Four Years

“Alright, this is it,” he thought. “This is really happening. After four years, I’m going on my first date with Monica…my first date ever.”

He waited anxiously outside, in front of the In N Out. He kept pulling his phone out and checking his messages every five minutes and wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans.

He let out a small groan. “I hope I know what I’m doing.”

His phone vibrating made him jump out of his skin. When he looked at the screen, he realized it was just an email.

“Breathe Soren,” he whispered, then he looked up towards the sky. “God, please, give me some wisdom and strength during this date, but please do not let me mess up.”

He felt his phone buzz again. As he dug into his pockets, he realized within the next second that his phone was still in his hand. He let out a hefty sigh and looked down at his phone. He noticed he had a text message from Monica and opened it.

‘I see you. Just pulled in. I’ll meet up at the front.’

He looked up and saw her walking up the lot. How could he miss her? She was wearing black flats and a flowing black skirt with a deep purple slanted shirt with just a hint of sparkle. Her hair was half up half down, and her brown hair draped over her shoulders.

“She is so beautiful,” he thought. “I can’t believe I have someone like her, that someone like her likes a goofball like me. She’s so sweet and smart, I can’t believe I’m finally going on a date with her.”

She walked up to him and greeted him with a smile. “Hey,” she said.

“Hi,” he said back.

They leaned in for a hug and held each other for a while.

“Every time we do this, I don’t ever want to let her go, she feels warm and loving.”

They pulled away for a moment, but he did not let go of her hands.

“Are you ready to do this?” he asked.

“I am, if you are.”

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

He held onto her hand, opened the door, and then guided her into the restaurant. They ordered their food, got their drinks, and then took a seat at a booth just around the corner of the counter.

“You look great,” he said.

“Thanks, I wasn’t sure if I over dressed, but I thought why not feel pretty tonight.”

“You’re always pretty.”

She smiled shyly. “Well thank you anyway, you don’t look so bad yourself.”

He shrugged. “Well, I’m just me tonight.”

“I know.”

They shared smiles, then the intercom was brought to their attention.

“Number 69, number 69, your order is ready.”

“That’s us,” she said.

“I’ll get it.”

He walked over and brought the tray of burgers and fries to the table. They prayed over their food and began eating and talking. They talked about everything under the sun. From Disney to anime, to theories and controversies of the shows they would watch and the impact it has made on society. Then they went from family and friends, their jobs, and plans for the new year.

“This is just like when we talk on the phone, but were using real words, its all so natural,” he thought, “I guess we’ve been doing it for so long that its easy to talk just like friends, but is it different to talk to someone as a girlfriend?”

Before they knew it time had passed by and they needed to get ready to leave if they wanted to make their movie on time. Soren dumped the trash and then walked Monica to her car.

“I’ll be just behind you,” he told her.

“I know. Don’t worry so much, it’s only a three-minute drive.”

They made it to the theatre and presented their tickets to the cashier. They picked up some M&M’s and two bottles of water, then made their way into the theater room. The movie they decided to see was an anime movie called ‘Weathering for You’. They were early and the only ones there for the moment, so they looked at the slide show on the screen and answered the questions about some of the anime trivia they were posting. In between the anime trivia came up an ad for Merlot Wine. It was deep red in the background and reflected the red wine in the shiny pristine glass, while being held above a candle lit dinner.

“Ooh that looks romantic,” Monica said, “though I’m not sure I would enjoy the wine.”

“I thought you liked to drink?”

“Well, I’m a little finicky when it comes to alcohol, I’m not a big fan of it and I’m not much of a drinker anyway.”

“Oh okay, I guess that’s one more thing I get to learn about you.”

“What about you? You never really told me what you have against drinking, I don’t want to assume its part of the Christian territory.”

“Its not exactly,” he admitted, “my parents used to drink, and they would get so loud and obnoxious, it would just make me so mad. One day I finally told them how I felt, and they decided to give it up. Kind of a downer huh?”

“Not at all,” she said to his surprised, “I think that is really brave of your parents. My grandpa would drink and smoke, the smoking I know I could never do since I gag at cigarette smoke but the drinking, I do not do very often nor do I like taste of certain things, and I also do not do it because I don’t want to be like my grandpa who drank every weekend. He never got violent or anything serious, he would just past out but still, I never want drinking to ever go that far. So, I understand.”

“She has to be too good to be true,” he thought.

Suddenly the lights went dim, and the previews began playing. The movie was about a boy looking for a job in Tokyo when he meets a girl that had the power to control the sun. While going on this crazy journey with a new boss and friends, he falls in love with the girl. To their understanding, the girl had to destroy herself to bring back the sun permanently, otherwise Tokyo will forever remain in the rain. He fought many people and finally managed to save her, and the sun was restored. After that incident, the boy went back to his hometown to graduate high school and then was finally reunited with the one he loved.

As Soren watched the movie intently, he listened to the music and the words that it spoke. One line was hitting him hard. “I need to know if there’s anything that love can do.”

“Is there anything that love can do?” he wondered, “I do love Monica, but am I the right one for Monica…can I be the man that she wants me to be.”

While he was thinking, he her hand in his, while he was trembling with his other hand. Suddenly, he felt her head on his shoulder and her other hand took his. Finally, he was able to relax just a bit, he felt at peace.

When the movie ended, he took Monica by the hand and they stopped when they got to the lobby.

“Here, holds still a minute,” he said.

“What are you doing?”

He turned on his camera and held his phone out. “Smile,” he said.

She smiled shyly and he took the picture. Then he came up next to her and they took a selfie together.

“Got to remember this moment,” he said.

All she did was smile and took his hand, then kissed him on the cheek and he kissed her back. They walked out of the theatre through the corridor that led to the parking lot in the back. They were parked right next to each other.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” he asked.

“I did. Thank you for a great night.”

“Good. That means I’m doing my job right.”

“Now you know it has come to the end of tonight, I’m wondering how you are feeling, towards us?”

“To be honest, I like us. I really do like us; I really like you. If you want to, I want to be with you more, have fun with you, and make more memories. But…I am not sure if I am still the right guy for you, I’m not sure of anything and I don’t want to risk what we have now and our friendship…”

“Hey,” she intercepted him, “I don’t know where we are going either, but I’ve always wanted to know, I’ve been chasing you for four years.”

“What makes me different than the other guys?”

“They’re not you,” she stressed, “every time I was with them, I could not get you out of my head. Soren, I need to know if there is something between us, and if there is not then we tried but I cannot go on without trying. You need to know that I will always put our friendship first. Always. If I am willing to do that, maybe you should be willing to take a risk and find out for yourself too. If you want more of this, then I need you to commit.”

He hesitated for a moment.

She let out a frustrated sigh. “I need more from you than stun silence, I need as much effort as I’m putting into this, because I’m all in here…”

He just stared at her. Before he could say anything, she walked away to the driver’s side of her car and opened the door. Suddenly, he took her arm and gently pulled her close to him, then he leaned into her lips and held them for a long kiss. Taken her by surprise, he felt her place her hands on his shoulders and continued to kiss for a long time. They pulled away and they breathed heavily.

“How’s that for taking a risk?” he whispered.

She leaned back in and they continued kissing once again. They wrapped their arms around each other. His arms coming around her waist and holding her tight. Finally, the one time he felt at peace he was with her and he did not know where this new thing was going to go, all he knew was that after four years, he was never going to let go of this feeling or her ever again.