Amanda felt like her heart skipped a beat. It felt surreal. Her mother had warned her but she still couldn’t believe it was happening. All she kept hearing in her mind at that moment was her mother’s words, “Don’t be afraid to let him know you care.”
“You’re much more to me too,” she said, nearly breathless.
He seemed relieved to hear it. He gazed softly at her noting how terrified she still looked and wondering what he could say to put her mind at rest.
“Would you like me to visit you in Boston?” he asked.
“Yes,” she readily answered.
“You look like you’re about to pass out,” he finally said.
“How are you so calm?”
“Perhaps I’m not as afraid of commitment as you are?” he teased, hoping to relieve some of the tension.
She laughed and seemed to relax a little. Not knowing what to say in response she looked down at the table, avoiding eye contact.
“Amanda.”
She took a deep breath and forced her eyes to look at his.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said calmly and reassuringly. “You said yourself, we are friends … I am still your friend.”
“I guess I’m just not sure what you expect now,” she admitted.
“Well, let’s talk about that then,” he offered. “What do you think I should expect?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let me ask you. Do you think that I should pursue a romantic relationship with another woman while I’m pursuing one with you?”
“No!” Amanda answered somewhat indignantly.
“Do you think it’s reasonable for me to expect the same?” he asked.
“I promise I won’t pursue a romantic relationship with another woman,” she replied while restraining a smirk.
He laughed. “I'm glad we have that settled.”
“I think we both should be able to expect honesty," she added.
He nodded in agreement, thinking he should come clean about his wealth but fearing if he did she would change her mind. He quickly decided he could still be honest without revealing how much money he had in the bank.
“What about boundaries?” she asked.
“What kind of boundaries?”
“Physical boundaries,” she nervously replied, clearly never having this conversation before.
“Touching? Kissing? Hugging? Holding hands?”
“Yeah.”
“As far as I’m concerned, everything is off limits until you say it isn’t.”
“You can hold my hand,” she happily offered.
He grinned. “Good. Because I like that.”
“And I’ll probably want a hug when I leave,” she added.
“Okay.”
“Do you have any boundaries?” she asked.
"How about we agree that you won't touch me anywhere that you don't want me to touch you.”
She gave him a pout. “So I guess I can't touch your chest."
He couldn't wipe the smile from his face. "That can be an exception."
“Okay," she giddily agreed. “Now tell me, why do you like me?”
He sighed softly and replied, “I have not met a more genuine person in my life.”
“Oh, that sounds like a line,” she teased, feeling like everything was getting too serious again.
“Works great in the bars,” he joked back.
“Oh I bet,” she laughed.
“Why do you like me?” he then asked.
She looked up into his blue eyes and fought back the butterflies as she answered, “You make me feel safe and you care about my feelings … And you’re really handsome.”
He blushed as a massive grin spread across his lips. “I held off telling you how beautiful you are and now I feel guilty.”
She grinned. “Well you can tell me now.”
“You are extremely beautiful. 10 times more beautiful than Sheila.”
“I know that’s not true,” Amanda said, feeling like he was exaggerating just to flatter her.
“No. It’s true,” he countered. “I would take one of you over 10 of her. 100 of her.”
“But not because I’m physically more beautiful.”
“Is that all you see when you look in the mirror?” he asked.
“What do you see when you look in the mirror?” she asked, wondering what his own perception of himself was.
He laughed. “I see my imperfections,” he admitted.
“Wouldn’t that be what I see too?”
“Fair enough,” he conceded. “A cut diamond can be very beautiful on its own, can it not? Even with imperfections?”
“Yes,” she agreed, wondering where he was going with his line of reasoning.
“Can its beauty be enhanced with an elegant setting of gold or silver?”
“Of course.”
“You are the diamond, Amanda. And your physical beauty is the gold setting." He paused as her cheeks went flush and she looked away, feeling unworthy of the praise. Then he contrasted, "Sheila is just a plain gold ring … covered in dung and STDs.”
Amanda laughed out loud, not expecting his final remarks. “That's kind of mean," she reprimanded him. "What am I to make of you?”
“I’m just a man who appreciates the value of what I’ve found.”
“What if I disappoint you?”
“You will. Just as I will disappoint you … at some point.”
“So you won't run at the first sign of trouble?” she asked.
“No,” he replied calmly. "Relationships are messy. If you don't expect that going in, you'll never be happy."
Amanda nodded. She got the feeling Viktor had more experience with relationships than she did. She had dated a couple times. Only once was serious. And that one didn't even last long. The insecure part of her feared that the more he got to know her, the less he would want her as seemed to be the case in all her relationships.
"You know we both owe Sheila a great debt of gratitude," Amanda said.
"Why is that?"
"Because if it wasn't for her, we would never have met."
"And so she is redeemed by her selfishness," he joked.
Amanda giggled. "I guess technically that's accurate."
They both sat quietly amused not knowing what else to say.
“You let me know when you want that hug,” Viktor finally said, breaking the silence.
“Is that a hint?” she laughed.
“Reminder.”
“I could take the hug now,” she said.
Viktor didn’t need a second invitation. He immediately stood and reached out for her hand. He pulled her into his arms and wrapped them tightly around her. She felt like she was melting into his embrace. She didn’t want it to end but also didn’t want to torture him.
“I should probably get going,” she said into his shoulder.
“I know.” He took a deep
