FSE

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Saturday I went to lunch with my friend, Ken. Of course he wanted to go to the ramen place near me, it seemed that almost every time he wanted to grab food, it was something Asian. Not that I don't like Asian foods, but I like to switch it up. I parked in the parking lot to meet him, and noticed his car there, so he was probably already inside. He had an appointment at the barber for a fur trimming, which was right across the street. One of the benefits of working from home - I don't have to keep myself constantly groomed. Although, as a cat, he had a lot fewer places for unruly fur than I. I walked into the shop to see the large lynx already sitting at a table. I waved at him as I approached, taking the seat opposite him.

"Hey." I said as I sat.

"Hey. They gave us water to start with. Not sure what you wanted."

"Water's fine." I picked up the menu and started scanning over the items. I'd only been here a couple times - both with Ken - so I had to re-read all the descriptions.

Before we got to ordering, Ken launched into his weekly work woes. We used to work together (he got me the job, actually), but he was let go a while back and I moved up in the company. Honestly, though, I didn't know how so much workplace drama follows him. He'd had three jobs in the time I'd known him, and it seemed he always had something to gripe about. I'd thought that maybe he was just more talkative about his weeks, but the more I heard the stories, the more I thought that he might just be the unluckiest guy I knew when it came to the workplace. I would listen and chime in at certain places, but I rarely had any stories to tell him. Sure, I deal with the occasional dumbass, but not that often, and I usually forget about them shortly after, unless it was something particularly heinous.

We ended up ordering between his stories - I got the extra spicy, and he got the miso - and the conversation lulled. Usually I'd have something to put in, but this week was rather boring, excepting of course my encounter the night before. I didn't want to lead off with it so I didn't sound like I was rubbing it in his face, since he'd had about as luck in the single pool as I had. Granted, he was over a decade older than me, and at least had a long term relationship before, whereas I'd been single since high school (and do high school dalliances really count, anyway?).

"So," he started, "how'd it go last night."

"Huh?"

"At the bar. You went, right?"

"Oh." Shit I forgot I told him. "It, uh, it went pretty well. I actually might have a date tomorrow."

"Oh, really? Got any pics?" He smirked.

I shook my head. "No, I didn't take any. We, uh, just kinda clicked at the bar, and went over to my place."

"Slut." He stared at me, deadpan.

"You would have, too. He's a bull. A bit taller than you, so much taller than me. Built like a fucking Mack truck."

"Really? You got a muscle guy?"

"I know, right? Yeah, he said he actually preferred slightly chubby guys." I shrugged. "I'm not complaining."

He leaned back in the chair as we finally got our soups. "So what do you mean 'might' have a date tomorrow?"

"Well," I said in-between bites. "We didn't plan anything, just traded numbers and he said he'd like to go out somewhere Sunday. He's working today."

"What's he do?"

I shrugged again. "Dunno. We didn't get to that."

"Fucking slut. Did you at least get his name?" He rolled his eyes at me.

"Yeah." I chuckled. "His name's Mike."

"Huh. Well I guess you lucked out, but doesn't the date usually come before getting plowed in the ass?" He raised his eyebrow, giving that sassy look cats did oh-so-well.

"That what I said. And, for your information, I wasn't the one who got plowed."

The lynx's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You found a guy much larger than you that likes to bottom?" I nodded. "Wow, isn't that, like, your dream come true."

I shrugged with a smile, playing it off. Truth was, it most definitely was a dream come true. I wasn't able to keep the bull out of my thoughts all morning. I also wasn't able to keep my nagging doubts out of my head, but I didn't voice those. Every time I met someone, I seemed to always assume the worst; they wouldn't call me, they'd get annoyed by me after they got to know me, so on, so forth. I knew they were defeatist thoughts, but I couldn't help it. I'd never really been a sociable badger, rather close in personality to my wild counterparts. It's just been ingrained in me. Even so, I didn't voice those thoughts because I truly, desperately wanted them to not be true. I wanted to get to know the bull, go on dates with him, fuck him again, everything. I knew relationships weren't all about sex, but since that's really all I'd done with Mike up to that point, it was really all I had to go on. Plus, god, it was really good.

