This is my first story ever, so cut me some slack.
*****
A thin white carpet of snow had fallen by the time I had walked the ten blocks to the Cleveland Art Museum just as it opened. I loved the museum for many reasons including that I had met Heather, my wife, here. On a very similar day two years ago, I decided to study at the art museum because it had the perfect balance of free, natural lighting, and beautiful art to enjoy on my breaks. On one such break, I decided to get a coffee from the café in the museum since the tranquility of the museum made me lethargic.
I had the pleasure of waiting in line between these two young women, who had apparently decided to visit the museum since there was little else to do on a wintry day. One was a bubbly, pixie of a short blonde with very short hair. Despite her hair and clothes being almost boyish, she had the feminine mannerisms and body to pull it off and draw the eyes of most of the men in the café.
I was not, however, drawn to her. Her brunette friend who had the most sincere and warm eyes I had ever seen captivated me. They ordered their fancy lattés and moved over to the counter to wait for their beverages. I needed some caffeine so I ordered an espresso shot with just a dollop of whipped cream. Once I paid for my drink I moved to join them as they waited for their drinks. I tried not to make eye contact or seem like I was checking her out, but the café wasn't busy enough for me to avoid them completely.
Speaking of checking her out: she had just the right amount of curves, full breasts from what I could tell, and toned arms. I must admit, I have a thing for strong girls. Magazines and TV have all these toothpick girls with photo-shopped breasts, but that doesn't turn me on. I like MMA type girls with toned muscles and some curves.
Right about this time our eyes met and I was immediately embarrassed, worrying she had caught me enjoying what I saw. I sheepishly smiled and said hello. Just then the barista called something out and placed a drink on the counter. I hurriedly walked over, grabbed the drink, and veritably sprinted out of the café. I took a sip once I had gotten a safe distance from the beautiful girl and began to slow down as I returned to my study spot. I hadn't taken two paces, however, when the short blond yelled out to me, "Hey, You took my friend's drink!"
I ground to a halt and began to sweat bullets. Uh oh, not only did I check her out, but I stole her drink. I slowly turned around and walked back to the café.
I looked at the cup and it said "Heather" on it. I swallowed, and turned to her and said, "I'm terribly sorry, miss. I didn't realize I grabbed the wrong one."
She smirked back at me and said, "It's ok. It looks like you were preoccupied."
I turned red and cleared my throat. "Uh, how about I buy you a drink to make up for the mistake."
She now turned red and became shy. Her blonde friend looked back and forth between us and said, "Yep, she would love that. I'm Cassie, She's Heather. What's yours?"
"Ivan. What brings you two to the museum?"
"I'm an art student, and I was going to do some sketches of some paintings," said Cassie. "She's just along for the ride, so why don't you two enjoy coffee while I do my sketches and I'll catch up with you when I'm done."
Before either of us could say anything, she darted away. We turned to each other and after an awkward pause I said, "Uh, well, lets get back in line for your coffee."
"Sure," Heather said. "So what do you do?"
"I'm a med student and I love to study here. It's quiet, it's free, and I love art. Mind you, I'm terrible at creating any art. When I took art in high school, the best grade I ever got on an assignment was a B. And I'm an overachiever."
She chuckled and gave me a wry look. "Seems you need to work on being less obvious in addition to your art skills."
I nervously laughed. "Yeah, well, I cant help being a bit stunned by someone who is more beautiful than the paintings here."
She rolled her eyes and said, "Right. As if I've never heard that before. Shall we add pick-up lines to the list?"
Even as she said that, though, she smiled and glowed a little from my praise. We got her coffee and sat down near the bamboo trees and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon. We didn't quite realize how much time had passed when Cassie showed up and sat down on our table and folded her arms.
We looked up with puzzled looks on our faces.
"What?"
"You two have been here for three hours. I finished my sketches two hours ago. Get her number already, Ivan, so I can go home and eat. I'll probably die of hunger waiting for you two to stop gazing at each other.
Heather rolled her eyes, but I said, "Sounds like a problem. You need food and I need her number. How about I treat you both to dinner and you slip me the 'goods'?"
Cassie paused, cocked her head, and grinned mischievously. "Deal."
"What you in the mood for?"
"Uh, how about Algebra, that middle eastern place a few blocks away?"
"Sounds good. I haven't been there in ages."
Thus, I became acquainted with Heather and Cassie. Heather and I started texting and a few days later I invited them to go bowling at this retro bowling alley across town. Fortunately, Cassie had the sense to bring a guy friend along so she wasn't three wheeling it. We tried to be welcoming, but you know how it is. Over the next three weeks Heather and I went on a few dates and ended them with a few kisses. Well, the first couple of dates at least. See, Valentine's Day was around the corner. On our last date the week before Valentine's Day, Heather and I sat down for a coffee date at Rising Star, a local coffee shop. After mustering up the courage, I managed to ask her the burning question on my mind.
"So, Heather, we've been hanging out for a few weeks now and I wanted to make things a bit clearer. Umm, I like you a lot. Uh, yeah. And I was wondering how you felt."
"I like you too. Haha," she giggled and blushed.
"So, should we make this official?"
"What do you mean by official?"
"You know. Like, we're officially dating."