Finally

We spent the rest of the evening chatting, in between collecting up used plates and refreshing the food table. I felt easy and relaxed with Kitty. I loved her willingness to help out. She was cute too. She told me she was single, and I told her I was single and I was sure there was a knowing look exchanged between us.

Just before midnight she beckoned me to follow her to the front door. “I have to go,” she told me. “Do you want to swap numbers? I’m away for the next two weeks, but maybe we could get a coffee or something when I get back?”

I tried to sound casual yet keen. “Sounds good to me.”

~~~

True to her word, she invited me for coffee a couple of weeks later. The following weekend, I invited her to come to the beach with me for a walk. The week after that, we had lunch in a fancy cafe. Then another coffee date. Each time we met, we had fun, but I couldn’t read the vibes.

I thought I’d been flirting: on the beach, I told her my hands were cold and offered her one to hold. She touched it briefly to confirm my hand did indeed feel chilly, but she didn’t volunteer to warm it up in her own. At lunch, I’d asked if I could tempt her with a taste of my dessert and held up a spoonful for her. She took her own spoon and dug into the pie on my plate. “Delicious,” she said. And then, “We should come again to sample some more from the menu. How about the same time next week?” 

We each took turns at making invitations. But always daytime dates. And always somewhere public. I knew something had to change, or we’d be friendzoned forever. 

When she finally suggested we spend an evening together at her flat, I thought surely this was it. I brought a nice bottle of wine and tucked my toothbrush into my jacket pocket just in case. We drank some of the wine and watched a movie. It was dark by the time we got to the credits: “It’s late,” I said. “Maybe too late to get a taxi...”

“No worries,” she said, “I’ll give you a lift home.” 

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