Story 17: The Intimacy of a Home Date (Written)
Jo-Jo, a somewhat shy college student, meets Julia on campus and instantly develops a crush. Before he can work up the nerve to ask her out, she takes charge and asks him out. Recognizing the opportunity of his fantasies, he prepares an intimate dinner for them to get to know one another.
Primary Characters: 1 male identified, 1 female identified
Spice Level: 1
Written by: Danni
Photography: Annie Spratt @anniespratt, Soheb Zaidi @msohebzaidi
“Okay, it looks done, Jo-Jo. Taste it and lemme know if the vegetables are soft,” says Mom over Facetime. This is the beauty of being the son of chefs turned restaurateurs.
“Did you remember to set a timer for the berry crumble?” shouts Dad over Mom’s shoulder.
“Sweetheart, I saw him do it maybe five minutes ago,” says Mom in my defense.
The dish smells delicious. I blow on a spoonful of the ratatouille before taking a bite. The taste is incredible. Julia is vegetarian, so the menu is perfect.
“Yeah, Mom, I think it’s done,” I flash her a quick smile. “Thanks for the help. Julia will be here soon.”
“Don’t forget to let the berry crumble sit before serving it,” warns Dad.
“I won’t,” I say right before hanging up.
All of my housemates are at the basketball game, and I couldn’t be more thankful for living with student athletes. I check my phone for the time, 7:15. Julia Martinez will be inside my house in fifteen minutes - or at least that’s the time we agreed on.
I’m not fucking this up. I’ve been wanting to date her since our first year of college. I was in shock when she asked me out. This doesn’t calm my nerves.
I put the food into a serving bowl and set the table. I wipe off the counters, making sure the kitchen is presentable. I check the timer for the berry crumble, 30 minutes left. I see a text from her - she’s outside.
I open the door and I cannot look away. She straightened her hair. It looks just as gorgeous as when it’s in tight ringlets. She has on a deep purple dress and dark brown ankle boots.
“Hi,” she says with a smile.
“Hey, come in.”
We serve ourselves and sit across from each other. I pull out my phone.
“Are you seriously looking at your phone?”
“No - I mean yes, but no.” She screws up her face, looking peeved. “I wrote down questions,” I say to recover the intimacy of having her here.
She raises her eyebrows in surprise. “You really weren’t kidding when you said conversation doesn’t come easy to you?”
“No, I really wasn’t,” I click on the Notes app. “I get that all my best friends are athletes, so people assume I’m outgoing like them. I’m extroverted like them, but I’m shy around people I don’t know like that.”
“You’re right. I did assume you were more social,” she blows on her food and takes a bite. ”Whoa, you really made this? It’s so good.”
“Yeah, I did. I’m glad you like it,” I smile at her. Her whole face lights up.
“I mean, you don’t look like someone who’s shy. You’re what, 6 foot 3? You probably bench press my weight, and I’m not a small girl.”
No, she isn’t small and that’s one of the reasons I’m so attracted to her. She’s the sexiest woman on campus.
“What’s your first question?” she asks, interrupting my thoughts.
“Why are you a Chemistry major?”
“I come from a long line of doctors and want to go into sports medicine.”
This launches a conversation about why we’re in school which moves on to us talking about our families. I become less nervous the more we keep talking. I don’t even need the other questions I wrote down. I learn she has four younger siblings, all sisters, with one of them being a gifted artist. Then, the timer for the berry crumble goes off. “I also made dessert for us,” I interrupt.
“Oh, let me help you,” she offers.
“No, I’ll be right back.” She follows me anyway. I take the berry crumble out of the oven and walk it over to the counter to cool. I turn around to turn the oven off, but she’s blocking my way. In fact, there’s barely any space between us. I can feel her breast against my chest. Her mouth is inches from mine.
“Kiss me,” she whispers.
I place my hands on her waist and press my lips to hers. Her soft lips part, and she slides her tongue into my mouth. She brings her arms to wrap around my neck, deepening our kiss. Fuck, this is hot.
Keeping our lips locked, I back her up against the fridge. She moans into my mouth. I cock my head to the side and she does the same. I break the kiss to look her in the eyes. She appears even more beautiful, looking back at me with lust. I’m tempted to keep going, but whatever’s between us deserves a proper start, not a sexual one.
“I have to turn the oven off,” I say to get things in more neutral territory.
We return to the table to finish dinner. I gaze through the candlelight at her - excited for the possibilities.