“Well,” I replied, “at least we don’t have to fast dance here. I shudder to think of us recreating our line-dancing moves. This is much better for everyone involved.”
Matty pulled me closer and rested his chin next to my forehead. Since he was so much taller than me, the only thing for me to do was to turn my head and lay it across his shoulder. Matty pulled our joined hands together and brought them to his chest. Our bodies were now fully pressed against each other; and it was a much more intimate dance position than we’d ever been in before. As kids, we had been more concerned about how we looked to anyone watching; tonight, we were only focused on one another, safe from the prying eyes of friends and classmates.
“My Leah,” Matty whispered, swaying with me ever so slightly. He brought his lips down and brushed them across my forehead. Heat shot throughout my entire body. This was clearly not two friends catching up. This was more. How much more, I still didn’t know. But there was no doubt that there was something romantic happening between us.
“Your hair smells so good; you’re still using the same shampoo, aren’t you?”
“I can’t believe you remember that,” I said softly.
“I remember everything,” he replied quietly, which brought tears to my eyes. But for once, they were happy tears.
We danced through two more songs, and when we finally stopped to head back to our table, there was a smattering of applause from the other diners. I had forgotten we had an audience; and while I was embarrassed by the attention, I also could not help the smile that lit up my face in pure joy.
“How about we get out of here and head back into town for a drive,” Matty suggested. “It’s still not completely dark yet, and we can put the top down.”
“Sounds perfect,” I said, excusing myself to use the restroom to freshen up before leaving. Matty had already grabbed the check and I knew it was no use offering to pay. He had always paid even when we were kids, despite the fact I always offered. “The boy always pays, Leah,” he would always insist. “Any guy who doesn’t isn’t worth your time.”
In the small ladies’ bathroom, I rinsed out my mouth a few times with water to get rid of any food debris before popping a mint into my mouth to freshen up my breath. I then touched up my make-up and re-adjusted the clip in my hair. I looked at my reflection and could see shadows of the girl who I once was, but I was feeling more confident in the woman I had become. I had so many memories of myself with Matty as a teenager that I would always cherish, but I was letting myself enjoy the new experiences we were having together as adults.
Matty came out of the men’s room the same time as I excited the ladies’ bathroom, and we immediately smiled at each other before joining hands and heading back out to the car. Matthew once again opened the door of the convertible for me, and we headed back to Lakeview. As soon as we were off the highway and onto a twenty-five mile an hour road, Matty signaled for me to press the button to open the roof of the convertible. We grinned at each other as the top folded back and Matthew began driving around the town as the street lights glowed against the twilight.
“Hey, LEE-AH,” Matty, said, glancing at me while keeping his eyes on the road. “Is there a good lookout spot around her?” He gave me a quick wink and had a sly smile on his face. A lookout spot? Was he asking me for a make-out spot? Did he really want to park the car and make-out?!
“Um, sure…. not too far from the country club is an overlook where cars sometimes go to, um, look at the lake?” My statement came out sounding like a high-pitched question. “You can, um, well, just turn left at the next stop; it’s only a few blocks down from there.” My heart started racing as I wondered what Matty had in mind for when he arrived at the lake. Of course, I wanted to kiss him, there was no denying that. But in a car? Out in the open? In our dressy clothing? I was a local college professor, after all. What if a student saw me? I worked myself up so much that my heart started racing and I began to sweat.
Get a grip, Leah! I again silently scolded myself. You danced three slow dances together at the restaurant with strangers watching you. If Matty wants to kiss, you can kiss him back. He kissed you last night, remember? It’s no big deal! It’s not like you haven’t kissed before. Or done more than that before, actually…even if it has been years. Get ahold of yourself and let fate lead you where it may. I turned my head to the side and took a few deep breaths to calm myself down and tried to discreetly wipe my sweaty palms on my dress.
Soon Matty was pulling the car onto the grassy knoll that overlooked the lake, which was, no surprise, called Lakeview Lake. The town wasn’t exactly original when it came to naming its sites and attractions. He turned off the ignition, and I worried that he would be able to hear my heart beating in the silence; or worse, my stomach processing the huge Italian meal I’d just eaten. But then he turned the key just a smidge in order to power the lights and the radio, which he turned on low. It was comforting to have a little background noise and to have some illumination