We finished up the meal with spats of general catching-up conversation - how work went for me, weather, family gripes (mostly on his side, I was pretty calm with my family). I declined going out with him to a couple stores, citing being too full to move around. I was full, but like I've said before, I wasn't much of a going-out kind of guy. Not great when you're looking to date someone, but there it is. I'd cross that bridge with Mike when (if) we came to it. We ended up going our separate ways after lunch, and I decided I'd take a nap. I was starting to get that food coma feeling and, honestly, waking up before noon on a weekend is hell for me. I wake up early every weekday for work, and use my weekends to catch up on sleep.

Once I got home, my phone went off with a text right when I walked through the door. It was Mike. He actually texted me.

Hey sexy, how's your day going? On lunch break, mind if I call?

I texted him back instantly, not caring if it seemed eager, that a call would be fine. He must have been just as eager to talk to me, since it wasn't five seconds before my phone started to ring. Calm down, I thought, he had his phone out to text anyway. Of course it wouldn't take long to call back.

"Hey." I answered.

"Hey yourself." The bass of his voice sent a chill down my spine. I'd always had a thing for deep voices. "How's your day been?"

"Ah, pretty good, I guess. Just got home from lunch with a friend." I don't know why, but I started getting nervous talking to him again. Not as bad as at the bar, but still. Come on, you've seen him naked, made him moan. No reason to be nervous, right? Right?

"Nice, where'd you go?"

"Oh, just a ramen shop near me."

"Hmm I think I know that one. By the old theater, right?"

"Uh, yeah." I was kind of shocked he knew it. It was a small, out of the way place that I saw on Yelp and wanted to try.

"It was pretty good last time I was there, if I remember right. I love trying new things when it comes to food."

"Me, too, actually." Truly, it was one of my favorite things to do.

"Hmm, well there's one thing we have in common." He chuckled. "So, the reason I called is I had an idea for our date tomorrow. Do you like steak?"

"Of course." I said. "But... Aren't you a vegetarian?"

"Well, yeah, but the place I have in mind does veggies, too."

"Where did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I'm not telling you that. Don't want to give away the secret. It's my treat, too, since I'm the one who asked."

"Be careful with that." I laughed. "I usually get filets when I go to a steakhouse."

"Ramen for lunch, it is." He chuckled in return. "Seriously, you can order whatever you want. I want to make it a nice night for you."

"I'm sure it will be." I couldn't keep from smiling, even though I know he couldn't see it. "So, uh, what time were you wanting to go over there?"

"I was thinking maybe an early dinner. Six-ish if that works for you? I'll pick you up."

"I have nothing planned, so that's fine."

"Mmm, well now you do. Anyway, I have to finish up my sandwich before I gotta get back to work. I'll see you tomorrow, sexy."

"Ah, see ya. Can't wait."

As we disconnected, I realized I was blushing. I wasn't used to people calling me attractive, much less sexy. Also, coming from him? It seemed kind of weird to me, that someone of his caliber would find me attractive at all. I knew I didn't have the best self-esteem, but I also knew that, objectively, I wasn't in the same league as him. Hell, I wasn't even playing the same sport. I knew, in the back of my mind, that there was no way this would last. We'd have some fun, then he'd move on to the next sexy guy, et cetera, et cetera. I resolved to myself to at least let it play through, and enjoy it while it lasted. It wasn't every day that someone hot was interested in dating me. Hell, it was barely any day. If there was even a tiny chance of a repeat performance of the night before, I decided, I'd do anything.

The next day, I ended up sleeping in late. I wasn't lying when I told Mike I didn't have anything planned other than the date, so I just left my alarm off and caught up on some sleep. I usually tried to get up around the same time most days so I could take my pills on a set schedule, but I just didn't care today. Not like they really worked that great. I still got anxiety attacks, and I was still rather agoraphobic compared to other non-medicated people. Well, it was true that I was at least able to get over it enough to go to the bar the other day, so maybe they worked a little. As the hours ticked by, though, I found myself getting increasingly frazzled and nervous. It's just a date I told myself, but even that didn't assuage any of the pressure. I hadn't been on a date in years, and by that point, I wasn't even sure if I knew how to act on a first date anymore. At least my spiraling worry made the time go by quickly. Before I knew it, it was time to hop in the shower and get ready.

