My Other Half
Chapter 1
There he is - sitting with a friend of his at the bar, having a drink. I wonder if he knows that I've been staring at him for the past hour, constantly analyzing every piece of him trying to find some flaw that would drive me away, but I can't. It's a strange thing because, for the most part, every guy I meet seems to have some deterrent that makes me lose interest almost immediately.
"His eyes are too widely spaced," I'll think to myself. "This guy is dumber than a bag of rocks."
I'm sure you guys get the picture. This man, however, seems to be absolute perfection. He has a round-shaped head, dark brown hair, and enchantingly green eyes. His smile is perfect, and his teeth are extremely white. Sort of like the Hollywood white that most superstars have these days. His shoulders are broad, masculine, buff, and he gives me this overwhelming feeling of safety. I feel as if being with him would protect me from everything I fear the most. I'm more of a shy person, but he has all the qualities I lack. He could complete me. I imagine myself being in his arms all night, every night, and I get an intense feeling of passion and security.
"Who is this guy? How can someone I don't even know make me feel this way?" I ask myself. I guess I'll have to find out one way or another. Sooner or later, he's going to think I'm a complete freak by the way I've been watching him. I've been ignoring all of my friends the entire night just to sit and fantasize about this mysterious man, but I feel right about him. It's as if all my doubt about love, pain, rejection, and commitment just melts off of me. I know this is premature thinking, but I can't help myself. I look at him, and my soul experiences happiness. I'm not one to usually take chances, seeing as how I'm a heart surgeon. In the operating room, if I make even the slightest mistake, someone's life could be over. All that responsibility looms over my head constantly. The decisions I make are typically cold, calculating, and precise. I leave nothing up to the unknown when it comes to others' lives. But this - this is something I have to take a risk on.
"I have to do this," I think to myself. "What if he's interested in me too? How would I know if I don't just take the chance and put myself out there? Here it goes. . ."
I walk over to the bar, stand directly to the left of him, and I casually order myself a cranberry and vodka drink. I spoke loudly enough to get his attention, and surprisingly, he noticed me. In the midst of his conversation with the person he was with, his attention immediately shifted to me, and he then proceeded to tell the bartender to put the drink on his tab. I couldn't believe this. Did he really find me attractive enough to buy me a drink? Or was he just being polite? I personally don't think I'm much of a looker. I'm 37, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, 140 pounds, and clean-cut for the most part. I have a mix of blue and green eyes, which most people find very fascinating and peculiar. I take pride in that. I have a nice complexion - not too pale, not too tan. My skin is clear but shows sign of the stress of my job. I have a few small wrinkles around my eyes, but nothing too noticeable. I'm also more slightly feminine, which I often fear turns most guys away. As a result, I have more of the mindset of a female in the relationship. I'm very emotional, sensitive, and I can interpret subtle things that most masculine guys overlook.
"You didn't have to do that," I quickly said, but my voice carried signs of flattery.
"You look like you've had a rough night," he replied with his beautiful smile. "I figured it was the least I could do for you. Are you from around here?"
He was right. I did have a rough night. A patient of mine crashed on the table, but I was able to resuscitate him after several CPR attempts. Now it's as if that never even happened. I'm in pure bliss.
"Yeah, I live about two blocks south from here in Swiss Heights. What about you?"
"Wow - what the hell do you do to afford living in that neighborhood? I live about a mile and half north of here with a friend of mine in an apartment that we own." He said casually, as if this friend of his was nothing more than that, but I had to figure out a way to sneak that question into the conversation.
"Oh, so you two are together?" I asked, hoping he doesn't sense how interested I am.
"Definitely not," he laughed. "I've been single for about a year now. Had a really rough relationship, and since then I've told myself I'd probably never get back out in the dating world. He's nice to talk to when I need someone, but that's about it."
I was so relieved to hear that. Now to find out what his name is.
"Oh nice. I know exactly what you mean - I went through a pretty hard time with an ex- boyfriend of mine who cheated on me repeatedly. Ever since then I've had a lot of difficulty trusting anyone. I didn't catch your name, by the way," I hope I didn't spill my guts out too early into the conversation.
"I apologize for that, it was probably rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Jason, what about you?" Well, at least he wants to know my name.
