Online Dating Can Be Hard 12
A bomb boom! Chapter for the week. Hope you guys like it!
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Kate said that this was a suit and tie kind of event. Luckily for me I still had my suit from freshman year of college that still fit like a glove. My bowtie only took about 32 attempts and 3 youtube videos to finally get done. Straightening it the mirror though, I had to admit, I looked pretty dang good.
Kate said she would pick me up (literally) around 5 p.m. so I had about 10 minutes to get my life together. Giving myself one last look, I sprayed on a little bit of cologne that Heidi said I had to buy. There was a soft tap on glass down the hall. Kate was early per usual.
“Here we go Cammy boy…” I said with a nod before walking down the hall to greet my date.
No one stood in front of my balcony, so I opened the door hesitantly. Maybe I was just hearing things I thought stepping out into the cool night.
“Well, hello there handsome.” Kate’s voice drawled high above me.
I looked to my right to see her push off the building. My breath caught in my throat. Kate was dazzling. Her black dress was cut high on the leg and hung off her in all the right places. Her brown hair had a slight wave to it as the blonde highlights in her brown hair shone in the streetlight She had some make up on but only the bare minimum to make her features pop. I didn’t know I wasn’t breathing till the sent of Jovan Musk wafted gently on the wind. I inhaled long through my nose as I got drunk off her beauty. Kate knew I was staring as she bent over further to get a better look at me. My heart fluttered seeing those big blue eyes trained on me.
“You clean up really nice.” She purred.
“You do too.” I said instinctively. A smile stretched from ear to ear.
“Ready to go?” she said rising to again tower over me in the streetlight.
“Yes ma’am!” I tossed back.
Her hand came to rest next to the guard rail near mean. The same familiar fear crept into my bones. I shook my head to try to clear it. “Not tonight… I can’t let my fear ruin the moment.” I quietly chided myself.
Stealing all of my courage I climbed upon the outstretched hand. Kate was warm against the cold fall night. I leaned back into her fingers as they cupped around me. She laid her thumb across my lap absent mindedly. I chuckled to myself as I set my hands on the large digit.
I could feel her heart was beating as fast as mine. I didn’t know if it was from nerves or excursion from walking, but part of me wished she was as caught in the moment as I was.
“You are 10/10 going to be the talk of the town tonight.” Kate said with a smile as she walked to her old Tacoma.
“That’s only because everyone’s going to be jealous of me for being your date!” I shot back. I had a great view of her and planned to soak it up for as long as possible.
Kate snorted a laugh and shook her head. “You are delusional but thank you.” If I looked closely I was pretty sure her cheeks had a light dusting of red. Was she blushing?
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I thanked the Lord when we finally got to the truck. Not going to lie, Cam was making me a little flustered. It took everything for me to stay cool. The drive was a little less than an hour away. We chatted and sang to the radio like usual.
I was always infatuated with how well Cam could sing. From Garth Brooks to CCR the man seemed to be able to sing it all. I on the other hand was just good enough to be tolerated. Cam kept telling me that I was better than I thought I was, but I was pretty sure he was just saying that to make me feel better.
I knew we definitely did not fit in with the attending crowd when everyone else pulled up to the valet with new Range Rovers and Lexus. Part of me wanted to valet park my beat-up truck as a big middle finger to the rich folks, but that probably wasn’t good etiquette. Instead, I pulled into a small parking lot not too far from the venue. As a force of habit, I parked towards the back of the lot in hopes someone wouldn’t put another ding in my door.
“My good Sir.” I said opening the passenger side door and bowing as I offered Cam my hand.
He let out his usual cool guy chuckle. “My lady.” He said as he climbed on. I don’t think I would ever get use to having him in the palm of my hand.
“These are definitely not our people.” Cam laughed as he watched high class people dress to the nines pass us by.
“Definitely not” I tossed back.
Cam’s focus was on the passersby which gave me the opportunity to study him once more. His dark brown hair was slicked back, and his beard was well oiled and tamed. His suit was tailored perfectly to his body. It took everything in my power not to lean down and put my nose directly on him to fully take his cologne.
“Good evening” I said to the guard as I reached into my purse and pulling out the invitation.
He looked from the invitation to Cam and then back to me. He did little to hide the surprise in his eyes that I had a parvus as my date. “Good evening Ms. Kaiser and Mr. Chaudhry.” He said before opening the door.
The hall was filled with people and decorations. Classical music played in the background which only added to the ambiance. Fine works of art hung from all the walls as fancy people admired them. Cam was eating up the sight with awe. I chuckled a little seeing his jaw physically drop.
“Would you like to sit on my shoulder or stay in my hand?” I asked gaining the attention of my tiny date.
“Can I sit on your shoulder? I feel like your arm would get tired after carrying my sorry ass for a while.” He said looking up at me with bright eyes.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he weighed practically nothing so holding him didn’t bother me. Raising my hand Cam hopped off onto my shoulder.
He let out an excited squeak which brought a smile to my face. “Did you really get holds secretly sown into your dress for me?” I could hear the happiness in his voice.
I shrugged tousling Cam a little bit. “I figured it would make the night a little easier on you.” I said casually.
