18.2.12

dating blues: giselle #2

I haven't been out of my apartment in almost thirty-hours. Fever, chills and a racking cough have been waging war on my body....it's been a real blast. this morning i decided i couldn't stand another minute in the apartment with the dogs, my roommate and her stationary bike(that thing is loud!),  so i ventured out. i am already exhausted from my three block walk to the local coffee shop...obviously i have not won the war yet. 

but let me not wander too far from my purpose here today:
giselle #2

giselle invited me to her place for dinner a few days after our first date. she couldn't really cook she said, but wanted to me to meet some of her friends (already!?)

i met up with some friends a few days before to discuss our love lives over sweet potato fries and frosty pints of cider. we talked endlessly about our expectations for our upcoming dates. a hug, a kiss, a lay...we each represented various degrees of expectation. at the end of the night we decided on the best way to communicate whether our expectation were realized. (i'm not sure why we could not have just called or texted one another)...but we decided that posting to face book (in code of course) was the best course of action. our code of choice ? "The back of your head is ridiculous", a line from the Mad TV sketch "Can i have your number?" (god, we are an odd bunch!)

A few days before i was to go over to her house, Giselle texted that none of her friends would be able to show...it would be just me and her. how exhilarating ! my excitement increased....i found myself waiting impatiently, again, to see her.

I showed up at her house, seven on the dot, as we had planned. I was feeling a bit disheveled, having come straight from work. She put me at ease, placing a drink in my hand and cooing over the homemade chocolate cookies i had brought (she happened to be IN LOVE with chocolate). She had some chicken marinating and was trying to decide which vegetables to cook. It didn't seem as though she did not know how to cook...but she confessed (in increments) how her roommates had helped her with what to cook, how to cook it and for how long. she was definitely uneasy in the kitchen. She was adorable. I tried to help a little but didn't want to make her feel bad so let her figure it out on her own mostly. Finally, we ate (closer to eight than seven) and this boi was starved. I scarfed her food, which she thought was amazing, and raved about her marinated chicken. We tidied up the kitchen together.

Afterwards, we moved to the living room where we collapsed onto the couch, knees touching. At this point, i began to falter. I was having trouble gauging whether or not she was actually enjoying herself. I was being myself, laughing and telling funny stories...she would respond with "oh my god, stop" or "oh my god, your so funny" but she was also sighing a lot. I interpreted these sighs as boredom. i usually don't have much trouble reading a gals signals...but this evening i was. i shifted closer to her on the couch, she moved closer, then abruptly moved back. i stayed put hoping she mosey back on over....but then her dog would jump in between us...taking up the entire couch...a veritable cock block if you will. (can i say that?) frustration was setting in. i kept wanting to make a move but was thrown off by all of the bored sighs. i was enjoying getting to know her but was not sure if it was mutual.

i began making moves to leave.
she said, "yeah, its getting late. you'd probably better go" BAD SIGN!
she walked me to my car. GOOD SIGN
"i really enjoyed myself tonight" she whispered. GOOD SIGN
"but um...." BAD SIGN
AH! I was so confused!
She was so beautiful standing there in there in the street light. a light wind blowing her perfume all over me....
I was in the process of deciding to make a move despite her conflicting signals...when she took my face in her hands and kissed me. softly, slowly.
ladies and gents, i felt that kiss all the way to my toes.
I moved closer to her, my hands gently pressing her to me. she clasped her arms around my neck, sighing as she relaxed into me...    "now this is what all that sighing was about!" i thought to myself.
it was a simple kiss, not too long not to short...perfect and sweet.
she muttered something about taking it slow, not wanting to rush into anything, not wanting to get hurt.
(yadda yadda, she could have said she believed that elephants perched in trees like the parrots and i wouldn't have cared...i was still caught up in the kiss.)
i agreed with her, of course, it was only the second date after all! I was not about to be the typical dyke and bring my u-haul to the next date...
we said goodnight, as girls do, with a lingering hug and whispered tones...as she turned to go she gave a little scream of excitement and nearly skipped to her door. I drove home with the windows down, music blaring...with a grin i could not wipe away and her taste on my lips.

"the back of your head is ridiculous"

4 comments:

Edie said...

Ugh, I hate knowing that somehow this doesn't end well (what with the title being "dating blues" and all)! It always seems so great at the beginning, doesn't it? *sigh*

Harper said...

the beginning is always a blast...and then... *sigh* is right!

Maria said...

I didn't allow myself to get too serious with anyone for DECADES and now I think it was because I ADORED this part of the relationship. All that being on your best behavior and feeling all gingery and giddy.

Every single relationship I had started out well and ended with me looking at someone in disbelief (God, how could you say something so stupid!) at how I didn't really LIKE them anymore and how the hell did that happen.

And then...when I was about 45, I decided to just set down roots and see what happened. Pay the price of admission, if you will. It worked. You compromise.

God...PLEASE finish this story. I am all ears (well, I suppose, eyes..) But, um...get well first. But, hurry. Yes?

Anonymous said...

Me too- I am loving this but dreading the part that makes it *dating blues*!

I hope that you are able to kick the illness to the curb and get back to (happier, leaving the apt.)life.