"I'm David. It's really nice to meet you," I smiled. My attraction for him is so obvious, but I can't help but think he may feel the same way for me. The way he looks at me and speaks to me with such interest could only mean one thing. Most guys couldn't care less what your name is before they get you into their bedroom. Jason doesn't seem this way, though. I hope not, at least.
"What do you think about you and I going somewhere more private so we can get to know each other a little better? I'm not really one for the bar scene, but my friend dragged me out so he didn't have to be here alone. By the look of things, though, he seems to be pretty occupied now," he pointed over to his friend, Ron. "If you want, we can go back to my place and have some drinks there."
I quickly accepted his offer. How could I not? Thankfully he hadn't drunk much, so he was capable of driving. I got into his car, which was actually pretty nice, though I'm not one to judge on such things usually. The drive was kind of awkward, but I became quite comfortable after being in the car for a while. Once we arrived to his apartment, I went to open my door, and he quickly told me to wait a second. So I did. Next thing I know, he is on the passenger's side opening the door for me. I was shocked. He is a complete gentleman.
"A guy opening a door for me? Wow. I thought I'd never see the day," I said, laughing. "That's very sweet of you."
"Like I said, looks like you've had a rough night. Just trying to make you feel appreciated is all." He smiled. "Besides, you don't look that bad at all, really. In fact, you look...very handsome."
I immediately started blushing. "You really think so?"
"To be honest, I haven't seen a guy look as good as you in quite a while. It's a nice change of pace," he knows all the right things to say.
I felt overwhelmed by his words. No guy that I've ever spoken to has had so much control over my emotions. This could potentially be a bad thing. Anyway, we walk upstairs to his apartment, and I go to sit on the couch in front of the television. He brings me a beer, and we pick back up on our conversation.
"So, tell me about this ex of yours," he said inquisitively.
"Well, long story short: He and I were together for about three years. After about a year of dating, we decided to move in together. Things were great at first. I was in my last year of medical school, and because I already had a mountain of student loan debt to worry about, he offered to take care of most of the finances around the house. He had a pretty lucrative job at the time, which helped me out tremendously. I loved him to say the least," I started choking up. I didn't think I was able to explain the rest.
He put his hand on mine, which offered me some reassurance and made me feel more comfortable, and I started to continue.
"Anyway. One day I came home from class a little early, and heard a weird noise coming from the bedroom. I've never had any reason to suspect anything from him before, so I casually walked back there just to see what he was doing. When I opened the door, there he was with someone else in our bed. Apparently he had been meeting up with this guy almost daily when I was in class. I was gone a long time every day, but I couldn't help that. I sometimes blamed myself for being so absent, but I wanted better for myself and for us as a whole. It literally broke my heart. The next day I packed up and had to move back home with my parents for the remainder of that year until I finished school," that was a relief. It was nice to have someone to really talk to about this.
His hand squeezed hard in mine. It was clear that I was emotionally vulnerable, and I think he knew that it was a big step for me to open up to someone like that.
"That son of a bitch," he mumbled. His eyes were staring right into mine. "How could he do that to you, when all you wanted was a better future for the both of you? If only I could see him for myself. . . the things I would do to him," he stopped there. I felt so safe. I felt cared for and appreciated.
After he said that to me, I was suddenly overtaken by a rush of emotion. I stared into his eyes, my hand gripped tightly by his, and we sat there quietly. He pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me, tightly at first, but then his grip became gentler. I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck, and I couldn't help but get a hard on right then and there. His clean, masculine scent filled my nostrils, and at that moment in time there was no other place I'd rather have been. He sat me up, turned me around, and moved his face in toward mine. The tips of our noses touched, and my breathing began to deepen and slow. And then, he moved his lips toward mine, and we kissed.
All characters in this story are fictitious, and have no relation to any real life peoples. If you like this story, please feel free to email me at nefariaun@gmail.com. I do plan to write more of this as I do have some ideas, but would like some feedback and maybe some questions that I can expand the plot upon. My goal was initially to leave out the sexual details so that the readers can see the personal aspects of each character, but rest assured, there will be plenty of that later on in further installments for those who enjoy it.