His eyes lit up. “That’s an easy one, snickerdoodle cookies—hands down.”
I smiled at him. “Grandmas always make the best cookies. Or so I’ve been told. I didn’t have grandparents around growing up.”
“What about you? What was your childhood like?” he asked.
I sat and contemplated. I had such a complicated childhood with unresolved trauma, and I wasn’t ready to unpack. “I was raised by a single mom. My dad died when I was still a baby...”
“At least we’re both part of the no-dads club,” he interrupted.
We both laughed. “Anyways, we started moving a lot when I was in the fourth grade, but before that, she and I did everything together. She even volunteered in my classrooms at school because we had always been close. The other kids wouldask if I was embarrassed to have my mom at school, and I wasn’t because I loved having her there. But she was promoted a few times and started traveling for work, and having questionable relationships. At first, I stayed with my great aunt Benita, but then we moved away from my great aunt when I reached an age my mom felt comfortable enough leaving me alone.”
“What age was that?” he asked.
I hesitated. If I said the age out loud, it would expose a piece of my trauma. “I was eleven,” I finally said, waiting for his look of pity. But the look never came.
“Maybe we were so drawn to each other because we were both forced to grow up too fast. Perhaps we can help each other heal our inner child.” He smiled shyly at me.
I gave him an equally shy smile back. “I like that thought.”
“The next date can be at a park. Let’s see who can swing the highest.” He let out a chuckle. “Or race each other down the slides. You know? Kid stuff.”
“Could you teach me how to play Hackie Sack? I always sucked at it when I was young.”
He gave me a sly smile. “I was much better at games where I used my hands.”
I winked. “I bet you were.” I smiled so big my cheeks hurt. I liked him. I really liked him.
When we both finished our food, Grant stood up to gather the plates and bowls from the table. He instantly started washing the dishes. “I can help with those,” I said.
He turned to look at me. “You can help by sitting there and looking pretty,” he said with such confidence I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“Fine,”I said, dragging out the word. He finished doing the dishes, drying his hands.
“What's on your mind over there? Your thinking is quite loud.”
I didn’t want to lie. If we had any potential to become something long-term, I wanted to approach us with true honesty and transparency. “I enjoyed tonight and don't want it to end, but I promised myself I would take things slowly with you, unlike I've done in the past. However, if I don't leave soon, I’ll be tempted to break the promise to myself.”
He smirked. “Is that so?”
I laughed. “It’s not funny.”
“No, of course not,” he said sarcastically. “Just know, I'd never pressure you to move more quickly than you're comfortable with, okay?”
I appreciated him so much. “Honestly, once sex had been put on the table in previous relationships, nothing else seemed to matter. I obviously have some trauma to work through, but your patience has been a breath of fresh air.” Unfortunately, his patience was alsosexy.
“You're all that matters right now, Serenity. Sex is the least of my concerns, so don't feel like you owe me anything. Your presence is enough.”
I stood up and started to gather my things. “This really was a special night. Thank you for dinner and for telling me a bit about your upbringing.” I quickly hugged him and walked toward the door, heading out to my car.
“You know I’m walking you to your car, right?” he whispered next to me. I didn’t even hear him follow me out. “You’re welcome for dinner, by the way. You didn’t really give me a chance to respond before running out the door.”
“I didn’t run,” I argued.
“You definitely speed walked at the very least.”
I laughed and looked back at him as we approached my car. “I want to commit to taking things slow with you while we’re healing and truly getting to know each other, so when we dojump in, we’ll both know it’s because it's something undeniable. That we are undeniable,” I said, pointing between both of us.
He smiled at me, leaning down to wrap me in a bear hug. We hugged each other for a long time. “I want us to be excited about the aspect of pursuing another relationship with each other after both of us had been burned. I want us to continue to be open and vulnerable with each other, so by the time we put the label on it, we’ll already be ahead of those who rush into it. Take your time, sweet girl. Like I said, you’re worth waiting for.”
