Just a number

3.0

“Well, hello, beautiful,” he said reaching the top stair with a six pack of beer in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. “I didn’t know which one you drank so I brought both.”

“Beer is perfect. I am not a wine drinker, I’m sorry.”

“No worries. I will give it to my mom. She loves wine.”

“Come on in. Make yourself at home. I am just finishing up dinner.”

“It smells wonderful in here.”

“It’s nothing spectacular. Like I said, just spaghetti and garlic bread. I can whip up a salad real quick if you like.”

“You do not have to go out of your way for me.”

“It is no problem at all. Have a seat. It will be just a few more minutes. It is so hard to cook for only me. I always make too much and end up eating leftovers for days after. I hate wasting the food.”

“So what made you invite me for dinner?” Tyler sat at the little kitchen table she had.

Libby wasn’t sure how to answer his question. She didn’t know why she had invited him for dinner. “Honestly, I don’t know. Does it bother you that I did?”

“No, not at all.” Tyler was actually thrilled that Libby invited him over. He would have been satisfied just taking her out for a drink but now he was in her apartment having dinner.

“Good. Well, dinner is served.” Libby set everything on the table and grabbed them each a beer.

“It looks delicious.”

“Thank you.” Libby sat across from Tyler and smiled. She had never been attracted to an older man before but there was just something about him. Maybe it was those blue eyes that drew her in, maybe it was that small patch of chest hair that was sticking out of the top of his t-shirt. She wondered if the remainder of his chest was covered. She could envision herself running her hands over his chest.

“So, tell me about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Honestly, everything, Baby.”

“Married, divorced, no kids, and you know where I work. I am an only child. My parents are pretty cool. I go see them every Sunday for dinner. You?”

“Married, have/had a son, divorce, married, divorced. My dad died a few years ago so it just me and my mom. No siblings.”

Libby wasn’t sure if she should as about the ‘have/had a son’ comment. She didn’t want to seem too intrusive but didn’t want to come off like she did not care either.

Tyler could tell she was wanting to ask but was scared. “You can ask.”

“Had a son?”

“Tyler Jacob Masterson, Jr. He passed when he was six weeks old.”

“I am so sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t mean to bring up such a sensitive subject.”

“No, it is perfectly fine. I do not mind talking about him. Would you like to see a picture?”

“Absolutely.”

Tyler reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a worn photo and handed it to Libby. “He was about 2 weeks old in this picture. I carry this with me all the time. I keep having to go in and get it reprinted when it starts getting worn.”

Libby looked at the photos and saw a young Tyler holding a tiny little baby. The smile on Tyler’s face was of pure happiness. You could tell that he was so happy to be a father. His smile was a mile wide and his eyes sparked with joy.

Libby noticed Tyler was ridiculously handsome when he was younger. Not that he was unattractive now, but even more so in his younger years. “He is absolutely adorable. How old were you in this picture?”

“18. Fresh out of high school and newly married. Tyler passed when he was six weeks old from SIDS. No reasoning why. Nothing was physically wrong with him. It just happened. That little guy was my life. When he was born I felt I had a purpose and it was to be his dad and teach him everything that my dad had taught me. Then he was gone.”

Libby handed the photo back to Tyler. She could see that pain starting to creep across his face. “Hey, we can talk about this some other time if you want.”

“Some other time? Does that mean there is a chance that you will be up for seeing me again?”

“So far so good. It’s still early,” Libby laughed. She was definitely up for seeing him again. “By the way, you were a really good-looking guy.”

“Were? Oh, thanks.” Tyler pouted.

“Oh my, I’m not saying that you are not good-looking now just when you were younger-I just- I’m just going to shut up.”

“It’s fine. I get what you were saying. I had to mess with you a little bit. But thank you, I appreciate it.”

Libby could feel her cheeks burning. She had never been this way around Tyler in the station so feeling so awkward around him was new to her. She was normally very comfortable around him but not now. “Does everything taste ok?”

“So far so good,” Tyler said looking directly into her eyes. He wanted to taste her lips, her neck, every inch of her. He had to control himself. He could not rush things with her and screw it up. He had wanted this opportunity for a long time and did not want to blow it.

Libby looked into those eyes and felt her stomach drop and her heart start to race. This man was going to be the death of her. She was sure that he hadn’t meant anything by it and she was reading too much into it and interpreting it in a way that was not intended.

Her body wasn’t listening to her head, though. She had the urge to just crawl onto his lap and throw herself at him, hoping he would not reject her. This was so out of character, she thought, as she pushed her wants to the back of her mind.

They finished their meal, trying to make small talk between their bites. Libby finding it difficult. She stood from the table and grabbed the plates. “I hope you enjoyed everything.”

“More than you know. Let me give you a hand.”

“No, it’s fine. I invited you. You can sit there and relax. It will only take me a minute to clean this up. Thank God for dishwashers.”

Tyler remained sitting at the table and watched Libby bounce around the kitchen. She never slowed down. He figured that after working all day that she would be tired but she seemed to be full of energy. He leaned back in the chair and studied her. She was pretty, really pretty. He loved how she would constantly brush her hair out of her face and try to keep it behind her ear to no avail. He could stare into her soft green eyes for hours. They were so warm and inviting.

He could not help but stare every time she bent over to load the dishwasher. She wasn’t stick thin, and she wasn’t overweight. She had curves in all the right places and carried herself so well. Tyler was fighting the urge to go up behind her and take her in his arms. That was not the type of man he was though. He knew how to respect boundaries and would not force himself on someone who was not a willing participant. He only hoped that as the evening went on, she would be willing.

“You ready for that ride?”