_____"I live four red lights away," you offer.
_____"I'm a little farther away, but I have a deck and an excellent view of the harbor."
_____"I'm sold!"
_____"Here, just in case we get separated." Carla draws a map on the back of a napkin. As you tuck it in your pocket, she leans over and lightly kisses you on the sensitive spot under you left ear. "That's incentive not to get lost."
_____When the lights dim, you look over at the waitress. She is starting to get impatient; she's cleaned every table accept yours. Hoping to compensate for the inconvenience, you leave an over generous tip.
_____Slipping behind the steering wheel, your spine is still tingling from that last kiss. Instead of following Carla directly, you stop an all night grocery to pick up some dessert. Mother said never show up empty handed and it gives Carla a few minutes to sweep the dirt under a rug.
_____You have no trouble finding her place. After a tap on the screen door, Carla almost magically appears. "Come on in. Please, make yourself comfortable." She is genuinely surprised when you give her a box of chocolate covered cherries. "I love these. Isn't it so sensuous when the chocolate melts in your mouth and suddenly the cherry liquor rushes onto your tongue?" You are rewarded with another kiss before she disappears into the kitchen.
_____You sink comfortably into a plush sofa. Though the livingroom is scantly furnished, the walls are adorned with African masks and paintings of vast, lush landscapes. "These pieces are beautiful. Where did you find them?"
_____Carla's voice rises above the clinking of cups and pots. "Thank you. My father got most of them as gifts or souvenirs from his time in Kenya."
_____"Really? Why was he there?"
_____Carla sets a plate full of chocolate covered cherries on the coffee table and sits on the arm of the sofa. She put a hand on your shoulder to steady herself. If you leaned back she would lose her balance and fall directly into your waiting arms. Of course, you don't move an inch. "Doing research. He's teaches history at Towson State--" She is interrupted by a whistling kettle.
_____"Be right back."
_____You need to freshen up a bit. "Hey, where's the bathroom?"
_____"Down the hall to the right."
_____After washing your hands you "accidentally" open the door on the left and peek into the bedroom. It's a queen-sized bed with a beautiful brass headboard. Unfortunately, it's covered with clothes and boxes. Definitely not set up for a romantic interlude; perhaps she isn't planning one.
_____Carla's kisses promised more, but you shouldn't have been so presumptuous. Though disappointed, you are not mad. After all, you've kept her waiting for months and now it's your turn to wait until she is ready.
_____Right now, though, you are tired and it is late. Are you going to hang out with Carla a little longer or call it a night?
At least have some tea