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Sophia
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I feel my cheeks start to burn after I’ve finished talking.
Is it crazy that I’m admitting how much I trust Evan after just one week of knowing him? I hope that doesn’t scare him away.
Evan sets down his knife and takes a couple of steps to cross the kitchen, stopping right in front of me. He brushes some loose hair away from my face and says, “You’re in my inner circle, too. I really like you, Sophia.”
I smile at him and put my hand on his chest. “That’s good to hear. I like you a lot, too, Evan.”
He leans in and kisses me quickly. I don’t want to ruin the moment, but decide I need to be completely honest with him.
“I have to admit, I am scared of getting hurt, though.” I continue, “I haven’t had the best history with dating guys and I don’t want to end up heartbroken again. I guess we’ll just have to take it one day at a time, don’t you think?”
Evan kisses me on the forehead and a warm glow starts to build around my heart. I instantly feel like I’m protected and cared for, like nothing could go wrong if I’m in his arms.
He assures me, “I’m not planning on breaking your heart. Hurting you is the last thing I want to do.”
“I know,” I say simply, meaning it. “I trust you.”
I notice that he looks pensive, like he has something on his mind all of a sudden.
I ask, “Are you okay?”
Maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that I’m afraid of getting hurt. That could have been too much too soon.
Evan looks at me and says in a serious tone, “I’ve been hurt before, too. My last relationship ended when my girlfriend cheated on me. It was a total shock and I think I’m still angry about it on some level. It just seemed like such an unnecessary reason to end something so good.”
I put my hand on his shoulder, showing that I’m listening and am here for him, but not interrupting his thought process.
He continues, “For a long time after the breakup, I felt like it wasn’t worth it to put myself out there again or risk getting hurt. It’s a big step to trust someone completely, knowing that they can break your heart at any moment. So, I want you to know that I understand being afraid of getting hurt. I’m right there with you.”
Holy crap. I can’t believe this man is opening up to me on such a deep level. Most of the men I’ve dated would have turned and run at the word ‘feelings,’ let alone expressed theirs to me so soon. I guess that’s why I never realized how vulnerable a guy could feel in a relationship.
Evan looks up at me and gives me a shy smile, obviously a little embarrassed by how much he’s revealed.
I assure him, “It means the world to me that you would open up like that and tell me how you’re feeling. I hope we can communicate with each other and be honest about the things that scare us. I appreciate you telling me that.”
He pulls me in for a tight hug, holding me close and then kissing me on my forehead again. He laughs a little and says, “I had no idea we were going to end up having such a serious conversation. It’s a good thing I brought the wine after all.”
I laugh, knowing that he’s trying to lighten the mood. I pick up my wine glass and take a sip, saying, “You did a good job picking it out, I like it.”
Now that our declarations are behind us, we return to the task of cooking dinner. We throw everything in the pot and then it’s time to let the chili simmer for a while.
I turn the burner on medium-low and say, “All set, now we just have to wait about thirty minutes and dinner will be ready.”
Picking up my glass of wine from the counter, I walk over to the couch and set the glass on the coffee table. Evan does the same and sits down next to me.
I ask him, “Should we start a movie while we wait?”
He nods and answers, “Sure, that sounds good. What should we watch?”
I gesture over to my TV stand, which has a ton of DVDs and Blu-Rays stacked underneath it. I’m kind of embarrassed at how old-school it must seem to still have physical discs, but I decide to just roll with it. “You pick. I’ve seen them all and like every one of them, so there’s no wrong choice.”
He laughs, saying, “Okay, let me take a look.”
He gets down on the floor to get a better view of the selection. He looks up at me and says with a smile, “I’m impressed that they’re alphabetized. That’s something I would do!”
I smile and take a sip of my wine, waiting to see which one he picks.
He says, “Okay, I’ve got one. But it’s going to be a surprise, so close your eyes for a minute while I get it started.”
I obligingly shut my eyes and listen to the sound of him fiddling with the DVD player and the remote. Before I expect him to be done, he’s kissing me softly, taking me by surprise. I can hear the movie’s opening credits, but still have my eyes shut as he continues to kiss me.
When we finally break apart my cheeks are flushed and my heart is beating a little faster than usual. I look over at the TV and the movie he’s chosen is already a few minutes past the opening credits.
“Twister, huh? Very romantic!” I joke and look over at him. He smiles as he puts his arm around me and I snuggle close as we watch a family running away from a tornado in the opening scene.
A little while later, the kitchen timer goes off to tell us the chili is done simmering. I start to get up, but Evan beats me to it, saying, “I’ve got it. You sit tight.”
He’s back after a few minutes, carrying two steaming bowls of chili. I’m impressed that he found the bowls and spoons so easily. He definitely knows how to make himself handy in the kitchen.
We balance our bowls on our laps as we eat our dinner and continue to watch the movie. Evan looks over at me occasionally and smiles, checking to make sure I’m having a good time. Once our bowls are empty, we snuggle back up on the couch to finish Twister.
After what must be at least an hour, I open my eyes slowly and realize I’ve fallen asleep while the movie played. My head is resting on Evan’s shoulder and I briefly worry that I could have drooled on him in my sleep. After a quick check of his shirt, which appears to be dry, I smile up at Evan, who has just hit pause on the remote. The movie credits stop on the screen and he smiles down at me.
“I guess that chili got the best of you,” he says with a grin.
I joke, “I blame the turkey. It’s that damn tryptophan.” I laugh, sheepish for a moment, but I can tell he’s not annoyed.
“I don’t blame you,” he says. “I think I almost passed out there for a minute or two myself. Your couch is very comfortable. It’s getting late, though. I should probably get going and let you go to bed.” He stands up and looks down at me.
I stretch my arms over my head and let out a huge yawn, showing that he’s right and I am ready to go to sleep. I stand up next to him and wrap my arms around his waist.
“I had a great night. Thanks for coming over,” I say.
“I did, too. It was nice to stay in and relax together. And thanks for the chili, it was delicious.”
I pull away with a quick start. “Oh no, we forgot about the tiramisu!”
He laughs at my distressed look and says, “That’s okay, you keep it. Think of me whenever you have a piece.”
“That’s an easy promise to make,” I say as I lean up and kiss him quickly. “Goodnight, Evan.”
He squeezes me for an extra second before letting go. “Goodnight, Sophia. Sleep well.”
He lets himself out the door and shuts it behind him.