I took a long shower, letting the hot water pour over me and relax my tense body. I let my mind wander as I lazily soaped myself. I wondered if Mike was as nervous as I was about the date, which I dismissed instantly. Someone like that has probably been on tons of first dates. Still, I thought, he did seem very into me. Maybe he was. I played the fantasy in my head: Him wanting to impress me, win me over, him fretting about everything like I had been. I knew it was a weird fantasy to have, but I never touted myself as normal. The fantasy followed me as I finished my shower and stood in the air dryer, making sure everything was completely dry instead of just saying 'fuck it' and leaving dry enough. As much as I didn't think this would last on his part, I didn't want to give him a bad impression. The fantasy evolved into the future, if we (miraculously) became a couple, how that would be. Luckily, that lifted my spirits a bit. I finished drying off, and started the painstaking process of brushing my fur. Sometimes I envied people with short coats like Mike. Not to mention, I wished my stump of a tail were longer, though I wouldn't want a thick furry one like a fox. I couldn't imagine what they had to go through to brush their tail. Honestly, there were a lot of things about me I wish I could change, even if I kept all the species-specific traits. By the time I finally finished brushing out my fur, my nerves started to get the better of me again. I got to my closet and stopped - I didn't ask how fancy this restaurant was! I had no idea what to wear (not that I'm picky, but my standard tee shirt and jeans wasn't necessarily appropriate for all places). I thought about it and opted to wear a button short sleeve and some khakis - a holdover from when I worked in an office. That would be adequate for most places, unless the bull was filthy rich and I didn't know it. Plus, it was probably the nicest outfit I had, excepting my old interview suit that would probably make me look like an overstuffed sausage if I tried to squeeze into it.

No sooner had I finish dressing than there was a sharp knock on my door. I must've lost track of time figuring out what to wear. I smoothed out my shirt and pants one last time, took a breath, and went to the door to open it. I was greeted with a smiling bull, no less sexy in a shirt than his tank top he wore at the bar. I smiled back at him, unsure of what to say as I was ogling him (and heaving a silent breath of relief in my head as I noticed he was dressed the same way I was).

"Evenin', Dax." He smiled, looking me up and down. "Mmm, you look good."

"Heh, you look better." I said, silently cursing the dreamy inflection in my voice. He snorted a laugh, then suddenly crowded into me for a deep kiss.

Oh god, it was just as good as the other night. I felt myself get hard as the kiss dragged on, his hands running down my shoulders. Honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised if, once we separated, ten minutes had passed.

"Ah," I said, out of breath after he lifted his muzzle, "isn't the kiss, supposed to be, uh, after the date?"

He laughed. "Yeah, well, I never said I was traditional."

"No, I guess not." I agreed. "Well, I think we passed that train Friday, anyway."

HIs bassy chuckle sent another shiver down my spine. "Well, you ready?"

"I'd be more ready if I knew where we're going." I joked as I stepped out of the doorway to close and lock the door.

"Well you're dressed perfectly enough. I, uh, kinda forgot to tell you what to expect to wear, but I'm glad you chose well." He smiled at me.

"So does that mean it's fancy?"

"It's not the French Laundry, but it's not Outback, either." He chuckled and put an arm around me as we walked out of the corridor of my apartment building.

"That's descriptive. Although, if you got reservations at the French Laundry, then booked us tickets to California, I'd be your slave forever." I chuckled, leaning into the bull's touch. I'd never been a fan of PDA, really. Not that I was scared of being seen as gay, but I was just always uncomfortable with it. For some reason, though, when he did it, I didn't care at all.

"I'll keep that in mind." He said, mock-seriously.

He squeezed me slightly before letting go as we approached his truck. Without the distraction of desperately wanting to get in his pants, I was able to actually pay some attention (not that I didn't want to get into his pants, but it wasn't as pressing as the last time). It was a pretty new full-size Dodge, clean, so he was definitely fairly well off. I still didn't know what he did for work, and was probably going to wait for dinner to strike up conversation about it, but it was almost fun trying to piece together the mystery of the bull. As he started the car, and typed an address in the GPS - downtown, interesting - I noticed the music playing softly. Hmm, metal, huh? Nice. I thought. Then it hit me, I knew this one.

"Amon Amarth, seriously?" I was kind of dumbstruck by the bull's music of choice. He didn't seem like a metalhead, but, then again, neither did I sometimes.

