I was pleasantly surprised when Tony called me the next afternoon to check on me. In fact, he called me every day that week.
Sometimes we'd just talk for a few minutes, sometimes it would go on for an hour or so. He was so easy to talk to and our conversations flowed without awkward pauses.
I was crushing on him big time and I could tell he liked me, probably for more than a friend. As much as I liked him, I was scared of having a relationship.
No, I wasn't scared of a relationship, I was scared of having s*x. Whenever I dreamed or even thought of s*x, it turned into an attack in the alley.
So when Tony suggested that we hang out on Sunday, I was a little bit apprehensive. I didn't want to lead him on, but I really wanted a friend.
The bruises and swelling in my face had started to heal, but even after a week, they were still pretty bad. Sensing I was uncomfortable, Tony suggested that we go to a movie where it'd be dark and then he'd cook dinner at his house.
When he picked me up, I told him I wanted to talk to him before we left.
"Tony... I like you. I think you're a really nice guy..."
"But...?"
"But I don't know if I'm ready to date someone right now... I mean, if that's what this is... Is it?"
"I thought it was. So... Do you want to cancel our plans then?"
"Can we go out as just friends?"
"Sure, Bobby. We can be buds. Get your coat. We're running late."
I could tell he was really disappointed and I wasn't prepared for that. I wondered if I was doing the right thing.
Tony had a really nice silver Ford F150 truck with the crew cab.
It had plenty of room for him, unlike my Escort. It felt really cool riding so high up off the ground, compared to my car. I told him I loved his truck and commented on how he seemed a tad more comfortable than when he was driving my car and he laughed loudly.
We saw a comedy at the movies and we both laughed and had a really good time. We shared a large-sized popcorn and we both got a pop. After the movie, we headed to his house. He had a small two-bedroom ranch home in an older neighborhood. It was a cute house.
He gave me the grand tour, which didn't take very long, but I was impressed with how nice everything was decorated and styled. It was very manly and comfortable, and everything was clean and organized.
He showed me the master bedroom. He had a huge king-sized bed. The bedroom also had its own bathroom and a walk-in closet.
He had me sit on a stool at the breakfast bar and we talked while he started dinner. He made chicken piccata, pasta, and steamed broccoli. We ate in the dining room and it was great. He served white wine with the meal and I rarely have wine, and I quite enjoyed it.
After dinner, we went into the family room and I sat on the comfy leather sofa and he sat in the leather chair. We talked about football, his life as a cop, my job as a computer tech, and a whole assortment of other topics for what seemed like hours.
I opened my eyes and realized I was laying down on the couch in a near fetal position. I was bundled up in a warm blanket. I was absolutely mortified to not only have fallen asleep, but he wrapped me up in a blanket. I looked over and
Tony was sitting in the chair, his chin resting against his chest, sound asleep. When I started to sit up, his eyes opened and he smiled warmly at me.
"You fell asleep," he said. "You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you."
"I'm so sorry. I'm not a very good guest, huh?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm happy to know that you're comfortable enough with me to fall asleep on my couch."
Tony took me home a bit later and he gave me a long hug at the door and I hugged him back. As I held onto him, I inhaled his scent and let my hands touch his big hard body, and I knew that it was going to be impossible to be just friends with him.
When I arrived at work the next morning, Sharon, the woman who manages the business accounts, was all over me making sure I was okay and carrying on about my black eye. My boss, Rob, put his arm around me and patted my back, and welcomed me back.
I went back to the repair room and grabbed the next work order. Memory upgrades on four new machines for one of our clients.
A nice and easy way to get back to work. I grabbed the first machine off the shelf and unboxed it and set it up on my workbench when Ronnie, the senior tech and my supervisor, came in and dropped his bag on his workbench.
Ronnie was an older guy in his fifties, tall and lanky with dark blond hair that he kept in a collar-length, parted in the middle and feathered style from the 70s. He was gruff and outspoken and bordered on obnoxious.
"How ya feelin', kid?" Ronnie asked.
I looked up and said, "I'm okay, Ronnie."
"f**k, kid, you got a real shiner there, huh?"
"You should see the other guy," I joked.
"Hmph. I heard you were in really bad shape. They catch the guy?"
"Not yet."
"So where were you when this happened?"
"I don't really want to talk about it, Ronnie."
"How much did he get?"
"Huh?"
"The mugger. How much did he get?"
"Oh, like... 52 bucks."
"s**t. You should have just given him the 50 bucks and saved yourself a beating."
"I guess."