The next four weeks passed by slowly.  Gloria couldn’t believe that it had taken them this long to finally go out on their first date.  Their schedules had been so hectic and busy that neither of them had a free weekend until now.  She had gotten better at walking with crutches but it had taken a lot of energy out of her.  She had also talked to her bosses and it was decided that she would be off work until she could be on both feet again, then she could return to both her jobs.  Luckily, she had saved up enough money before the accident, so as long as she didn’t splurge, she would have enough for expenses until her ankle healed.  Her parents had offered to help but she knew they were on a tight budget so she had declined.

Jake had come in every day to check on her and had brought her dinner every night he could.  He would normally stay with her until nighttime, then he would go back to his place.  After seeing her he would go home and dream about her.  She was the first thing on his mind when he awoke and he thought of her constantly during the day.  Just thinking about her made his heart race.  He couldn’t wait to be with her again; to take in her sweet scent and look into her honey-colored eyes and see her gorgeous smile.  She was so breathtaking.  How he wished he could run his fingers through her hair and kiss her.  But he had promised he wouldn’t kiss her until after their first date.  He had to keep his word.  Plus, he didn’t want to rush things with her.  Not that he was a prude.  He had been with a few girls in his life but nobody made him feel the way she did.  He was so smitten with her, he swore he could actually feel his heart skip a beat whenever he saw her.

Gloria was getting the splint off on Monday and she couldn’t wait!  But what she was most excited about was going out on her first official date with Jake!  Sure, they had hung out for the past month just about every day but they both hadn’t considered that dating.  It was more like friends getting together to hang out and talk.  Now, the time had come, and she couldn’t wait for the next stage in their relationship.

Jake wanted everything to turn out perfect for their first date.  He had planned a romantic dinner at Shades.  It was one of the more upscale restaurants in the area.  After dinner, he planned on taking her on a nice and slow walk around the rose garden at the campus.  He would’ve preferred to take her out on a nice walk along the beach but with her injured ankle that would have to wait.

Jake knocked on Gloria’s door and heard her say to come in.  As he walked through the door and saw her, he caught his breath.  He took in how beautiful Gloria looked.  She had her long auburn hair cascading down with a flower pin on the side of her head.  Her pale, pink dress was sleeveless but modest, down right above the knees.  It hugged her body enough to show she had a nice figure but not too tight to seem over the top.  She had nice, low heeled shoes that sparkled, actually one nice sparkling shoe, since the other foot was still in a splint.

He walked up to her and put his arms around her waist and lifted her up to him.  He gave her a warm hug and breathed in her scent, which at the moment smelled fruity.  He held her longer than he needed to but he couldn’t help himself.  She felt so right in his arms.  He wanted to hold her and be near her all the time.  He was sure five minutes after he met her that she was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.  But, he wouldn’t tell her that quite yet.  First, he would woo and romance her and make her fall in love with him.  Then they could talk about marriage.

Jake had been married once before.  In fact, he was still technically married even though he was legally separated from his ex-wife Giselle.  Giselle had been a mistake.  Everything about her was wrong for him.  Everything happened on an impulse.  He hadn’t taken the time to really get to know her before he married her.  They had gotten married on a spur of the moment on a trip to Vegas because Giselle had thought it would be a fun thing to do.  He lived to regret that decision almost immediately.  Giselle was manipulative, controlling, and jealous.  They had both been too young and immature to marry. 

Giselle had a privileged attitude like the world owed her something and had a nasty mean streak.  Plus, her moods changed constantly.  He never knew which Giselle he was going to wake up to; the needy one, the controlling one, the jealous one, the mean one, or a combination of all.  He also hated how Giselle looked down on everybody.  She always wanted to be the one on top and in the spotlight.  She loved being praised and craved attention. 

He couldn’t stand her.  They had been separated for six months now and he had all the papers to divorce but she was dragging her feet.  She kept changing the terms of the divorce and that would inevitably slow things down.  Plus, she still kept calling and texting him about stupid, insignificant things.  As soon as the divorce was over he would change his number and block her from all social media.

Jake knew he had to tell Gloria about Giselle at some point but he was afraid of scaring her off so he would hold off on telling her until the right time.  But he didn’t want to think about his ex anymore.  Tonight was about Gloria, always about Gloria.

“I have a surprise for you,” Jake said as he put her back down and looked at her face. 

She looked up at him with questioning eyes. 

“I rented a wheelchair for you tonight.  I know you told me you didn’t need one but I thought it would be nice to have for tonight.”

“That’s very sweet of you,” Gloria said hugging Jake.  “Thank you!”  She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  She blushed as she looked down.

Jake thought she looked adorable when she was embarrassed.  “Let’s go.”

Gloria steadied herself on her crutches while Jake grabbed her purse and was right next to her as they walked out.

“Where are we going?”

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out,” Jake said smiling.

Gloria rolled her eyes as she smiled.  She was nervous and excited at the same time.

When they got to Shades, Gloria gasped.  “How did you get a reservation here?” She exclaimed.

“I have my ways,” He said.

Jake took out the wheelchair from the trunk and helped Gloria into it. 

It was very romantic and elegant inside.  Gloria couldn’t believe they were having dinner at Shades!  She was never one to be much into the latest trends but she had heard from her friends that it was almost impossible for the average Joe to get in.  They would totally flip when she told them she’d had dinner here.   Gloria felt so happy and nervous.  She couldn’t believe she was actually there with Jake on a date!  It was like a dream.

Dinner went by fast.  Too fast for Gloria.  Before she knew it, they were finished with dinner and it was time to go.  She didn’t know what Jake had planned but she hoped it wouldn’t be to take her home yet.  She wanted to be near him all the time.  Every time she thought of him she felt like she had butterflies in her stomach.  She looked forward to seeing him and talking to him every day.

“Where are we going now?”  Gloria asked when they were back in the car driving out.

“We’re headed back to campus,” He said.  He could see the disappointment in her eyes but she tried to hide it.

“Oh,” Gloria said as she looked out the window.

Jake reached over and touched her hand.  “Don’t worry.  The night is not over yet.  I thought we could take a walk around the rose garden.  I mean, I’ll walk while I push you.  I wanted to take you to the beach but with your ankle injured I thought it might be easier on you to go to someplace close by,” he said as he kissed her hand.

Gloria gave him a radiant smile.  “That sounds great.”

As they were strolling around the garden Gloria couldn’t help but think how wonderful she felt.  She could really fall in love with Jake and see herself with him forever.  They talked the whole time they were there about many different things and this time they both shared their hopes and dreams with each other.

Next Chapter: Chapter Five - Never Been Touched