He looked back at me, wide-eyed, then tossed his head back. "Oh, thank GOD! You know, badger, I think I might have just fallen in love with you." He chuckled.

I laughed. "Because I listen to death metal?"

"Oh, god, yes. I'm sick and tired of guys who only listen to Gaga or shit like that." He reached over, putting a hand on my shoulder, squeezing as he chuckled.

"Well, I didn't say I didn't listen to Gaga." I joked. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I relented. "I don't. Mostly metal for me."

He smiled back before finally pulling out of the parking lot. As we headed toward downtown, he kept sneaking looks at me, and eventually reached out to take my paw once we were on the interstate. I didn't really know what to say during the car ride, and figured if he wanted to have a conversation while driving, he'd start one up. He did, however, turn the music up slightly. Not blaring, but enough so we could actually listen to it over the noise of the road. I bobbed my head and wondered how I was able to get so lucky - I mean, getting a guy as hot as the bull, and we listened to the same kind of music? Almost unheard of in my experience. Most people wouldn't really think of music choice as a big deal in a relationship, but I listened to a lot of metal, and absolutely despised the current pop music. It probably wouldn't have been a dealbreaker if Mike didn't listen to the same music, but it was a definite huge plus, and it seemed like a plus in my book for him, judging from his reaction. I zoned out to the music, bobbing my head, as we got to the downtown area. I actually had only really been this way once, and that was right when I moved to the city. I glanced around at all of the buildings, rubbing my paw across the bull's lazily, as we finally pulled around into a parking garage.

"We'll have to park and walk a little bit." He said as we finally parked. "Hope you're ok with that."

I shrugged, smiling. "I could use the exercise."

He placed a hand on my belly, rubbing softly. "Mmm, I still think you're beautiful."

I couldn't help but blush, my ears folding back. I silently hoped he couldn't see them enough to see that they were probably tomato red. He chuckled and got out of the car, so I followed, still blushing. He put his arm around me as we walked out of the parking lot to the sidewalk. With anyone else, I would be hesitant, but I just felt... Comfortable with the bull. I busied myself looking around making mental guesses as to where we were going for dinner - there were a lot of restaurants in this area, so there was no shortage of guesses. It wasn't until we started getting close to one section of the plaza that I noticed we were making a beeline to the blue-awning restaurant at the corner. My eyes went wide and I hitched a step.

"We're going to Ray's? Seriously?" I asked incredulously.

He smiled down at me. "Yup."

"Uh, that's a bit pricey for a first date, don't you think?"

"Nope. Not for you." The bull smiled back.

I couldn't believe it. Was he really this infatuated with me? Even just going to a nice steakhouse was a bit on the high end of things for getting to know someone, but Ray's was definitely a high-dollar steakhouse. I'd never been before, but I knew it by reputation - and that was a reputation of being very expensive. He held the door open for me, still dumbfounded at the situation, and walked right up to the bobcat hostess, dressed all in black.

"Reservation for Black." He said. The hostess scanned the reservation list, then beckoned us to follow her. She led us to a table that was, thankfully, somewhat out of the way in the corner. We sat as the petite bobcat handed us our menus and a wine list. Mike grabbed the wine list from the table and held it in front of me. "Here, pick a wine."

I scanned the list of the wines, not really paying attention to the vineyards, and more the types of wines. I could never keep up with vintages, but I knew what grapes I liked. "Hmm. The syrah."

"Syrah?" Mike raised an eyebrow at me. "Not familiar with that one."

I shrugged. "It's the French name for shiraz. I prefer it."

"So you know wine?"

"Not really." I looked down. "Just some of them. I found I liked shiraz a while back, and that's just what I stick to."

He chuckled softly, that deep bass still rumbling even when he kept his voice down in the quiet restaurant. "Well, see what you want to order, then we can start up our conversation."

I picked up my menu, and almost screamed when I saw the prices. I'd been to fancy restaurants before, but nothing that cost this much. I was glad for a moment that the menu was covering my face. At this point I was just looking for the cheapest thing that wasn't an appetizer or side. I settled on the steak frites - thirty-three dollars was still more than I was used to spending at a steakhouse - when the waiter showed up, a slim, impeccably groomed red fox, also dressed head-to-toe in black.

