The Life After--Part Eleven--Mark

I had been texting Mark--the Connection boy--steadily every day for the past two weeks. We had sent pictures of each other over the phone and we were both determined that we would finally meet on a Sunday afternoon and take a drive up the canyon.

That Sunday, I was as nervous as a school girl. This would be the first time that I had met someone from the Internet to go on a date with. My heart was racing and my thoughts were going in a million different directions. "Would he like me? I think he's going to think that I'm too fat. I wonder what he looks like in person. Gosh, I have to pee. No, you've already gone pee two hundred times this morning. Ahhhh...so nervous--"

From my vantage point in the living room, I saw a car pull up into my driveway.

It was Mark.

I took a deep breath, sprayed myself with one last spritz of cologne and walked outside. Sadly, Mark did not get out of the car to greet me. I was almost sure that he would. I opened the door to the passenger side and got in.

I looked over at Mark. Immediately, my first thought was, "Wow. He doesn't look anything like in his pictures."

"Hey, Andy!" He said.

"How's it going?" I replied.

"Much better, now that you're here."

"Awww, thanks."

He started the car and we took off down the street.

I was so nervous, I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to go through all the small-talk stuff. We had already done that via text.

"So," I said, "I don't really want to go through all the small-talk stuff...we've already done that via text."

He laughed. "I know, right?"

We stopped at a red light.

He turned to look at me.

He took a breath and sighed.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's nothing," he started. "It's just...you're so cute."

My face flushed. No one had actually told that to me in person...well...no guys anyway.

"Gee, thanks." I sounded like a 15 year-old boy.

The light turned green.

We headed off into the canyon for our drive.

Throughout the rest of the date, we just talked and drove all around Provo. We eventually headed to Salt Lake where we walked around and got to know each other better. He seemed like a really nice guy.

Fast forward to the evening.

We were in Provo near the Nu Skin building on Center Street. We were parked in his car. It was about 11:00 pm.

"I don't want to let you go home," Mark said.

"I don't want to go either."

He sighed. "I want to kiss you so bad right now."

Why don't you, then? I shouted to him in my head.

"But," he began, "I believe in no physical contact for 4 full months of dating."

"What? No physical contact for 4 months? Why?"

He shuffled in his seat. "I've...just had a lot of bad experiences with guys taking advantage of me in the past, and...I don't want to make the same mistakes again."

Okay, that's understandable. But...but....4 MONTHS?!!

I took a deep breath. "I...I...guess...that's alright. I can do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. For sure."

He smiled.

"That's why I really like you."

He put the car in drive and he took me home. As I shut my door, I saw him go down the street.

4 months? I don't think I can do it.

Even though he said 4 months, he neglected to mention that "contact", to him, meant completely different things.

Apparently, cybers*x didn't count.

~End Part Eleven