The First Date

We did it! Last night Rich and I had our first date! It went really well as far as first dates can go. He came by the house around 8. When we went out to get in his truck he actually opened the truck door for me! I can't tell you the last time a guy opened a truck door for me! He told me I looked nice and that I was prettier and younger looking than I was in my pictures online. I was impressed that he could pay a compliment without sounding like he was after something - I didn't realize guys did that. ;-)
He took me to a Japanese steak house - which was cool, except we were the ONLY TWO there! The restaurant was REALLY quiet - they didn't even have background music - and we joked about having to come up with something to say to kill the silence. He's really shy in person, so I kind of had to carry the conversation, but he kept up his end well enough.
After dinner we headed back to my house (yes, he got the truck door again). Hopper was his usual "crack dog" self, yet Rich didn't seem bothered by it. He played with Hopper as we talked. I could tell he was nervous so I tried to play like I didn't notice. We sat on the couch comfortably, but he didn't try any funny business. We talked for a while and just like every other time we've been in conversation, time flew. Next thing we knew it was after midnight!
I walked him to the door and asked him if this was going to be a repeat occurrence. He wanted to know if I wanted to go out again - I told him I did. He gave me a hug, kissed my cheek and then at the last second put a quick one on the lips. It was awkward - definitely good 1st kiss material - and happened so fast I barely had time to pucker. :-) But it was sweet and innocent and said a lot about how he is with women.
I woke up this morning to find that he'd left a message on myspace. He told me that my pictures didn't do me justice and that he thought I was really pretty and that the jeans I had on that night made me look really good. He said that little fact didn't help his nerves at all, but that he hoped we could go out again real soon!
I can't put in to words how nice it was to go out on a date and it be just that - a date. Pure, simple, awkward - yet sweet and promising. He is absolutely NOTHING WHAT SO EVER like any guy I've ever dated before. He's only a few inches taller than me - I'd say 5'7" - and I think he said he weighs like 135 lbs. - so he's nothing big. He has dark hair (that he claims would be curly if he let it grow out) and eyes and a serious face. But when he talks he gets this grin. His voice is sort of gravely and has a southern twang in spite of growing up in New York. He's cute. His boys are his life and he wishes he had more time with them. It's obvious that his marriage, divorce, and ex-wife weigh heavy on his mind and yet I can see where he wants to move on. In fact, I asked him if he enjoyed the bachelor life and he said no, that it was boring. So maybe there's hope with this one!? Maybe I finally found a guy who isn't bothered by being tied down? I'm just going to enjoy it and see where it takes me!