"Welcome to Ray's, gentlemen, may I start you off with some wine?"

"I'll just take a water, myself." Mike spoke up first. The fox wrote in is pad as he turned to me.

"Uh, I'll have a glass of the syrah. Thank you."

"Marvellous choice, sir. Will you need an extra few minutes with the menu?" He questioned with a look to each of us.

Mike set his menu back on the table. "I think I know what I want, how about you, Dax?"

I nodded back. "I think I know as well."

"I'll have the grilled portobello salad." Mike said and handed the menu to the fox.

"I'll get the steak frites." I said, instantly getting a raised eyebrow from the bull.

Before I could hand the menu to the fox, however, Mike interjected. "He'll have the filet."

My jaw dropped, and my eyes went wide as saucers. "But it's-"

"You told me you always get filets at steakhouses before." Mike interrupted. "Did you change your mind?"

"Well, no, but it's-"

"The filet." The bull said again to the waiter, with finality.

The fox nodded, with a slightly confused look on his face, his ears twitching. "And what temperature would you like that cooked, sir?"

I was still aghast. "Uh... Um, medium-rare, please."

The fox took the menu and pardoned himself to ready our orders. I turned, muzzle still open at the exchange, to look at Mike. Sure enough, the bull was wearing a shit-eating grin, directed at me.

"I told you before to order what you wanted." He said, keeping the grin on his muzzle.

"But... But that was a fifty dollar steak!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my voice down.

He shrugged. "If the cost was an issue for me, I wouldn't have taken you here. Hell, my salad was thirty."

I took a moment to calm myself down. "So... You treat all your dates to Ray's? What, are you rich?"

The bull chuckled. "No, I'm not rich, by any means, but I save money well. And no, I don't treat just anyone to Ray's. Not that I'm a serial dater, or anything."

"So why treat me to Ray's? You barely know me, and this is our first date." I queried.

"I like ya." He shrugged, as if he were explaining that the sky is blue.

"Well, I'd assumed that since we're, you know, on a date." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ha, you got me there." He laughed. "Let's just say I like you more than most. Also, you kind of intrigue me. You're sexy as hell, and just as shy, and... I dunno really, I just felt like I wanted to get to know you. Also, if I can tell you a secret..." He leaned in toward the center of the table. I leaned toward him and he continued in a whisper. "No one's fucked me like that in a long time."

He smiled as I shot back in my seat, ears folding as I blushed. I averted my gaze from the mirth in his eyes, but I could see out of my peripheral vision that his smile never faltered. "So..." I decided to change the subject. "If you're not rich, what do you do?"

The bull leaned back in his seat, his massive frame covering the entirety of the chair. "I'm a cop. Not a glamorous profession, but I like it. Hope that doesn't bother you, dating a cop." I shook my head. "Good. These days, it's not a very popular job. So what do you do?"

"Uh..." The fox came up again with our drinks setting them in front of us and assuring our food would be out shortly. After the interruption, I continued. "I work in IT. It's... It's kind of hard to explain. I work at an imaging company, and tailor our software solutions to their needs, remote in with them and install test environments, and finalize man-hours for the actual install if they purchase it. They call it technical design."

Mike nodded. "Smart guy, then. You probably make more than I do." I didn't know what to say to that since, well, he was probably right. Luckily he saved me from having to respond. "So tell me about yourself."

"Well there's not much to tell." I shrugged. "I was raised in Memphis, spent a few years in San Diego while I was in the Marine Corps, went to Iraq once, came back to Memphis after all that for college, dropped out after four years, then moved here for a job."

"Oh, Marines, huh? I always wanted to join the military, but never did. I guess that explains the safe I saw in your bedroom. Pistol?"

I nodded. "Yeah, had that one for a few years. I carry sometimes - legally of course." I added, remembering that I was talking to a cop, even if he was a hot one that I was on a date with.

He chuckled. "You don't have to try to explain yourself like I'm a cop. We're on a date." Of course he caught that I added the last part on second thought.

My ears folded back in a blush again, causing another chuckle from the bull. It was like he liked seeing me embarrassed. "So, uh... What about you?"

