May 4th (chapter 4)

Jessica, who was illuminated by an exterior light, was wearing black pants and a gorgeous wine-coloured top, that had, what looked like, white tips of tree branches covering it. She looked stunning! Her hair looked like ebony, flowing over her shoulder and down towards her back. A glimmer of bling around her neck, caught the light beautifully, sparkling like a thousand diamonds. She seemed to be holding something, and had a cross body satchel around her.

David sat there in the car, Jessica looking at him. He presumed she was wondering if his car was the right car. He took a few deep breaths, trying to ground himself, pinching his arm, feeling goosebumps. Before he rolled down his window and called her towards him, he spoke to himself, as if he were a good friend giving even better advice. ‘She wouldn’t have gotten dressed up for you unless she really felt that this could turn into something. She looks stunning, and that’s aimed at you! You are a confident, strong man, who isn’t going to mumble his words, or say or do something stupid!’

As a kaleidoscope of butterflies engulfed him as David rolled down his window to say, ‘Jessica, its David…from the bar!’ He heard her giggle as she descended the steps from her front door, and, before getting into the car, she started the night off by placing one hand on his cleanly shaven cheek and put her lips on his. It with a soft, succulent kiss. Once again, there was no involvement of tongue, but after her lips left his, he stayed there, gob smacked, his eyes closed, until after she walked around the car and into the passenger seat. He turned his head and looked into her deep brown eyes, smitten. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat. She returned the expression. He got the subtle smell of her perfume, reminding him that he had gotten her a belated birthday present.

David put up his index finger, signaling for Jessica to wait a minute, and reached behind her seat. He produced a large, brown paper bag. Jessica blushed, placing her hands on her cheeks in shock. ‘I got you a little something,’ David explained. ‘It's supposed to be a birthday present!’ Jessica let out a gasp and graciously took the bag from David. When she opened it, the first thing she took out was the Hogwarts blanket. She went nuts, excitement filling the car. ‘How could you, a man I barely know, buy me one of the greatest presents ever?’ ‘Look in the bag again!’ David urged. Jessica looked at him with a shocked expression before she put her hand back into the bag. She pulled out the bottle of perfume, her eyes open as wide as saucers. She looked from David to the perfume and back to David again. She shook her head and said, ‘David, this is way too much!’ David shrugged his shoulders, ‘a lady deserves something nice on her thirtieth birthday!’ They sat there, the blanket on Jessica’s lap, the perfume in her hand and they simply stared at each other, drinking in each other's features.

Eventually, David had the courage to break the comfortable silence by saying, ‘right, let's go to Ming Palace then!’ Jessica smiled at him, stroking the soft fleece blanket, ‘how did you know that was my favourite place to eat?’ ‘Because its mine too!’ David responded, the smile on his face far from dwindling! If possible, it was getting bigger! He noticed Jessica’s perfect smile, and the dimples it created drove him wild! ‘If only Eoin could see me now!’ he said to himself. ‘I have the perfect girl that I found all on my own-ni-o!’ He put the car in drive and they were off!

The five-minute journey to the restaurant was delightful. David and Jessica started a debate as to what they would do if they received the letter from Hogwarts, inviting them to go to school there, not knowing they were witches or wizards, coming from muggle families. They knew for a fact that they would both be placed in Gryffindor and would more than likely end up together, just like Ron and Hermione.

After David parked the car, Jessica looked up at the Ming Palace sign and he saw her lick her lips. ‘You hungry?’ he asked, placing his hand on hers. She looked at it for a couple of seconds before lifting her head and stared into Davids eyes. He felt the urge to kiss her, but was uncertain whether it would be welcomed. It was Jessica who leaned in first, David followed her lead. Their lips met and David felt fireworks explode inside him. He placed his right hand on her cheek, his eyes closed, and, after several seconds, they stopped, their foreheads touching. Both began to giggle like school children. ‘That was nice!’ Jessica smiled. David, being ever the gentleman, said, “‘twas!” He waited a beat before suggesting, ‘let’s go and get some grub!’ Jessica nodded, David trying hard to refrain from kissing her again!’

Just as he was about to open the car door, Jessica stopped him. ‘I forgot to give you your sweater back! I washed it for you because it had a smoky smell coming off of it.’ She handed him his maroon cashmere jumper that he had forgotten about, and he just looked at her with certainty that she could be ‘the one’! ‘Thanks,’ David smiled, unable to take his eyes off her. It was Jessica who broke the silence this time, ‘would you mind if I leave the blanket and perfume in the car? It’s just that I don’t want them getting dirty or broken.’ She bit her bottom lip; David saw it as a good sign.

After they crossed the street, hand in hand, they entered the establishment. The foyer was dated and not very pleasing to the eye, but they made great chicken satay, Davids's favourite. The man with the thick Dublin accent, the one David booked the table with, greeted them with a smile. ‘Hello, welcome to Ming Palace. Can I get your name please?’ ‘Dalton,’ David replied. Using his peripheral vision, he could see Jessica look at him fondly. He turned his head towards her. ‘So, you’re David Dalton. Well, I’m Jessica Ryan!’ David bowed like the Chinese did, his hands in prayer position, bending his body at the waist. ‘Nice to meet you, Jessica Ryan!’ he said. Before Jessica got the chance to bow back, their table was ready. ‘It's right over here,’ the Dubliner showed them to a two-seated table by the wall. ‘Thank you!’ David and Jessica said in unison!