“Thank you.” Cam said softly as he leaned into my neck. I practically melted at his words.
We walked around looking at the art and eating the horderves. We had a smooth system down. Cam and I would choose what we wanted to try. I would then bring the tooth pick up to Cam so he could get a couple of bites and I would finish off whatever was left. Other couples gave us weird looks but to us it felt so natural.
“Ah! Kate! You came!” My boss said as he steered his wife our direction. “And you brought a date!” He said just noticing Cam for the first time.
“Yes Sir!” I said with a smile. Motioning my hand to my shoulder beau I continued, “This is Cam. Cam, this is my boss Mr. Klein and his wife.”
My boss shot up his finger to shake Cam’s hand. “Nice to meet you Cam! You can call me Larry. Kate said she made a new little friend. She always did enjoy having parvus friends.”
“Yeah… A little too much if you ask me…” His wife mumbled under her breath, but her words were still loud enough everyone heard. I could tell the woman had been drinking as the smell of liquor hung in the air.
“Darling…” My boss scolded through a grit smile.
“Larry, I just don’t think it is right and I don’t think we should pretend it is.” The woman said turning to her husband.
“Honey, like I told you before, it is none of our business. Kate also said they are just friends, so maybe we should leave it at that.” Larry said trying to salvage the situation.
His wife let out a huff and crossed her arms. “Everyone always starts out as just friends Larry… Don’t be so blind to the way of the world. That’s why being so close with parvus to begin with is wrong. We need to know our place and they need to know theirs.”
Cam and I both tensed at the woman’s words. If she wasn’t my boss’s wife I would have already sank my teeth into her. I hated people like her. As much as I wish they were a dime a dozen, I knew better.
Larry let out an awkward laugh. “Well, it was nice talking to you Kate, I hope you two enjoy your evening.” Larry said steering his wife away before she could continue her rant.
I watched her go, too stunned to react.
“Fuck that woman.” Cam huffed crossing his arms over his chest. His words brought me back to reality.
“Forget about her…” I said walking over to a painting. “People like her only want to spread hate into this world. They fear what they don’t understand so they constantly look to put others in boxes so they feel good. Fuck ‘em and fuck her”
“You can say that again.” Cam laughed.
We share a brief moment of silence before Cam spoke up. “Thanks Kate.”
I turned my head towards him. I couldn’t really see him that well since he was leaning against my neck but I wanted him to know he had my full attention. “For what?”
Cam shrugged. “I guess… for being cool.”
I knew that Cam was struggling with the words. I would too if I was in his situation. If someone told me that I should “know my place” I would be upset too. I wouldn’t want the words to ever come out of my mouth either. So I understood what Cam’s “being cool” meant.
With a chuckled and I reached up a finger to softly poke him in the side. “Thanks… for being cool too.”
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Kate and I successfully avoid conversation with others for over an hour. During that time we laughed quietly to ourselves while critiquing the paintings. People were staring at us left and right but we didn’t care.
“I swear if some of these are worth thousands then my finger painting from kindergarten is worth at least 20 dollars.” I said staring at a splatter painting.
Kate tried to stifle my laugh. “Low key you probably aren’t wrong though.”
“Sold! I’ll bring it next time I go home. But I do require getting paid in advance.” I jested, patting her neck expectantly.
“Lol what? I don’t want it!” Kate tossed back poking me gently in the chest for good measure. As much as her hands could make me nervous, I liked when she did this. The action itself was just like when my sister would playfully punch me.
“But you agreed that it was worth 20 dollars!” I joked.
“Yeah, to someone! Not me though!” Kate laughed. It was a weird but pleasant feeling of rumbling as my back rested comfortably against her neck.
“Excuse me.” I heard someone clear their throat off to my left. Kate and I turned to find an older couple. The older woman was on the shorter side had almost snow-white skin which contrasted with her deep pink outfit. Her husband on the other hand stood as tall as Kate. He had a midnight complexion and a strong build most likely from years of hard labor.
“Oh, good evening.” Kate said with a warm smile.
“Good evening.” Both said in unison. They then shifted their focus up to me.
“My, aren’t you a handsome little parvus.” The old woman cooed.
My face immediately turned a deep red. I could feel Kate trying to stifle a laugh. I gave her neck a soft punch before opening my mouth. “Ah…. Thank you ma’am.”
The old lady then turned to look at Kate. “And you, my darling, look dazzling tonight.”
The old woman wasn’t wrong I thought. Kate did look amazing and I’m pretty sure the only reason she didn’t get more compliments was because the other guests had a chip on their shoulder, or rather, Kate had a parvus on hers.
“Thank you ma’am.” Kate replied easily. Her cool demeanor never breaking.
“We just wanted to come over and say that we think you two are adorable. Ahh… what young love felt like.” The woman patted her husband’s arm thoughtfully as she looked into his eyes with immense love. They share a moment before turning back to me and Kate. “Don’t worry what other people think. Sam and I used to get stared at all the time. People didn’t like rich baronesses hanging on the arm of a poor farm boy. But here we are! Almost 70 years later!”
