Four months. That’s how long it had been since Jay had taken a woman out on a nice, formal date. He’d had coffees and drinks, but it had been a little while since he’d sat down for a dinner date with someone. He’d dressed in slacks and a tucked in button-down shirt, as he’d picked a nicer restaurant but hadn’t wanted to wear a jacket. It was warm enough that it would’ve been a nuisance, and he didn’t want to be sweating. He reminded himself, however, as he’d gone through his closet that his date was a CEO and that – though he seemed to have made a good enough impression the first time they’d met – he needed to continue to impress.
Thankfully, Jay had beaten Vanessa to the restaurant, so he’d stood and waited for her near the door. He was surprised to acknowledge that he felt… nervous? When she’d approached him, Jacob had wondered briefly whether she were out of his league. He had no reason to worry – he was just as polished, just as educated, just as well-spoken as she was. He’d reminded himself of that as he’d hugged her in greeting.
Dinner had been easy – there had been no awkward lull in conversation and no foot-in-mouth moments, which he was thankful for. And Vanessa was… damn. She was smart and funny and real. Real in that she had opinions that she voiced before he could voice his own – a sure sign that she didn’t care to try to align herself with him. It either worked or it didn’t, and they agreed or they didn’t. On top of those things, she was beautiful.
“Yeah? Must be goin’ on dates with boring ass dudes, then,” he teased. Jay’s shoes were in his right hand, and his left hand was close enough to Vanessa’s that he let his thumb brush against her hand. “So you got a mama that calls you every so often askin’ if you found you a man and when you gonna start havin’ babies,” he began, referring to a previous conversation. As he spoke, he hooked his pinkie finger around hers. “You workin’ a lot or just can’t find the dude? Like, I know we both can’t get on Facebook without seein’ all our high school homies gettin’ married and havin’ babies. So why you still single and livin’ it up?”
“Maybe...” Vanessa replied with a minor, innocent shrug as she allowed a soft smirk to appear on her lips. It was a nice night out. The breeze by the sea was cool enough to make her shiver from time to time, but not cold enough to make her wish she would’ve brought a jacket. It was good... it kept her awake and alert (not that Jacob was boring to make her sleepy, though). “Or maybe I’m just hard to amuse.” She wasn’t, but it was an idea Vanessa often joked about. She was as easy as it got to amuse, however, it was keeping her interested the whole catch and the main reason why she was still single. Her dark hues caught sight of their hands when they casually brushed against one another and Vanessa didn’t even bother hiding the light smile that tugged on the corner of her lips. It was such a gentle, yet simple movement and it still made her think it was sweet. It matched the evening.
As Jacob referred to their previous conversation, and she was reminded that earlier that week her mother had called to tell her something about one of her older brothers and ended up asking if Nessa was seeing someone, Vanessa looked up to try and catch his gaze. It almost made her laugh, how her mother was worried about something that wasn’t even a priority in her daughter’s life. She had bills to pay, a company to run, problems to solve, products to test... there wasn’t much time left for dating. Their pinky fingers hooked to one another, which encouraged Vee to actually go ahead and slide her hand under his and link their fingers. She’d never been known for being subtle anyway and besides, she actually wanted the ‘walking on the beach holding hands’ scenario, so she went ahead and made it happen. “The problem is that dating isn’t a priority for me.” She told him, unafraid of making him feel like she wasn’t enjoying this, because she was, so Vanessa’s pause between one thought and another was actually brief. “I just find it easier to resort to casual sex when I’m having a lonely moment.”
A light chuckle escaped her lips as she looked away for a moment. The sound of the waves crashing by the shore was so calming it tempted her to want to sit down on the sand and ruin her little black dress--but Nessa didn’t give into temptation. “Don’t get me wrong. I wanted to get your number and I wanted to go out with you. I don’t mind going out on dates and I’m definitely not afraid of commitment or relationships, but I also get bored easily. I need someone to keep me interested, you know? Like--I understand that it’s not anyone’s job to keep me interested. But I want to be with someone who’s going to add to my life, not subtract. I want someone who’s passionate, not necessarily about the same things I am. I mean, people should have their differences, but I just want to feel that passion.” Once again, she let out a sigh, allowing herself a brief pause before she continued talking. “I’m tired of going out with men who act like boys who like playing games."
The next words started forming in her brain and although she felt like they would probably send Jay running to the hills, but because she liked him, she felt like those things needed to be said early on rather than letting him think something else entirely about her. “I’m not a mother... I don’t have the patience to deal with men who act like little boys, unafraid of committing to something or to someone.” As she explained, Nessa began waving her other hand, bringing her shoes and clutch along with it. “What I’m saying is... I’m 31. I’m independent, I talk a lot, I’m very opinionated--which you’ve probably noticed by now, I’m way too intense and unapologetic which I blame it on my Zodiac sign, I’m too old to play games of ‘don’t show your emotions’, ‘don’t act too interested or they might leave’, ‘you have to act jealous or they’ll think you’re not interested’... that’s exhausting. It’s not the day-by-day struggles, or the real-life problems, it’s the games and people being afraid of letting themselves feel and lean onto someone, welcoming them fully into their lives. That’s probably why I’m still single...” She offered him a smile, letting out a light chuckle. “So, before you never call me again because of all what I just said on a first date, and even though I love talking about me, why haven’t you taken a girl home to introduce to your mama? Why are you still single?
