There was a knock on the door just as I finished applying the final coat of my lipstick. I puckered my lips at my reflection in the mirror, happy with how I looked, and turned to the door. I ended up laughing out loud when I saw that Phoebe had beat me to the door and was pulling it open. I think she was more excited about this 'date' than I was.
I took my black sequined bag from where Phoebe had hung it over the back of a chair and pulled a few tissues from the box by mirror then walked over to meet Jeremiah at the door. Phoebe stepped back with a huge smile on her face.
"I knew picking that dress was the right choice for tonight", she said to me, her smile turning smug.
She had chosen a short emerald-green dress that had a sequined bodice with a strap on one shoulder. Phoebe insisted that I wear my black heels even though I wasn't sure where Jeremiah had planned on taking me. I had curled my hair, with Phoebe's help, and pinned it up on one side so that it framed my face without getting in the way.
I stepped up to the door and found a smirking Jeremiah on the other side. He was looking breathtakingly handsome. He was dressed in a pair of black pants with an emerald-green shirt and a shiny black tie. His clothes fitted him perfectly, almost as if they were tailor specifically for him. They hugged his body, hinting at the muscles that were hidden under.
"You look amazing, Jere", I breathed out.
"You look absolutely stunning, Mon", Jeremiah said to me. He was smiling down at me. Yes, even with the heels, he was still taller than me. His eyes roamed over my body and then stopped. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off my bare legs, so I crossed them and cleared my throat. That finally caught his attention and he looked back up at my face, shrugging with a sheepish grin on his face.
I looked over at Phoebe and we shared a look – I could only imagine the kinds of things that were going through her mind. She grabbed her bag and marched out the room, brushing past us before turning on her heel and holding up a finger to us.
"Now, have fun you two and, Jeremiah, don't bring Monica back home too late. Oh, and don't do anything I wouldn't do or anything that you two haven't already done before," She laughed loudly and dashed down the hall to her room, leaving us standing by the door in silence.
My thoughts immediately turned to the last real date that Jeremiah and I had shared together before our final exams in high school and my cheeks heated up as I recalled just how amazingly that night had ended. I looked over to Jeremiah and found that his cheeks were flushed, and I had a feeling his thoughts had led him to the same night too. I laughed awkwardly, wanting to strangle Phoebe for directing our thoughts to that night.
Jeremiah cleared his throat, "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, definitely", I pulled the dorm room door closed behind me tucked the key into my bag.
Jeremiah held out his arm for me and I took it with pleasure, knowing that I would probably need the support since I was using heels but also wanting to be closer to him at the same time. We walked down to his car where he opened the passenger door for me and helped me get settled in my seat. I watched as his walked around the car to the driver's side, noticing once again how well his clothes fit him.
The short drive to the restaurant was a quite one. I was feeling nervous, as if this were the first time that I was going out with Jeremiah and I wondered if he felt the same way. We got to a small, fancy looking spot and were shown to our seats – a secluded booth right at the end that overlooked a small pond down below. We placed our orders and Jeremiah turned to me as soon as the waiter walked away.
"Have I mentioned how gorgeous you look?" he asked, reaching across the table and covering my hands with his. His skin was warm against mine and I automatically laced my fingers through his.
"You may have mentioned it before, but I can't remember if it was tonight or all those years ago", I smiled at him and winked before continuing, "But thank you. You look amazing too Jeremiah. That color really suits you." I thought about the irony, having had said that to him on our first date so many years ago.
"Thank you. There was this sexy girl that I dated in high school who had said the exact same thing on our first date. We had worn the same color that day and had hit it off quite spectacularly", he winked back at me, laughing when I rolled my eyes and laughed too.
I was bursting to tell him about my life after high school, but I didn't want to ruin the mood like I knew it would, so I decided to let him bring up the subject when he was ready.
The waiter returned to our table with our drink orders and set them down for us. He left the table and returned a few minutes later with our food. It smelt amazing.
We spent the evening talking about random things, seeming to steer clear off high school or anything relating to us as a couple, which I was grateful for. Jeremiah insisted we order a hot chocolate fudge brownie to share even though I had insisted that I was stuffed from dinner – but, naturally, he won the argument but only because he had chocolate on his side.
After dinner, Jeremiah suggested we take a stroll down by the lake where we could talk. My breathing spiked for a second as I realized that this was the part of the evening that I was dreading. I managed to calm myself down with shallow breaths then smiled and nodded to show him that I was okay with that plan.
We finished the brownie, and he paid the bill, leaving behind a generous tip for the waiter. Jeremiah helped me out of my seat and laced his fingers through mine as we walked back to the car.
We walked over to the lake in a comfortable silence, our fingers laced together. We reached a bench that was overlooking the water. The lake and the surrounding areas were empty, despite the warmth of the evening. We sat on the bench, and I leaned my head on his shoulder, sitting in silence, watching as the wind caused the water in the lake to gently lap at the shoreline, creating tiny waves.
After what could have been hours but were only a few minutes later, Jeremiah shifted under me, so I pulled myself up and turned my body to face him. I took a deep breath and braced myself for the conversation that might just ruin everything that I found here at Ohio University – something I hadn't been looking for but needed all along. Jeremiah reached for my hand and thread his fingers through mine.
"So, are you ready to talk?" I asked Jeremiah, desperately wishing he would say no.
"Yes. I think it's been long enough now, don't you?"
I looked down at bench between us, "Yes".
We spoke for a few minutes, reminiscing about how much fun we had together when we used to date in high school and how much we missed each other when we separated. Jeremiah leaned over and kissed me. When he pulled away, he had a thoughtful look on his face.
"I want to try this again, Monica. I want you to be mine again. I want us to have a relationship like we used to have before, but better than that too. I've missed being around you and holding you. I've definitely missed tasting those delicious lips of yours", he licked his lips and winked before continuing, "I've missed us, Monica and I want there to be an 'us' again. So, what do you say? Will you be my girlfriend? Again? I promise to be better than I used to be because you deserve only the best".
Jeremiah ended his little speech by leaning over and kissing me again. I gasped in shock as his lips touched mine and I immediately moaned in pleasure. Kissing Jeremiah was like nothing I've ever experienced before. I had kissed a few other guys before, but no one even came close. Nothing felt as amazing as this. Jeremiah pulled away with a soft groan and looked at me with one of the most helpless looks on his face – one that I've never seen on him before.