I couldn’t help but smile at the woman’s words. “Oh thank you ma’am, but Cam and I are just really good friends.” Kate said.
“Sam and I were just friends too.” The woman said with a wink as the two turned to leave.
Kate and I were speechless for a moment before breaking into a quiet laugh. “Well, looks like you won’t be able to get rid of me for 70 plus years.” Kate jested.
I couldn’t hold back my laugh. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
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Cam and I walked around for a while making small talk with the other guests. Everyone for the most part was respectful and didn’t bring up their qualms about my friendship with Cam. The event itself was starting to become dry though.
“Hey.” Cam whispered in my ear. His breath cascading over my skin sent a chill down my spine. “There is a garden out back. What would you say about sneaking away and taking a break from these snobby people?”
I big smile crept across my face. “Yes, yes and yes. Please.” I said heading straight for the door. The garden was quiet for the most part. The guests outside were staying near the well lit areas as they nursed their champaign.
I found a stone bench blocked off from the crowd and took a seat. Cam jumped on to my awaiting hand. I set him on the bench next to me. Once he was safely on his feet he turned around and smiled up at me. I couldn’t help but grin back.
“Dang you look good tonight.” Cam said before covering his mouth. His cheeks turned a crimson red as shock filled his eyes.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well thank you. You do too. If I took you downtown right now I would have to be fighting off parvuses and humans left and right!”
“I would say the same about you, but we both know I would lose in a fight, parvus or human.” Cam laughed.
“You always were a lover not a fighter.” I joked.
Cam continued to beam up at me. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep myself together. Why was my heart beating so fast? My palms were usually sweaty, but they seemed to be extreme.
“Thanks Cam.” I said giving him a warm smile.
“For what?” He replied casually. How could he be so cool.
“For coming with. I know this might have been a little daunting, but you made this night worth it.” I said tracing circles with my finger on the bench at his feet.
“Anytime!” Cam tossed back. “I just wish they would have had some dancing. Then maybe everyone wouldn’t have had a stick so far up their rear the whole time!”
The two of us couldn’t contain our laugh. I bit my lower lip and looked down to my miniature prince. “Would you dance with me?”
Cam looked up at me dumbfounded. “Here? Now?”
I nodded.
Cam cracked a smile. “I don’t really know the logistics of this, but I am down for anything.”
I couldn’t hide my joy. I offered my hand to Cam. He only had a little hesitation as he climbed on. I lifted him to the stone wall behind me that was about chest high. Cam stepped off and looked at me quizzically. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through Spotify till the perfect song popped up.
“Blue-jean baby.
L.A. lady.
Seamstress for the band.
Pretty-eyed.
Pirate smile.
You'll marry a music man”
Cam just smiled and shook his head. “You have been waiting for this for a while, haven’t you?”
I gave him a sheepish smile. “Maybe.”
Cam bowed low and offered me his outstretched hand. “May I have this dance?”
I couldn’t hold back my blush as I reached my pointer fingers forward. Cam seemed to understand and took them in his small hands. We swayed back and forth as though there wasn’t an incredible difference in our size.
Cam caught on to how the dance was working and started to get creative. He would pick up a finger as I would duck under and twirl around. We would then move our hands out while we brought our bodies closer. All of it was invigorating.
The world melted away, leaving only Cam and I. We sang like fools as the chorus rolled on. I never wanted this moment to end.
“Hold me closer, tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today”
We howled up at the moon. There was a slim chance other patrons could hear us, but we didn’t care if they did.
Our eyes met as the song came to a close. How could this tiny man have me in the palm of his hand.
“Shall we get out of here?” Cam said with smile as he gave my fingers one last squeeze before letting them go.
“Let’s do it.” I said offering him my hand. He walked on with such elegance and grace that my breath caught in my throat. This little guy was going to be the death of me.
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I didn’t want the night to end. I was so enamored with Kate, but I knew if we went any further, I would say things that I couldn’t take back. Holding Kate while we danced ignited feelings in me that I never knew possible. Feelings about her that had been so cloudy up to this point finally took shape.
I could no longer lie to myself. I loved Kate, there were no questions about that.
Kate and I talked so casually on the way home. We would only pause to sing to the music that played softly in the background.
Kate seemed to walk slower than usual as she took me home. I wanted to believe it was because she didn’t want tonight to end either, but I couldn’t let myself think that. Was it possible such a being could share the same feelings for me as I did for her.
Hope blossomed in my chest thinking back to her teasing and warm smiles. She was the person to ask me to dance as well! My heart wanted to leap out of my body and proclaim to the highest of heavens that I loved such a wonderful woman, but as I slid off of her hand onto my balcony all I could muster was a sheepish smile and a simple “I had fun tonight. Thank you for inviting me.”
Kate’s face was warm and welcoming. “Thank you for coming! You made the event more than bearable.”
“Good night Kate.” I said, not being able to take my eyes off of her.
“Good night Cam.” She said with a nod before turning to leave.
I watched her disappear around the corner before retiring to the warmth of my small apartment. Taking in a deep breath I let a big smile slide across my face.
“Next time I see her, I’m going to have the courage to tell her how I feel.” I whispered quietly so only my heart would hear.