy greaser? Yes please.
Conversation during dinner was shaky at first and I know I was nervous (I tend to laugh a lot when I'm anxious!) but we recovered nicely once we opened up more. Chris is really, really funny. He does really great impressions and is good at accents. I was cracking up the whole time during dinner. That familiar funny feeling in the pit of my stomach resurfaced and I felt awesome. We talked a little about everything and I found out his family is originally from Chicago. He's a die-hard White Sox fan and he loves hockey. Chris works at a hospital/rehab center in Brea and goes to school in Garden Grove so he can be certified as a respiratory therapist. He's gone to firefighter school to learn first aid and emergency care. He loves punk, rockabilly and some country. We have the same taste in movies and TV, especially anything Will Ferrell related. I think I blew his mind when I did my impression of Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray (well, Will Ferrell's version of it). That might've been the turning point of the night :)
Unfortunately, it was league night at the bowling alley, so we decided to skip it and go across the street to Black Angus for drinks. Much better choice.
Once I get a teensy bit of booze in me, I get less nervous and a bit more relaxed. He has a Jack & Coke while I have a Makers & Coke. No Johnnie Walker, I have to make do. Conversation at Black Angus was even better. By then, we'd been hanging out for well over 3 hours and were feeling quite comfortable with each other. I declared my love for Morrissey, Bad Religion and Deftones, to which Chris reciprocated nicely. He even laughed at my unusual penchant for George Michael and all things Wham. Haha!! We were the last people at the restaurant and had no signs of slowing down. We walked out into the parking lot and spend the next 2 hours just talking. Okay, to be more realistic, we were laughing, talking loudly, screaming, singing and making fun of each other. I don't even remember what triggered it, but Chris looks down at me and smiles. It's a beautiful summer night and I'm not even the least bit cold. He draws me in closer, his hands resting on my hips and he kisses me. I don't even have time to close my eyes or tilt my head. WOW. Our lips crush against each other and I slowly feel myself relent. I'm melting inside. Feels good to not overthink this. Feels good to not be the one making the first move! We kept talking for what seemed like hours, occasionally stopping to hug or make out. One of the highlights was when he spotted the beaded rosary hanging from the rear-view mirror of my car. He asked if I was Catholic, too. I immediately pointed out the Virgin of Guadalupe stamp on the rear-view mirror on his car and told him I was also a Catholic. We then had a silly contest to see who was a better Catholic. He busted out his old Palm Sunday fronds and I pulled mine from my glove-box. He also showed off his stack of prayer cards and I asked if he was trying to be the mayor of heaven. He laughed and said he was trying to be Jesus's best friend. I knew I had a couple of prayer cards of my own stashed somewhere deep in the center console of my car, probably white and bleached from the sun but I made no move to recover them. I'd figure I'd let him win :D There were more and more similarities as the night went on, but it was getting to be almost 2 am. I bid Chris a good night as he sat in the driver seat of his car, with the door open. I stood in front of him and found him to be the perfect height for me to kiss back. He was able to move his hands lower and caress my hips and butt. Kissing him was dizzying. Every time I pulled away, he brought me back in. With dread, I knew I had to go home. We made hasty plans to hang out again. I felt it was a dick move to tell him about all the times guys swore they'd see me again but then don't. He raised an eyebrow and asked if this was reverse psychology. He sincerely wanted to see me again, I could tell....but I was afraid to get my hopes up again. We texted again when I got home and I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
Chris chased me via text all of Saturday and Sunday, both of us flirting recklessly. Sunday night rolls around and he wants to see me again but I hesitate. I don't want to come off like a slut but I also don't want to seem like a prude. Chris rescues me from my moral dilemma by calling me on the phone. We talked for nearly 3 hours! Amongst all the fun chatter, embarrassing stories and striking similarities, we were also very open and honest with each other. Chris confessed he was divorced. He had only been married less than a year. His wife had cheated on him with a co-worker from her job. His divorce was finalized last year and he's in the process of getting his marriage annulled. I was stunned but relieved to know he was working on repairing his love life by looking for the right girl. He hadn't given up on love. In fact, he's willing to remarry, buy a house and one day have children. I felt my heart soar. To be married, own a home and have kids is my supreme goal, too! I told him this and so much more. I explained as much as I could about my love life, touching on my time with Dan and my experience with dating a string of losers. I was accountable for some of the mistakes I made in picking guys. It sounded like we both were on the same page and nervous about each other, in a good way. What impressed me is how much of a gentleman he is. He is letting me go at my own pace and is not afraid to take steps back if I don't feel ready. And for once, I'm not rushing towards sex. I want to see him yes, but I want to keep getting to know him better. For once, I am excited to go slow.
We're back to texting today, on what feels like the first glorious Monday morning in a long time. I'm a little sprung on him. We're making plans as we speak to hang out later this week. I don't know where this is going but it seems promising, probably more than the others. I'd like to have a Catholic boy all to my own :)
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