Well, we finally managed to leave our fortress of coziness and headed out of the restaurant and back to the car.  Along the way I reached out at some point and held her hand for the chilly walk back to the car.  It seemed so very natural to do so and our eyes caught each other as we held hands for the first time.  We had both decided that the movie was not really in the cards for that evening so we decided to head back to Nancy’s house.  If the evening had ended at Nancy’s door with good night kiss and the memory of such a pleasant time with a wonderful person I would have called that a great date but when we pulled up to the curb in front of her house Nancy uttered the words I had terribly hoped I would hear, “would you like to come in” she said.  In my head I was thinking, HELL YEAH I DO, but calmly replied “sure” with a boyish nod and a smile.

     Nancy’s place was a lovely little farmhouse style home circa 1903 and when we entered her door I found that it was all done up for Christmas still.  It was so picturesque and charming and I instantly felt a sense of what a special person it must have taken to create such a lovely environment.  I was growing more and more impressed with this wonderful person I happen to be out on a date with.  As we came in, Nancy offered me a beverage which I accepted and we settled onto her couch as her two cats introduced themselves to me.  We continued the great conversation that we were having with our dinner and sipped our beverages.  It was as if we were long lost friends that had at last found each other and were catching up on every little thing.  I wanted very much to lean over and give Nancy a kiss but I am kind of a shy person so I thought better of the idea.  It wasn’t very long after this though that we both acknowledged how glad we both were that we had taken a chance met each other that night.  And with that Nancy leaned in and we enjoyed our first kiss.

     Now a gentleman does not kiss and tell, however, once the ice was broken between us there was little stopping the epic making out that ensued.  I’m not exactly sure how long we enjoyed ourselves there on the couch as it kind of seemed that the entire time-space continuum ceased to exist for the rest of the evening.  It was at some point in this blur of delight that we agreed we should retire to the “upstairs” and we climbed her creaky stairs hand in hand.  However, remembering that this house was build in 1903 as I climbed the stairs, it seemed that with each succeeding step the air temperature was dropping a couple of degrees. Until re reached Nancy’s bedroom where I could swear one could almost see their breath.  She acknowledged the cold as we attempted to keep the fires that had started on the couch alive and well in her bedroom.  We agreed that we should immediately jump under the covers for “warmth”.  The two cats seized this opportunity to mount themselves on us for as much warmth as they could glean from our shivering yet warming bodies.  Again, a gentleman does not kiss and tell (especially when his wife is his editor), but we shared a wonderful night that night and became what we like to call “reformed snuggltarians” as we slept in each others arms until the morning came.

     When the new day was upon us, which was not exactly early in the morning, we agreed that at some point we were going to have to leave the cozy confines of bed and face the chilly outside world.  We did so in a way that seemed, once again, very at ease with one another.  There was no awkward uncomfortable conversation, no sprinting to the bathroom in order to hide from each other in the light of day, but rather a feeling of romance and happiness with one another.  We finally made our way back downstairs and Nancy offered up a kind of brunch that consisted of cheese (of course), some yummy fruit, and the best coffee I think I’ve ever had in my life. It was a very sunny, bright, yet still quite cold day outside but it looked as warm and wonderful as any spring day.  We listened to a bit of music, ate our brunch, realized we never made it to the movie, and recalled our favorite moments of the previous evening together to each other.  It was a blissful morning.  Time flew by, however, and Nancy let me know that she had a 2pm meeting with a member of her nonprofit board.  Therefore I was going to have to leave sometime soon.  We both finished up our brunch and made ourselves presentable to the day and then it was time to end what would become the beginning of Nancy and I.  As I prepared to leave we continued to share soft kisses as I moved toward the door.  At long last it was time for me to make my departure.  Not knowing exactly what to say after such a wonderful time I naturally blurted out something pretty stupid.  I said “thank you for such a wonderful date and all that jazz” to which Nancy quickly replied “so that’s what their calling it these days eh”?  And with that we had a big laugh at the moment, kissed a happy kiss, and parted ways for now.

–Mike