After taking a few deep breaths, I gain control of myself and muster the strength to open my car door. Walking around to the other side, I open Christina’s door and help her out. When she stands, her nose is only a few inches from mine, and we’re like magnets as we collapse into each other, kissing. Her arms wrap around my neck as she presses her body into me. Folding my arms around her, I hold on as if I’m afraid to let her go. When her abdomen pushes against mine, I become aware of how hard I am again. This time, I don’t care. The feeling that shoots through my body as she presses herself against me is addicting.
Pulling away from each other to catch our breaths, Christina smiles and says, “Is that a roll of quarters in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?”
Embarrassed, I pull away, but Christina holds onto me tight. “I’m…I…I’m sorry. I…don’t…I–”
“It’s okay, Joe. I’d be worried if you weren’t attracted to me.”
“Attracted? I’m a bit more than attracted to you, Christina.”
“Good.”
Christina leans in, and we kiss one more time before she removes her arms from around my neck. Sliding her hand down my arm, she takes my hand, and we interlace our fingers as we walk to her doorstep. Standing under the light, we kiss gently as we tell each other goodnight. When she closes the door, I turn away and head back to my car.
Lying in my bed, I can’t help but reach down to ease my anxiety. I have a sock nearby, so I don’t make too much of a mess. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to visit with the minister again…
***************
Christina and I are dancing to a slow song, and there is no space between us. Some of the bands are good, and some are not. This one isn’t bad. I know she can feel my desire for her; there’s no way to avoid it while dancing like this. There is about an hour left of the dance, and I’m trying to think of something we can do, so I can spend more time with her. As we spin around the room, I catch a glimpse of Sarah standing in the crowd. She’s watching us. Guilt falls over me, and I pull away slightly from Christina. She notices.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uhm…can I tell you something without you getting upset?”
“Depends on what it is.”
“Uh…yeah…that makes sense.”
“What is it? I promise not to make a big deal about it, whatever it is.”
“Well…the dance we were at when we danced for the first time?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I met a girl, her name is Sarah. We danced a lot that night, and I went out with her the next week.”
“Okay.”
“Well…uhm…I kind of left her hanging…I mean, I didn’t say I’d call her again, but I didn’t exactly tell her that I wasn’t interested.”
“And?”
“Uhm, well…she’s been watching us dance, and I have a feeling that I should at least talk with her.”
“Where is she?”
I spin Christina around to see Sarah as I describe what she looks like and what she’s wearing.
“That’s the girl you were sitting with at Bob’s that night, isn’t it?” Christina asks.
She remembers that? She noticed? “Uhm…yeah. Same person.”
“Tell you what. I’ll go get some air after this dance, and you can spend some time with Sarah to clear things up. Sound good?”
“Uhmm…I guess. Yeah. Thanks.”
When the music ends, Christina gets Aimee, and they walk out to the courtyard together. I slowly make my way to Sarah. Another slow song begins, and the look on her face tells me that she’s expecting me to ask her to dance. So, I do. We move off to the side and to the back of the crowd as we dance.
“Sarah, look…I uhm–”
“No, I get it, Joe. You don’t like me, but you feel guilty because we went on a date.”
“It’s not that I don’t like you, Sarah–”
“Then you do like me? Then why didn’t you call me again? Why haven’t we gone out? I thought we had fun?”
“Look, Sarah. I do like you, but, well…not romantically. We did have fun; it’s not that.”
“Then what is it, Joe? Am I not pretty enough for you?”
“Sarah…It’s not that, honest. You’re beautiful–”
“Then what is it, Joe? You said you liked me and we had fun together. What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing, Sarah. You didn’t do anything wrong. Honest. I’m just not attracted to you…in…that…way.”
Looking into Sarah’s eyes, there wet from her tears. I can’t stand to see a woman cry, and it breaks my heart. I’m tempted to ask her out again, just to ease the tension, but I come to my senses and realize that that would just make matters worse. Sarah doesn’t say another word to me, and when the song ends, she pulls away and disappears into the crowd.
I go to the courtyard to see if Christina and Aimee are still there. They are.
Christina senses my dampened mood and asks, “Didn’t go too well, I take it?”
“Not really. She cried.”
“Do you want to get out of here and do something else?”
“Yeah…kind of.”
“I’m game. What are you in the mood to do?”
“I’m kind of hungry. How about we go to In-n-Out and grab a burger?”
“Not Bob’s?”
“Nah. I don’t want to run into anyone from the dance.”
“Cool. Let’s go.”
Before walking to my car, Christina gives Aimee a hug and tells her that she’ll talk with her later.
I get my usual Double-Double…Animal Style, while Christina gets a plain cheeseburger.
“Feeling better?” Christina asks.
“My stomach does, but not my heart. I feel bad about the way I handled things with Sarah. Usually, when I pull a bonehead move like that, I’ll go to the beach and watch the waves crash against the sand. There’s something about ocean spray hitting my face that calms me down and helps me focus on the problem.”
“I’m good with that. Let’s go.”
Looking into Christina’s eyes, I explain, “It’s not going to be that simple, Christina. First off, you’re wearing a dress, and it’ll be cold. And second…well…uhm…it’ll be pitch black. If we start making out, I’m not sure I’ll be able to control myself.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine. Why don’t you take me home, and I’ll change into some pants and a sweatshirt?”
“We probably won’t get back until two or three in the morning. Are you sure your parents will be okay with that?”
“I don’t have a curfew, Joe. The only reason I live at home right now is that I don’t want to be in the dorms or an apartment at UCLA. So I’ll be fine, and so will my parents.”
Christina explains that she dated a UCLA basketball player for a while, and things got out of hand. Besides their relationship being too public for her, he cheated on her while out of town. So, she isn’t living on or near campus until after he graduates next year.
I take her home and wait outside while she changes. Finally, Christina comes out of the house with some towels and a blanket.
“What’s all that for?” I ask.
“To sit on, and if it gets too cold, we can wrap the blanket around us.”
“Cool.”
When we arrive at Zuma Beach an hour later, the place is as empty as I expect. We decide to use the blanket instead of the towels to sit on. Instead of being next to me, Christina sits between my legs with her back to me. My nose nestles in her fragrant hair as my arms wrap around her abdomen and hold her close. We sit and talk, and I slowly begin to feel better. Looking up, I gaze at the stars, and I’m astounded at how bright they are. When Christina gets chilled, she nestles into me. I can’t resist her, so I gently kiss her cheek. Christina leans her head to the side, exposing her neck, so I kiss that next, and she shivers as she pushes into me. She then tilts her head back and reaches for my lips, so we kiss.