INTRO
I was never one to take chances on the people I dated or the ways I met them. Everyone I had ever gone out with had been discovered the conventional ways, meeting them through mutual friends, at bars, etc. Throughout high school I had the same boyfriend, Allen. He treated me well. Always willing to do without so I could have what I needed. After high school we decided to move in together, getting an apartment in the city and continuing our education. That year had been torture, we weren't happy together, and living in the city had not done us any justice being away from friends and family and relying on each other for support and entertainment. The sex life had gone down the drain years ago, considering this was our fifth year together. We had lost the passion and relied solely on comfort to get us through our time together. When it was time to end school and move home, we thought it best to part ways and move back in with our parents. It wasn't a hard decision, we knew it was coming for a long time. It was the end of our relationship, but the beginning of living our lives separately.
I met him on the internet. We were both from the same small town, however , somehow, our paths never crossed. We had mutual friends and frequented the same places. Our conversations had started out innocent enough, where we lived, what we did for a living... he wasn't from here originally. He was a city boy living in our little country spot, working in the next town. He seemed nice enough. But being the conventional person I am, I didn't know whether I should give this guy a chance or not. Meeting people on the net was taboo- especially in this little town.
It took me about a month before I agreed to meet with him in a public place. I could have found out about him easily enough had I asked the few people who knew us both, but decided I should find out for myself. We made plans to meet at a small bar, with a few friends in tow to check out the scene. I told him I would be there at 10 o'clock.
The time crept by. I sat there for what felt like hours as 10 o'clock passed by. It was karaoke night, so the entertainment was fulfilling enough, but I wanted to meet this guy. By his picture he seemed to be good looking, and of course our conversations were endless. Around 11, I see a well built guy heading in my direction carrying beer. He was gorgeous, absolutely perfect. He put his hand on my shoulder and I looked up.
"Hey," he said. "I would have found you sooner, but I ended up asking the bartender which one you were. I looked for an hour trying to search you out."
Of course I frequented this particular spot often, so I knew he would have no trouble asking anyone who I was, but I was genuinely surprised he had the balls to ask the bartender, being a stranger and all. "I'm glad you made it, save you a seat."
This had to be a dream. This guy, who seemed to be perfect online in so many ways, also seems perfect in person, was sitting beside me. I had brought a girlfriend with me, who gave me the nudge and wink. I knew he had met her standards because he certainly met mine.
Sipping his beer, he looked at me and smiled. Trying to make conversation in this place was going to be difficult, but I figured if he was interested, we would meet again. Slow song after slow song, he grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor, holding me close. This guy was probably going to be a keeper.
CHAPTER 1
Friday night he picked me up. Looking perfect as always. I had met him a few times after the bar that night, still talking online, making plans for the upcoming weekends. We had decided that Friday we would just hang out. See what happened, maybe play pool, maybe not. We weren't really sure. I had kissed this guy, yes. I suppose you could say we were seeing each other for a few weeks. Nothing intense, but seeing how things went. Tonight, I had thought to myself, was going to be different.
"So, what do you have planned?" I had asked him, jumping in his truck, getting comfortable with my new-found lust object. He knew I thought he was everything, but still seemed modest.
"No plans yet."
He truly was a conversationalist- about the mundane things in life. Work, home, and family.
We drove around for a while, taking in the scenery, talking about life in general. Nothing spectacular, but I was content with the evening so far. We had taken a back road, surprisingly enough, he knew of a little secluded spot I hadn't discovered in my travels. We parked the truck and sat for a few minutes, looking and the lake that was in front of us. The view was fantastic. It was a mild spring evening, starting to get dark. The greyness had swept over the truck, cascading us in a cloudy dullness.
