"Do you think you are? Maybe you need more time? I that I've been single for more than a year," she said, twirling the tiny black straw of her margarita around and around.
Dario shook his head immediately. "No. We've drifted apart for a long time now, a lot longer than I wanted to admit. Our breakup was pretty mutual and we both were pretty cool with it. I've gone out with other girls and it's been alright."
Dinah continued swirling her drink, forcing a nonchalant attitude that she definitely didn't feel. " They were just alright?" She made a point to turn to him and flashed him a bright smile.
"Eh, yeah. They were nice girls. But it would've been better without the friends around." He stared into Dinah's brown eyes. "But you're different. I feel like I can really talk to you. We don't run out of conversation, which is cool."
Dinah raised her eyebrows, playing the part of "cool girl" but inside, butterflies fluttered in her stomach, heat rose in her cheeks, and her heartbeat pounded what felt like a mile a minute. "I think you're cool too."
"So, what about you?" he asked.
"What about me?"
"What are you looking for?"
This was always the tricky part, especially when Dinah was single while in college. The response a girl should always use was "I'm looking for maybe- a relationship but I want to see where it goes."
Now, fresh out of college, , according to advice from various friends and dating books, it was best to be upfront and honest. Show men that you were the real deal and be confident in what you want.Now as a kind-of- adult,, it works against you to say the "see where it goes" line. At this time, if you want to get married, you need to be upfront about the kind of relationship that you want.
"I'm looking for something that can get serious. I've never been the kind of girl that looks for something casual. It's not me at all," she said.
Based on Dario's grin at her words, she knew it was the right thing to say. "Good, good. I like that. I'm looking for that too."
From then on, they talked some more about their childhood- they both watched Nickelodeon and Disney Channel religiously as kids and actively discussed various characters. They both shared their experiences of going to private schools but then state colleges and Dario looked particularly shocked when Dinah said she majored in theatre.He majored in Criminology but now works at his aunt's insurance company as a medical account billing specialist.
He made it seem as if it was nothing, but to Dinah it only said he had a good, stable job and income. It was also a plus to find out that he wasn't living at his parents house but actually owned a house. This was looking better and better.
Dinah had no idea how long they kept talking. Between reminiscing about the various silly games they played in middle school and ordering appetizers, She was so entertained that it wasn't until Osvaldo came by with the check that both her and Dario realized how late it was. According to his phone, it was ten- thirty. They were talking for three and a half hours!
"Damn, it's late," Dario said, taking out his wallet and leaving his credit card on top of the bill.
For a second, Dinah felt bad that she didn't even offer to pay for half of it. She made a move to take out her wallet from her purse before Dario took out his card but he didn't seem to notice. Even though Dinah believed that a man should pay on the first date, she still didn't want it to seem like she just expected him to pay, but it seemed natural for him, so it was a great relief to her.
"Yeah, I know. I got to get up early. I need to get to the classroom to prepare a classroom transformation," she said, grabbing her purse and getting up out of her seat once everything was paid for.
"Man, I don't know how you teachers do it, but major kudos." Dario led the way out the door and stopped at the entrance.
Dinah stopped as well and faced him. "Yeah, it's challenging but I love it."
For the first time all night, an awkward silence lingered between them, both of them unsure how they would end the night.
This very moment was the time Dinah allowed herself to admit to herself how attractive she thought Dario was.Though his tall stature, raven hair, chiseled features and icy blue eyes were enough to rival A- list movie stars, what she lived the most was how down- to- Earth and normal he seemed. His eyes wouldn't leave hers and he took a step closer to her.
Was he going to kiss her? Dinah had no idea what she should do. What would he think if she let him kiss her on the first date? Where would this lead? She half hoped he did just so she could know how it would feel to have his mouth on hers but half-hoped he didn't so she wouldn't have to tell him no if he asked to take it further.
One thing she knew for sure, she didn't want to give him the wrong impression of what kind of girl she was. Dinah strongly believed that actions spoke louder than words and she'd look like a hypocrite if she said she wasn't easy but acted like she was and easily let him kiss her.
He leaned closer and closer until his mouth was a few inches away from hers. She was on fire. Her breathing was labored and her heart pounded loudly in her chest. She was shocked to feel a tingling sensation in between her legs. This had NEVER happened before. This had to mean something. This had to be a sign. Her body definitely knew more than her brain did. What did this intense reaction mean? It had to mean something more than just physical attraction. She was physically attracted to other guys in the past, but never like this. It was so intense and overwhelming. All it took was near proximity and she was a goner.
Even after feeling and acknowledging all of this, Dinah was relieved when Dario only kissed her on the cheek, the same usual Miami greetingwhen seeing each other and when leaving. Maybe another time Dinah would've taken that action as a signal that he wasn't interested in her the way that she was interested in him, but the way he looked at her, smiled at her, told her a different story. He told her that he was just as attracted to her as she was to him.
"I had a great night," he said, pulling away from her slowly. "I'll text you and we can hang out again."
Dinah smiled, trying her best to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Yeah, that sounds cool."
He turned around and walked away to their left and Dinah walked in the opposite direction to her car.
Don't look back. Don't look back, she told herself.
Once she slid into the driver's seat of her car and turned on the engine, she heard a ping from her cell phone.
I had a great night. You r pretty.
Dinah smiled and put her phone back in her purse. As she pulled out of the parking lot, she realized she had never felt more admired and confident in her life.