Page 7 of Officer Anders

Extricating myself from him while remaining on the couch proves challenging. But I manage to shift and lay atop him, my body still tingling with the aftermath of our passion. My mind wanders, wondering what the kids these days would think of me sleeping with a guy on the first date. Is this considered reckless? Or are we in an era of empowering women to own their desires? Am I simply a woman taking what she wants, when she wants it?

"I want to take you on a second date," Anders murmurs after a few moments of comfortable silence. "Maybe we could get dressed and go to Denny's."

"Right now?" I ask, lifting my head from his stomach, a lazy smile playing on my lips. "I don't think I have the energy for that just yet."

He gently pushes a few stray hairs out of my face, his warm smile radiating kindness as he looks down at me. "I just don't want you to think I only asked you out for one thing. If I take you on asecond date right now, it wasn't a one-night stand. Then if I call you tomorrow, you can't sully my good name by saying I was a one-and-done kind of guy."

His sincerity is disarming; he's too sweet, too genuine. He's better than most of the men I've been with in my life, a refreshing change that makes my heart flutter. I let myself sink into the moment, laying my head back down on his stomach, feeling drowsy and content in the warmth of his presence. "How about you just call me tomorrow and we go out then? I'm not going anywhere else tonight." The invitation hangs in the air, a promise of possibilities that makes me smile even wider.

Anders lightly scratches my upper back, his touch sending gentle tingles across my skin. "What if I jog by at about 10:00 am, and you stop me, asking if I'd like any iced tea? Then you invite me in, and we awkwardly dance around the topic of tonight like it’s a minefield. Slowly but surely, I muster the courage to ask if you want to go to lunch with me—after I go home and shower, of course, because I’ll be sweaty and probably smell a little bit. You say yes, we go to lunch, and then blah blah blah, before you know it, one day we live happily ever after."

I chuckle, doing my best to shake my head at the absurdity of the position we find ourselves in. "You're ridiculous, Anders."

"I would be anything for you, Elaina," he replies, a playful sincerity lacing his voice.

What a strange man, Officer Anders Hemingway. Who would have guessed that a chance encounter at a car wash would lead me to the love of my life? As I reflect on the unexpected turn my evening has taken, I can’t help but feel a swell of hope for what lies ahead.