Teach Me How To Kiss

Reindeer Games

"You're in luck, I have ice cream!" Devin shouted with his head in the freezer.

"I'll take it, as long as it's not chocolate." I said weakly.

I heard the rambling of utensils in the kitchen before Devin appeared with 2 spoons and a little pint of cookie dough ice cream. Perfect!

"Do you not like chocolate?" He pried.

"It's just that's HIS favorite flavor."

"Oh…I see."

I looked around Devin's loft. It was old and had brick walls with black and wooden furnishings. I liked it a lot; it was so wide and spacious. No walls, only the corner bathroom, and a staircase on the side that led to his open bedroom. I wish I could get a place like this when I was older. We sat in the secluded area under the staircase and bedroom floor, which had been separated into the den area by a gray sectional couch. This part was cozy as opposed to the drastically high ceilings throughout the rest of his place.

"I'm honestly in love with your place!" I couldn't hold back.

"It's a nice little pad isn't it? The guy that lived here was a friend of my father's so he got me a good deal on it…You're welcome here anytime."

"Seriously?" I smiled in gratitude.

"So stop trying to act around me, how are you REALLY feeling?" I could see Devin's honest concern.

"I don't want to care, but it does hurt. We said we loved each other…"

"And I don't doubt it. I'm sorry, that's why I can never trust long distance relationships; someone is always bound to get hurt."

"I thought we were the exception. I thought what we felt for each other would outlast the time we'd have to wait. But even I was weak…"

"What do you mean?" He asked enthralled.

"Never mind; I actually don't want to keep dwelling on the depressing topic...Tell me, is there anyone you miss?" I dug another spoonful of ice cream.

Devin reached for his back pocket where he took out his wallet and handed it to me already open. There were two pictures of the cutest kids I had seen in a long time. Brown haired and blue eyed, holding quite a resemblance.

"I didn't know you had kids."

"They're my nephews. My sister lives back in Washington. I miss all of them."

"She older?"

"4 years. My nephew is 6 and niece 3."

"So you like kids. How many do you want to have?"

"I would like to have at least 2, more if possible. Lately I've been pretty tired of this single life and I feel I'm ready to settle down now."

"Hmmm, I didn't picture you as the 'settling' type." I said frankly.

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me. You think I still want to be a bartender by the time I'm 35?"

"Like I said I DON'T know you that well…did you go to college?"

"I have a degree in business. I've been working with Philip for a couple of years now; his plan is to open another restaurant down in San Diego and leave me in charge of this one."

"Would you still bartend?"

"To help out on busy nights, but I have some interesting ideas for when that time comes."

"That's fantastic! Here I thought you were just a flirt that liked to start trouble."

"Then you should be ashamed of yourself for judging me so poorly." He smiled.