"Oh, mine's even less interesting than yours." He smiled. "Grew up in Indiana, outside of Indianapolis. Had some... Family issues..." His ears dipped at that, momentarily. "I went off on my own and ended up coming here and joining the police. Been doing this ever since."

"Georgia's a long way from Indiana." I noted.

"Yeah, well... I spent some time as a transient, I guess you could call it. Knew some people here and there, worked the occasional odd job. Figured I'd come to the South since I'd always liked warm weather." His head dipped a bit. I figured it was a sore spot for him with a lot more detail than was appropriate for a first date. "I don't really regret it, though. I'm doing well here."

I was spared having to respond by the arrival of our food. The 'portobello salad' Mike ordered was huge, and covered in an assortment of roasted vegetables. My own steak looked absolutely amazing, butter seared with whipped potatoes. When I cut off a piece - perfectly medium rare - and tried it, it tasted even better than it looked. From the look on the bull's face, his was equally as tasty.

Our conversation died down while we ate, with short snippets in between bites, usually either of us exclaiming about how good the food was. Honestly, it took all of my restraint to not scarf the whole meal down, it was that good. Before long, our plates were clean, barely even a speck of sauce left on them. By that point, we were both too full to talk and just basked in the afterglow of a delicious meal. We both declined dessert - even though Mike tried to push me to order something, but I was truly full. The bull took the check and paid with his card, sparing not even a glance at the total, and before I knew it, we were outside walking back to his truck, his arm around me once more.

Once we were on the road again, he took my paw in his hand, slowly rubbing it. "You know, Dax... I really like you."

I blushed, looking down at my feet. "I, uh... I like you, too."

"Hmm, good." He lifted my paw to his nuzzle and kissed it. I lost myself to the passing lights, and the touch of the bull's hand as he held my paw. Eventually we made it to my apartment, and I hated that I had to let his hand go, but at least he put his arm back around me as we walked to my door. Once we reached the door, I turned to face him.

"So, uh..."

He put his hands down on my hips. "I'd actually like to keep some part of this traditional, if that's okay with you." He smiled.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess I could do with a little tradition."

He pulled me close, brought his muzzle down to mine, and kissed me deeply. It seemed to go on forever, our tongues mingling as he ran his hands up my back. I reached my paws around him, and couldn't help but feel that he was pretty aroused, and, well, so was I. I pressed into him, not wanting the kiss to end, and his powerful arms pressed me even more into him. Eventually we both parted, mutually ending the kiss, instead of one of us pulling away first.

"Mmm." He moaned, rubbing my back and keeping me pressed to him. I could still feel his erection pressed against my belly. "Keeping this traditional is going to be hard."

I chuckled, pressing into his erection. "Well, something's hard, at least."

"You're one to talk." He smiled, pressing his leg up to mine. "I'd really like to do this again."

"I can tell." I chuckled again, getting one out of him this time. "Or do you mean leaving me with an unfulfilled erection?"

He let out a heavy breath. "No. No, I don't want to do that again at all. But..."

I trailed my paw down to his rear and gave it a quick squeeze before parting from him. "Maybe next time."

He chuckled. "I don't think I'll be able to help myself next time."

"What, you're gonna force yourself on me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Pfft force?" He said with an I'm-not-believing-that look on his face. "I doubt very much that I'll have to force anything."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see." I smiled up to him, not wanting him to leave. I knew he was feeling the same way.

He leaned down to kiss me again, just a quick peck on the muzzle this time. "Goodnight, badger, I'll talk to you soon."

I watched him walk away, not even unlocking my door until he got in his truck and drove off. I don't know what it was that the bull was attracted to in me, but for once, I didn't really want to question it. It was like some kind of dream. I went from not having a date in well over a year (and that one wasn't good at all) to having this massive hunk of a bull treating me to one of the nicest dates - if not the nicest - I've ever had. Plus, he wanted to see me again, and I could feel that he was as turned on by me as I was of him. I finally walked into my apartment and readied myself for bed. It was still a bit early compared to my usual bed time, but I felt that this was a perfect way to end the night, and so I would end it on this note.

I laid down in my bed after I undressed, trailing a paw to my sheath, my cock now fully retracted. I ran my paw over it languidly, remembering the amazing night with the bull earlier this weekend, and remembering the tender kiss at the door. My thoughts ran to how our next date would go, and for once, I knew that there would be another.