Seeing the Sights

✨️My first entry for 2024! Happy New Year everyone!✨️

You had made plans for Friday night with your good friend from work to go have dinner with her and her cousin who was visiting her for the holidays. She mentioned that he lives in NY but is planning to move out here. You agreed to meet for dinner since you always have fun together and you thought it would be fun to meet her cousin, after hearing so many great things about him. Friday night came, and you headed to the restaurant after you freshened up at home after work. You had just gave your car to the valet at the restaurant when you got a text from your friend saying she won't be able to join you because her daughter was feeling ill and she has to stay home and take care of her. She continued that her cousin was still heading there. You felt nervous all of a sudden. You responded by telling her that you hoped her daughter feels better soon and also asked if he knows that she's not coming. She thanked you and then said that he knew and decided to go anyway since he didn't have any other plans. She mentioned that his name is Timothée and that he's tall. You sent her a smile emoji, then said goodnight after telling her you'll text her later. You went into the restaurant and decided to sit at the bar. The pianist was playing light jazz music. The restaurant was in the lobby of a historic hotel in the city. The style was neoclassical with dark wood and marble accents. There was a fireplace and lots of candles. You ordered a Manhattan Martini because you loved the tart cherries that were the usual garnish. 

As you sipped your martini, you kept an eye out to see if you saw Timothée. You wondered what he looked like because the description your friend gave you wasn't much to go on. Eventually, you felt a whisp of cool air. You turned to look at the door. At that moment, you knew it was Timothée. Just something about him made you realize it. He surely was tall and alone. He also slightly reminded you of your friend. You turned back around to take another sip of your martini as to not seem like you noticed him come in. He walked over to the bar and asked you if you were his cousin's friend. You looked up at him, smiled and said, yes. You asked him how he knew who you were? He said his cousin described you over the phone while he was driving there. You smiled and shook his hand as he sat on the stool next to yours. He ordered a drink,

and before you knew it, an hour had

passed. You both seemed to have so

much in common. You both decided to

remain at the bar area and order small

bites to nibble on while you continued

your drinks and conversation.

Still shot from Warner Bros.

He finally mentioned that he's planning

on moving here but didn't know much

about the city. His cousin was busy

with her family, so he figured he'd try

to learn about the city on his own...

until he met you. He asked if you

could show him around if you had

some free time. You said, of course,

and that you were about to ask him

before he asked you. He smiled when

you accepted and then took a sip of

his drink. By this time, you both were

done with the drinks and food, but

it wasn't too late yet. After you both

closed your tabs, you head out to the

back terrace of the hotel. It overlooked

the ocean. However, it wasn't very

visible because it was night. There

were some fire features illuminating

the terrace as well as lots of lounge

chairs. There were also steps to go

down to the beach. You both decided

to sit on the lounge chairs since the beach was dark. That night you made plans to spend the weekend together doing different activities, such as art galleries, hiking and a general tour of the city. You both really hit it off that night, and you couldn't believe how cool he seemed. You exchanged numbers and set the time when you'll meet tomorrow. You will pick him up and go to breakfast before heading to the galleries. He liked that idea. Before you both realized it, time had flew and the hotel area was getting scarce. It was also getting cold outside. You both decided to call it a night since you were going to meet up early tomorrow morning anyway. You both made your way to the valet station. Your cars arrived at the same time since there were multiple valets there. You both hugged and got into your cars. 

The next morning, you got ready

and went out the door. You texted him

when you got to his hotel. You waited

in your car by the hotel entry. When he

came out from the doors, you gasped.

You didn't realize how beautiful he

truly was. The night before was a little

overwhelming with the first meeting

and then the drinks. You were tired

from work, and it was dark. You held

your composure as he approached

your car, opened the door, and got in.

He gave you a hug. He smelled clean,

his cologne scented your car with a

light and pleasant scent, that was also

masculine. You smiled and said, "Good

morning." He said it back, smiling

back at you. You then drove to a local

patisserie where they have some lovely

pastries and variety of coffee. It was

quaint and you both sat outside under

the pink and white awning. You both

had cappuccinos and shared a tower

of pastries that was brought to your

table. They were petite but filling. After

you were finished, you both walked to

the galleries that were nearby. The area

was called "Gallery Row". There were

multiple galleries over a couple blocks.

All with different types of art. You both

learned about your aesthetics, like

the type of art you each liked. It took

a few hours. 

You grabbed lunch and then decided to walk in a local park

afterward. There were fountains and

sculptures. You both eventually sat

at a bench overlooking a pond.

There was an elderly man feeding the ducks.You were both mesmerized at the

man. You glanced over to Timothée

and he turned to you and smiled. He

told you that he didn't know what to

expect, but he really enjoyed spending

time with you today and that he can't

wait to do it again tomorrow. 

Photo by SNL

You blushed and told him that you enjoyed

showing him around. Deep down, you

have developed an attraction to him,

but you didn't show it. You didn't want

this day to end, but you were glad that

you also had tomorrow to spend with

him. He then turned to you and asked if

you'd like to grab dinner with him. You

accepted and you went to a Ramen

Noodle place nearby. You mentioned

that this was your favorite place. He

said that he loves Ramen. You both

enjoyed your dinner, and he didn't let

you pay. He wanted to treat you. He said that he appreciated you for tolerating him. You told him not to say thar because you truly enjoyed it. He blushed and smiled as he played with the noodles with his chopsticks. He looked adorable in that moment. As you looked at him, you admired the soft curls in his hair. You thought they were adorable, the way they looked tousled, yet somehow perfect. 

