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~~~~~

It had only been a week since the beach trip, and Kate and Ben had talked on the phone every night. She was surprised that she could have formed such a close bond with someone whom she had just met. Her days were filled with daydreams about Ben, replaying every word from their last conversations, and wondering when she would get the chance to be in his arms again.       

After work one afternoon, Kate was settled on her couch with a book and a cold glass of lemonade. She heard her phone buzz and answered with, “Why hello there, handsome.”

“Hey pretty lady,” came Ben’s reply. “Sitting around missing me, right?”

“Something like that.”

“Listen, I’m going nuts up here. I really want to see you, but I’m so swamped with work and I can’t get away.”

“I know,” she said. “There’s nothing I’d like more right now than to see you. Too bad you’re a four hour drive away.”

“So come see me,” he said.

“Ben, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Who’s being ridiculous? You said you want to see me. Tomorrow’s your day off, right? So come see me!”

“I can’t…I can’t just hop in my car and drive up there. That’s crazy!”

“Kate. You know you want to. Look, I would drive down there, but I can’t take a day off of work right now. Come on; it’s perfect! You can leave tomorrow morning and meet me for lunch, then you can go do some sightseeing while I finish up the day at work, then we’ll go out at night. I won’t take no for an answer.”         

Being the ultimate planner, the idea of just suddenly deciding to take a quick trip up to DC was totally foreign to her. But how had planning helped her in the past? With all of the planning that she did with Ian, she still ended up alone. Maybe what she needed was a bit of spontaneity in her life. Maybe a whirlwind trip to see Ben was just what she needed.

“I hope you aren’t joking around, because I’m coming. Where are we meeting for lunch?” said Kate.

“Yes!” exclaimed Ben. “I knew I could convince you! I’ll text you the address of this great deli near my office. Meet you there at 1:00?”

“1:00 it is. I can’t believe I’m doing this! I can’t believe I get to see you tomorrow!”

“Until tomorrow, my dear.”

“Until tomorrow,” she replied. She hung up the phone and hugged it to her chest. “I get to see Ben tomorrow,” she whispered to herself through a giant grin.

~~~~~

Kate drove the entire way to DC in total silence, which was very unlike her. Normally on a long drive she would be hoarse by the time she reached her destination, because she would have been singing at the top of her lungs the entire time. But she had so much on her mind.

She hadn’t told anyone her plans for the day. Since she was embracing this new idea of spontaneity, she decided it would be fun to just take off for the day and not tell anyone where she was going. It all just seemed very romantic and exciting. Just like Ben.

When she arrived at the deli a few minutes early, she took a spot at a table outside and ordered an iced tea. She opened up the book she had brought with her to read and tried to stop her left leg from nervously bouncing up and down while she waited.

The minutes passed, and Kate could feel her heart racing faster.
Why am I so nervous?
she thought.
It’s Ben. We’re going to have an amazing time.

She heard a whistle coming from down the street, and looked up to see Ben walking towards her. He rushed to the table and she stood to greet him. Wrapping his arms around her without saying a word, he dipped her backwards and planted a long kiss on her. Lifting her back up again, he touched her hair and casually said, “Oh, hello.”

“Oh hello yourself! That was quite a hello,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

“I like to make an entrance,” he said as he sat down across from her. Picking up a menu and scanning it quickly, he said, “You have got to get the turkey club. It’s the best.”

She smiled contently across the table at him, not saying a word. Looking up from the menu, he asked, “What?”

“Oh, nothing. And everything,” she said. “I don’t know why, but I was nervous about seeing you again after such an amazing weekend. But here we are, and I feel totally comfortable with you.”

“Comfortable? A kiss like that makes you feel comfortable? Maybe I didn’t do it right,” he said with a sly smile.

“Oh, you did it right. And I hope you plan to do it again. Often,” she replied flirtatiously. “No, I just meant that this just feels right. And I’m glad it feels right. I’m glad it wasn’t just a weekend fling.”

“So am I,” he said, squeezing her hand.

The couple enjoyed lunch together as they continued to get to know each other more. Ben told her about his stressful job at the newspaper, how it kept him busy for long hours but how he knew it was his calling and something he could see himself doing for the rest of his life. “I love writing and I love deadlines,” he said. “It’s perfect.”

When lunch was finished and Ben had to hurry back to the office for the next few hours, he gave Kate a quick kiss and hurried off down the street after he scribbled down his address on a napkin. “Meet me there at six!” he shouted over his shoulder.

Kate took a deep, shaky breath and sat back down. Things seemed to be going very well. He was the same Ben that she met at the beach – the same Ben she had talked to on the phone all week – and now here she was.

Wanting to make the most of the few hours she had to see the city, Kate got up to flag down a taxi. As much as she wished she could spend every second with Ben, she actually didn’t mind exploring the city alone. A true introvert at heart, she was perfectly happy to take in the sights by herself.

As she settled into the backseat of a taxi on her way to the Library of Congress, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of the seat. “In DC for a visit?” asked the cab driver.

Kate smiled and opened her eyes. “How do you know that I don’t live here?” she asked.

“No briefcase,” he replied. “Plus, you don’t seem stressed out.”

Kate chuckled. “Well, you nailed it. Just here for a visit.”

“Family? Sorority sisters? Boyfriend?”

Kate furrowed her brow and thought for a moment before answering. “Boyfriend,” she said resolutely with a sparkle in her eyes.