David opted to sit on the inside, leaving Jessica to have the opportunity to use the bathroom with ease. That was David, chivalrous and sweet. David’s seat was like one you would find in Eddie Rockets. It was leather and highbacked, connected to all the other tables in a row. Before he sat down, however, he aided Jessica, by pushing her chair in with her in it. Then he went to sit himself. He had a little room beside him, and Jessica asked ‘would it be ok for me to put my bag there?’ David nodded. ‘I just don’t want anyone tripping over it!’ she confirmed his presumption.

The Dubliner arrived with a menu and a jug of iced water before they could say any more. As David perused the menu, he peeped over it and met Jessica’s eyes. ‘What are you in the mood for? he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. ‘Well,’ she started, ‘I know they do a mean satay chicken!’ David placed his menu on the table and looked towards the ceiling. ‘That’s my favourite too!’ he confessed. ‘For real?’ she asked. David just nodded his head, his smile never leaving his face. I bet you don’t get it, ‘without vegetables?’ they said in unison. Both started to laugh, and, when the waiter came back to get their drinks order, David let Jessica choose her poison. ‘What’s the house white?’ she asked, ‘it’s Pino Grigio,’ the Dubliner answered. Jessica looked at David, almost asking his permission as to whether she could order it or not. David, who was also a fan of Pino Grigio interrupted. ‘We’ll have your best please sir!’ and winked at his date, who was blushing once again.

The wine, which came in record time, interrupted their debate on whether to get spring rolls or ribs. ‘Are you ready to order?’ the Dubliner asked. They both opted for the satay chicken, without vegetables, and David let Jessica decide on her entrée. She chose the spring rolls, so he chose the ribs. He wanted her to have everything she fancied on this, what he hoped to be, their first date of many!

As the waiter took the menu's, David made the bold decision to reach across the table and took Jessica’s hand in his. She squeezed it briefly, not pulling away for a second. It felt, to David, as though they were having a staring competition, David getting lost in her deep, brown eyes. The Dubliner broke their stare by pouring their wine, Jessica making yummy sounds at how good it was. David had no choice but to try it himself, concluding his decision not to get the house white pertinent.

‘So, David…from the bar, tell me a bit about you I don’t already know!’ Jessica challenged him. He gulped, not knowing what to tell her. He decided to start with, ‘if only you knew!’ and smiled, taking a sip of wine. ‘Knew what?’ ‘How much I really like you, and have never felt this way before about someone I hardly know!’ Jessica’s dimples melting Davids's heart! ‘If we’re being honest here,’ Jessica started, ‘I have always dreamed of settling down with the perfect man, and, due to my dating history, you are right up there!’ It was David’s turn to blush. ‘You don’t want to know about my dating history!’ he confessed, just as the food arrived. As they had opted to receive everything together, the table became cluttered, and quickly!

‘Oh,’ David tried to steer the conversation in another direction, ‘this looks lovely!’ ‘Yes, it does, but don’t think you’re getting away with it that easily!’ Jessica chuckled. She took a bite of some chicken, covered in satay sauce, and asked, ‘c’mon, your dating history can’t be worse than mine!’ David slowly masticated the piece of chicken he had put in his mouth, thinking whether to tell her about Eoin and the prostitute. He decided, as he swallowed, her eyes looking at him expectantly, to lay his cards on the table!

‘Have I ever told you about my buddy Eoin?’ he asked. ‘You mentioned that you were having some sort of meeting about him the night you met me!’ Jessica answered. ‘Ok,’ David inhaled deeply, ‘well the reason for the meeting was to talk about his inappropriateness when it came to women. He is a serial womaniser, and, whilst I can get dates myself, he always feels the need to send me home with a woman after he almost poisons me with tequila shots!’ ‘And why would he do that?’ Jessicas brow furrowed. ‘Because he feels Mr. Twinkie needs to be used, and not just for urination purposes!’ Jessica giggled. ‘Is that what you call it, Mr. Twinkie?’ ‘Yea,’ David bowed his head. ‘That’s adorable!’ Jessica reached across the table and put her hand on Davids. ‘So,’ she said smiling, ‘I take it Mr. Twinkie gets a lot of action then?’ David was mortified. Right at that moment he wished the ground would open and swallow him whole. ‘Only when Eoin’s around!’ David confessed. He could feel his face burning up! ‘Hopefully, going well, someday I could meet him?’ Jessica asked, David meeting her gaze, her eyes smiling.

