Smooth. Positive. Aloof. Cool. Outgoing. Romantic. Witty. Charming. These are the words that nobody would ever use to describe me. I’ve always been a bit introverted, ever since I was a small child playing games on my Atari 2600. I’d always been the awkward child, the underdog, the unnoticed, the kid in the back of the class and the front of the bus that didn’t make a lot of friends.

But as a grownup, for one night something magical happened. I became all of those mysterious words that had never quite fit me. Maybe it was something in the air, maybe it was because the events of this night made me feel so “cool” that I couldn’t help but play along.

This night, I had a date with a girl I’d met online. It was the first time we’d see each other so I was rather nervous. On my way from my home in New Jersey to our meeting place in her hometown of Philadelphia, I wondered about what I was getting into. I had met a few other girls online, some of whom had turned out to be a little scary. Some were possessive, others were uncompromisingly distant, and others were harmless but just not my type. Still others had looked nothing like the pictures they had sent.

I parked my car in an all-night lot, to avoid having to feed a meter. I walked to our arranged meeting spot and played a real life version of “Where’s Waldo?” trying to see if I could spot her in the crowd before she spotted me. Failing this, we coordinated over our cell phones, and met up face to face. She was an art student and to my pleasure it showed. She was wearing hippie sandals, a gypsy skirt and a cute spaghetti-strap top. I had imagined her being taller, for some reason. But she was just so amazingly cute. She had an interesting mix of ethnicities and seemed to have the best features from every branch of her varied family tree. Not the so called “perfect woman” that you’d see airbrushed onto on a magazine cover, but a very pretty girl with a lot character. She had great curves in all the right places. I also noticed that her face was very animated, which made it fun to watch her speak.

And we walked and talked. I kept thinking to myself that she was out of my league; I was just some lame suburban white kid who worked at some lame suburban restaurant. And she was this massively cool “city girl” who was learning all sorts of interesting things in college and had worked all sorts of interesting jobs. She was exotic and sexy and had a certain playful grace, like a tiger cub. I should have been intimidated. But she was friendly and easygoing, and for some reason she seemed very interested in me so I immediately felt at ease.

She had once led horse drawn carriage tours through the historic parts of the city, so she knew a few interesting things about it. On foot, she led me around and pointed out all sorts of facts about the city. They were remarkably interesting and I was fascinated. In between sites, we would make little jokes and tell about our lives. I had a great feeling about this date; it wasn’t by any means a romantic “love at first sight” kind of feeling, but it was a mutual playful interest that led us to play verbal “cat and mouse”. I felt so clever, joking around with her and acting so aloof and confident. I was flirty but not lecherous, funny but not goofy, and smart but not condescending. Somehow I had managed to find my “A” game.

We found ourselves heading into the park. We sat together on the grass, holding hands and talking about the kinds of things people talk about on a first date. It was going very well. She was sending me a lot of positive signs and her body language showed me that she was feeling good. Sitting facing each other, I started to feel a connection, a sort of magnetic attraction between us. We went silent for a moment, and I knew it was time to go for the kiss. I leaned in slowly, pulling her gently toward me and slightly turning my head so our noses wouldn’t bump. I felt the anticipation welling up and couldn’t wait to feel her lips against mine…
…and then she leaned forward…
…and placed her chin on my shoulder and turn it into a hug instead. “Damn”, I thought. Was I wrong? Did I feel something she didn’t?

She laughed softly and said “Not yet.”
I playfully replied, “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. You have to…” she paused, grinning slightly. “…do something to impress me first.”
“Oh really?” I grinned back. I sensed that she was playing with me, but not in a malicious way. I felt like maybe she was waiting for just the perfect moment, and was enjoying the sexual tension that had been building up between us. Contrary to how I’d normally behave in a situation like this, I played along happily. The sad puppy inside me wanted to give up and feel rejected, but the grown up part of me was having fun and wanted to “win” this little game.

We got up a few minutes later and strolled around some more. I was used to dating girls who were more like myself; average looking, sad, needy, and anxious. But this one was different. She was fun. She was attractive both socially and physically. She liked my stories and I liked hers.

Eventually our adventures led us to the waterfront. There was a concrete walkway and some benches high above the riverside. We strolled along it until we came to a fence blocking our path. Not to be deterred, she suggested we climb down onto the wooden ledge below and sneak past the fence. Who was I to resist?

We sat on the ledge, far below the line of sight of any passersby. After talking for a bit, the tension began building up again. She was cuddled up against me and sitting sideways so that her legs were crossed over mine. We weren’t supposed to be there, and I felt great about that. We were rebels, invisible to the world in our own private little moment. It was just us, the cool night air, and the reflection of the full moon over the quietly flowing water.
I knew this had to be the perfect moment. It wouldn’t get any better than this. Our faces were so close already, and our conversation had drawn to a whisper. I turned my head slightly and leaned in to press my lips against hers… and she withdrew with a smile. She stared at me the way a chess master stares at his opponent while anticipating his next move.
I couldn’t believe it! With shock and bemusement but no malice, I pulled back and said “Okay, now I KNOW you’re messing with me! You’ve been playing games with me all night long, haven’t you?”
She laughed, embarrassed. I had just completely called her bluff, and from the look on her face, I was 100% correct.
While her guard was down, I just went for it and suddenly kissed her.
Without any time to dodge it, she gave in.
“That’s not fair!” she said. “You tricked me!” and kissed me back, with a look of defeated amusement on her face.
“Okay,” she admitted. “I said earlier that I wanted you to impress me, but the truth is
you’ve been impressing me all night. This is the most fun I’ve ever had on a date, and I just really…”
She didn’t have to finish the sentence. Our mouths locked together, and I felt like the coolest guy to have ever walked the earth.

Later on we went back to her apartment, and finished what we had started. It was incredible. On the way home, my head was in the clouds and I ran a red light. I was pulled over immediately but the cop let me off with a very harshly worded warning. It didn’t dampen my mood the slightest.

An Epilogue

This was a fleeting experience and wasn’t meant to last. We had different directions to go in our lives, and commitment wasn’t really an option. It was a beautiful fantasy that I lived for one night, and the memory will always last for me. It was the one night that I could truly enjoy being single, and for me, that one night was enough. I had played the field for years and finally reached a point where I had seen the best and the worst of it. I was done with dating, and ready for a true commitment.

A year or two later, I met a woman who I fell head over heels in love with, and now we’re engaged. I feel completely devoted to her because I know deep down inside that even though there are other girls out there who can make me feel incredibly “cool” for one night, only she can make me feel great every day forever. Our story is a beautiful tale of friendship and love, which maybe I will share one day.

Submitted to StoryLog by Benjamin Wolfe

Read another story:
• » Remembering
• » The Perfect Craigslist Girl, Or So I Thought
• » Every moment is like a minuscule eternity, and this sure was one