Chapter 24: Alex’s Day

It was one of those rare Fridays that Laura had off from the orchestra and the prep school. She had mentioned it to Alex in one of their morning phone conversations. He asked her if he could take her on a special date and she agreed.

“Laura, I’m so glad you agreed to spend your free day with me.”

“Alex, it is a real pleasure. I had so much fun with you at the planetarium and museum that I could hardly wait to see what you had planned for this date.”

“Ah. Patience is a virtue,” he said with a smile, placing his index finger over her lips.

He drove them outside of the city to what looked like acres and acres of rolling green hills. Was it a farm? Or a golf course?

“My curiosity is killing me, why are we here?”

“Rest assured that this is phase one of our date,” he told Laura.

They parked on a grassy area and then walked for about 15 minutes. Then it was clear why they were there.

“A hot air balloon ride?” Laura could hardly contain her excitement. “Really, Alex?”

“Really. Remember that this is only phase one.”

Alex helped Laura get in. Alex had been on hot air balloon rides before and was even skilled and licensed in piloting the balloon. On their way up in the air, Laura held his hand firmly.

“This is amazing and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. Alex, this is marvelous. I don’t care if this is phase one out of fifty or the only phase of our date today. This is so unbelievable.”

“I feel the same way.”

“How are you so good at planning romantic and fun dates?”

“I’m a romance novel writer, remember?”

“Right. I almost forgot. So, I’m on a research and development expedition with you?”

“No. I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to be alone with you and this was the best way I could imagine.”

Seeing the city and the countryside from a hot air balloon was something she never would have dreamed of. They talked for the entire ride. He even shared his childhood dream of becoming an archaeologist. Both smiled and laughed a lot.

“I’m getting hungry,” Alex said. “Do you mind if we get something to eat?”

“No, that would be great. Let me guess, phase two?”

“Exactly”

# # #

Alex landed the balloon and helped Laura out. Once the balloon was secured and she was out, he reached in and lifted a large picnic basket and a quilt out of the balloon. He carried the basket in one hand with the quilt over his shoulder and took Laura’s hand in the other. After a short walk, they arrived at the perfect picnic spot: in the valley of the mountains he had found a tree shaded grassy area near a lake with swans.

“I think I need you to pinch me, Alex. This seems unreal.”

“This is all for you.”

He spread the quilt out and encouraged Laura to get comfortable. Then he opened the basket, which was full of delicacies and decadent treats.

“Alex, this spot, the food you chose, this is all incredible.”

He smiled and they started their meal. He would feed her a small portion of each basket item. Once he was certain that she liked it, he served her a portion. This experience of having a tall, dark, and handsome man spoon feed her this decadent meal was one of the most romantic and sensuous experiences she ever had.

“How does it taste?” he asked after spoon feeding her the first few items.

“Amazing. Will you let me reciprocate?” she asked him.

Laura fed Alex the next bite. When she fed him, she followed up with a gentle kiss on his lips. He smiled in pleasure, and seemed to enjoy feasting this way with her.

“I never brought anyone here before you.”

“Thank you for inviting me to be your first.” She grinned and filled his glass with sparkling apple cider.

“Hey, I’m supposed to be serving you,” Alex teased.

“I couldn’t help myself. It felt natural to serve you after all you’ve put into this date. It feels natural to be with you in this picturesque environment. I feel so special. I am the luckiest girl in the world.”

They continued eating their delicious meal together.

Laura asked Alex a personal question, “With dates like this, why aren’t you taken, partnered, or married?”

Alex’s expression changed from joy to sadness. “I had a special someone. We were high school sweethearts, but she had leukemia. We were engaged to marry before we went off to the same college, but she passed away in her sleep the night that I gave her the engagement ring.”

“I am so sorry. I did not mean to pry, it’s just that you have so much to offer that I could not believe there was no one special in your life.”

“It’s okay. It’s been several years now. My work as a romance novelist and screenwriter helps me to cope. Before I met you, whenever I wrote I imagined each female protagonist with her in mind. How could I create main characters with all of her positive attributes and honor her memory with special romantic dates in my stories, I wondered? She is my muse.”

“Ahh. I see. That would be therapeutic.”

“I meet a lot of beautiful actresses in my line of work, but they are shallow gold diggers on the inside and are only interested in what I can do for them. Since she passed away, you are the first woman I have met that I have considered as a possible, serious girlfriend.”

“Alex,” Laura gasped, feeling honored, burdened, and guilty all at once.

“Okay, that’s heavy and I know that you were not expecting all of that, but I wanted to be open with you and let you know that I just don’t chase after women. I am selective. You are the first one since she passed.”

Laura knew a man like Alex with his monogamous relationship history was not to be played with lightly. He needed love. He deserved commitment. She did not want to hurt him by casually dating him and his friends. He had a special place in her heart; she did not want to risk breaking his.