~~~~~

Ben was already at home when Kate made her way to his apartment that night. She entered to find a typical apartment of a young single man – old couch, big television, and beat-up looking dining set. “Come in!” he said. “I’m not much of a decorator, as I’m sure you can tell. But I’m not home much, and I’d rather spend my money on other things besides furniture. Like taking my lady out to a nice dinner.”

“I won’t argue with that,” said Kate, setting her purse on the table. She held up a small overnight bag. “I’ve been walking around all afternoon in this crazy humidity. Would you mind if I changed my clothes and freshened up a bit before we go out?”

“Bathroom is that way,” he said, pointing down the narrow hallway.   Several minutes later, Kate stepped into the living room. She had pinned her hair up on her head, and wore slender black pants and a deep purple satin sleeveless shirt. The outfit was accented by large black hoop earrings and a simple black bangle bracelet.

“You’ve never looked prettier,” said Ben, slipping an arm around her waist and kissing her. He then stepped back and held her at arm’s length. “Although…you did look pretty hot that morning on the beach in your sweatshirt and that ridiculously messy hair.”

“Don’t start with me,” she said playfully.

“Oh, I’ll start with you whenever I want to start with you,” he said deviously as he pulled her close. They stood in the living room in a tight embrace for what was the most passionate kiss Kate had ever experienced. She felt weak in the knees. The air in the room was positively electric as the pair lost themselves in the kiss. Kate wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she forced herself to pull away.

“Come on,” she said reluctantly as she pulled Ben towards the door. “We can’t just stand here and make out all night.”

“Sure we can!” he replied quickly.

“You promised me a nice dinner. Let’s go. It will be our first real date,” she said, batting her eyelashes.

Ben took a long, deep breath and nodded his head. “Okay. Let’s go on a date.”

~~~~~

The waiter pulled out Kate’s chair after he led them to a cozy table in a quiet corner of the upscale restaurant Ben had chosen for them. “Are you sure this isn’t too nice?” she asked as she sat down. “I’m not fancy, really. You could take me out for a burger and I’d be perfectly happy.”

Ben smiled and took a sip of ice water. “Don’t be silly. It’s our first date. I have to impress you on our first date, don’t I?”

“Wait, if this is our first date, then that means I kissed you on our first date!”

“That’s right, baby!” said Ben, pumping his fist in the air.

“But I’m not that kind of girl! Oh my goodness, I’m appalled at myself,” said Kate with exaggerated shock.

“Your secret is safe with me, Pumpkin,” said Ben, leaning across the small table for a kiss.

She kissed him back softly and whispered in his ear, “Pumpkin? You’re naming me after a gourd?”

Ben kissed her on the nose, “And?”

“And nothing. I like it.”

“I know you do,” said Ben.

“I know you know I do,” Kate replied. “So…speaking of nicknames,” she said casually, “I was talking to my cab driver earlier and he asked me if I was in DC visiting my boyfriend.”

“Oh did he now? And just how did you respond?”

Kate shot back with a sly, “How do you think I should have responded?”

“Well…” he said slowly. “I know it’s only been a week, but I think you should have responded with a yes.” Kate thought she could see a twinge of nervousness in his usually cool demeanor.

“I said yes,” she said, squeezing his hand.

~~~~~

After dinner Ben and Kate decided to walk around some of the monuments in the heart of the city. They held hands and strolled along, oblivious to everyone around them. Kate was giddy. Because the trip had been so spontaneous, she barely had any time to think about it and stress over it in advance, and now she was having the time of her life. It just felt so grown-up to be walking in a new city on the arm of a handsome new man.

As they were walking through a park, they were snapped back to reality when they heard a voice.

“Buy a flower for the pretty lady?” A street vendor with a bucket of white roses had walked up to them and was holding a single stem out towards Ben.    

“Oh, no thank you,” Kate said politely.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but I believe he was speaking to me, not you. And I would love to buy a flower for the pretty lady, thank you very much!” said Ben.

Kate blushed and held Ben’s hand tightly as he exchanged several bills for the rose.

Ben was worried that Kate would fall asleep on the long drive home, but she assured him that she would be fine. “I’ve got my coffee, and I’m going to spend the whole four hours thinking about the best day of my life,” she told him.