‘Would it bother you if I told you I have had only one serious relationship in college? It only lasted three months, but…well…that’s it!’ David enlightened Jessica on his past. ‘It only bothers me, if it bothers you, that I haven’t even had that!’ she said, her brow raised. He looked at her fondly, and they began to laugh together. ‘Would it bother you further if I said I haven’t been this comfortable around a woman since primary school?’ David asked, putting full disclosure on the table as Jessica puts the last of her chicken in her mouth. As she chews, she shakes her head from side to side. When she finally swallows, she admits to feeling the same!

Both their forks stab the last spring roll at the same time. ‘You have it!’ David insists! ‘No, you!’ Jessica replies. In the end, they half it and both got some. David told her anecdotes of waking up to strange women in his bed. Jessica just laughed at them, amused at how persistent Eoin was.

‘Does he know about me?’ Jessica asks enquiringly. ‘I told him!’ David admitted. ‘But he was getting a blow job at the time, so I don’t know how much he heard!’ ‘He sounds like a serial ladies' man!’ Jessica presumed. ‘You have no idea,’ David confirmed, ‘he never sleeps with the same woman twice…unless he forgets he has already slept with her!’ They laugh the night away at stories of their sexual history, and, to Eoin’s expense, laugh about him too!

‘Do you have an Eoin in your life?’ David asked curiously. ‘Sandra!’ Jessica nodded, ‘but not even if I was hornier than hell would she send me home with someone if I was blind drunk!’ ‘Can I ask you something?’ David enquired. ‘Of course!’ ‘How would you feel knowing that on my thirty third birthday, Eoin sent me home with a hooker who took my money and my phone because he didn’t prepay her?’ ‘No way!’ Jessicas mouth opened widely. ‘He did that?’ she said shocked. David just nodded. ‘When was your birthday?’ she asks curiously. ‘A week before yours!’ David braced himself for Jessica to get up and walk out! ‘Did you get an STD test?’ she asked to his surprise. ‘Yea,’ he sighed, ‘the very next day, after I got a new phone however!’

David noticed Jessicas gaze was off to the side, he could see the cogs in her mind turning. ‘I guess if it wasn’t by choice,’ she met his eyes again and smiled, ‘we all have a past!’ David sighed with relief. ‘But don’t go thinking that I’m easy, or that Mr. Twinkie is getting any action until you have the all clear!’ David reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. He showed Jessica the text message he received that morning, letting him know that he was STD free and clear! When she saw it, she bowed her head before she looked at David again, her face serious for the first time that night. Then she breaks into a smile, ‘had you going there for a minute, didn’t I?’ ‘Are you really ok with it?’ David asked with a furrowed brow. ‘As long as it doesn’t happen again…then…yes! I am! Like I said, we all have a past!’

‘What does your past look like?’ David asked whilst he stroked Jessicas fingers. Her eyes looked up, filling with tears. ‘I was pregnant once,’ she began. ‘Like you, it was from a one-night stand, back when I was in college. I was blind drunk, I mean pissed out of my brain, when this older guy roofied me and I woke up in an ambulance. He really did a number on me! I don’t remember what happened exactly, but I had a broken nose and eye socket. I found out, weeks later, that I was pregnant, yet couldn’t bring myself to continue with it. I went over to England, and got,’ she cleared her throat, ‘got an abortion!’ she wiped tears from her eyes with a napkin. ‘Ah, Jessica,’ David said leaning over the table to caress her arm. ‘As you can imagine,’ Jessica continued, ‘I now don’t do one-night stands, or dates in general…’ she looked at David fondly, ‘…unless I really, really like the person!’ She smiled, it was one David mirrored. ‘You do know you have killer dimples!’ he offered. Jessica laughed; her tears gone with that one remark. ‘I knew I met you for a reason!’ she confessed and leaned over the clean plates that once was their dinner, David meeting her in the middle, their lips touching once more.

They only broke contact when they heard the Dubliner clear his throat. ‘I’m sorry guys, but were closed now!’ Both grinned at each other, then to the Dubliner, and back again. He happened to have the bill in his hand, one which David took, fished out his wallet, and placed his credit card on it before handing it back. ‘No, David, that’s too much. Let me pay half!’ Jessica insisted. ‘Excuse me,’ David interrupted, ‘I want to treat you! I really like you, and it's my treat!’ Jessica backed down, however reluctantly, and thanked David for a fabulous meal.

After he got his card back, David handed Jessica her satchel and they left, hand in hand. They crossed the road to the car; David was certain he was safe to drive as he only had one glass of wine. He opened the passenger door for the most amazing woman he ever met, and hurried around the front of the car to the driver's seat.

The ride home was full of cheeky glances and grins. Once David reached Jessicas place, he was about to get out of the car before he felt a hand on his upper arm. He glanced at Jessica. ‘Thank you for being you!’ she said, leaning in for a kiss. The earth seemed to move, for David anyway, and once their connection ceased, David walked Jessica up the steps to her front door. He had her birthday gifts back in the large paper bag, handing them to her after one last kiss goodnight. As he walked back to the car, the same kaleidoscope of butterflies inside him as before, he got in. He put his seat belt on and drummed his hands on the steering wheel, screaming, ‘yes!’ before driving off.