As you walked to your car, it was dark. The

street lights were illuminated and the air was chilly. You sensed that rain was on the way. As you were driving back to his hotel, it began to rain. You had plans to go hiking with him in the morning, but now it looks like a change of plans. You mentioned it

and he agreed that it wouldn't be a good idea to hike in the rain. He then mentioned that it doesn't matter if they don't do any sightseeing tomorrow, however he still wanted to see you. At that moment, you got chills. Chills of excitement because you sensed attraction from him. It was subtle but you felt it. When you arrived to the hotel, you stopped at the area by the

door. He didn't get out right away. He turned to face you and that's when

you noticed his beautiful green eyes.

They sparkled under the lights of the

hotel valet area. You leaned in to hug him, and he kissed your cheek. When you felt that, you looked at him and as you slightly bit your lip, he leaned in and kissed you. He then pulled back and said, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. He felt ashamed, saying he didn't know what got over him. You assured him that it's ok. And you

decided to tell him that you felt the

same way. You decided not to keep it

to yourself because you wanted him

to feel better. You also had less fear

knowing that the feeling is mutual. You

both hugged and said goodnight. You

told him to call you if he still wanted to

do something tomorrow, although you

had no idea what you would do. You

said that you could figure out what to

do together in the morning. After he

went in, you drove home. When you got

home, you made yourself a cup of tea

and decided to text your friend to see

how her daughter was feeling and to

tell her about your time together. You

didn't mention the attraction or kiss

since it was so new and you didn't want to put him on the spot. After you hung up the phone, you got ready for bed. The next morning, you got a text from him around 10 am. It was pouring rain. He said he

wanted to see you and was wondering

if he could come over. You did a quick

glance around your house and saw

that it was pretty tidy, so you said sure

and gave him your address. You then

freshened up, set up some snacks, and

made coffee. He arrived about an hour

later and he brought you a bouquet

of flowers. 

Photo by SNL

You thanked him as you accepted them and told him to go to the living room and you'll be right there.

You eventually brought the bouquet,

now in a vase, and set it on the coffee

table. You offered him some coffee

and snacks. He admired your decor.

It was modern, but with sprinkles

of global decorative accents. You

mentioned that you love to travel and

you often get souvenirs. The coffee

table was a door from a village in India,

and the cabinet in the hall is a tall red

lacquer cabinet with bronze hardware

from China. You had tapestries from

tribal Iranian villages and a bookshelf

filled with art and photography books.

The ebony stool in front of it was

from South Africa. He was impressed

and said that he didn't expect such a decor. It was clear that he was intrigued. There was a loud clap of thunder and the rain got more intense. You both looked at each-other as he said, I guess we should just stay in all day. You agreed. You asked him if he wanted to watch a movie. He said sure, and you both agreed on a Sci-fi movie. The sky was dark, so you lit some candles and turned on some ambient light. As you were sitting on the sofa together, he gently put his hand on yours. You looked at him as you felt it. He was still looking at the TV. You turned your hand until yours and his fingers were intertwined. He then looked back at you. That's when you both lost interest in the movie because being in each other's arms was more interesting at this point. He kissed you gently at first, then as a moment passed, the gentle kiss became more passionate. The sound of the rain was the only sound now, since the movie was paused and the screen-saver was black. You thought in your mind that this was much more fun than whatever you would've ended up doing that day had it not rained. At this point, you felt that the universe brought you together. 

The next morning you were still in his arms. You don't know when you both fell asleep, but you were so glad that today was a holiday so you didn't have to go to work. He opened his eyes and smiled. You smiled back and playfully said, "good morning sunshine". He chuckled as he sat up on the sofa. Sunlight was pouring in from the windows. The sky was clear except for a few puffy clouds. You both were still dressed in yesterday's clothes, but that also confirmed that you didn't go too far last night. You were relieved because you didn't want to do anything prematurely. You both eventually got up and freshened up. You spent the day together, and then you took him to the airport later that evening after he checked out of his hotel. You were both sad, but before he left he asked if you would like to visit him sometime, before he moves, so he can show you his city. You agreed on a trip next month. You both shared a long embrace and kiss, before he went into the airport terminal. After what seemed like an excruciating long month, you were heading to the airport. You two had spent every day of that month in communication. When he picked you up from the airport in NY, you were excited to be there. That night you continued where you left off at your apartment a month ago because you both had missed each-other so much. 

The time you spent together in NY was magical and went by so fast, because before you knew it, you were heading back to the airport. You had tears, and he said, not to worry, as he brushed away the tear from your cheek. He bought a house in your city and he's moving there in a couple weeks! You were shocked and he was smiling as he said that. He wanted to surprise you. He eventually moved there and you became a couple for a year and a half. You thumbed through the photos you took of him throughout your time together, during your different dates. 

The last photo was of him, back at the hotel lounge where you first met. 

Photo by Julian Ungano Studio 

It was taken before the guests arrived for your engagement party. It was when you both vowed to go feed the ducks at the park's pond on your 20th wedding anniversary. 💍

*All photos found via Google, Instagram or Pinterest. I don't own these photos.