The Dating Chronicles – The First Move

Gloria stared at her phone.  Her mind drifted slowly to the previous evening and the man she’d met at the party.  He had been quiet and unassuming when he approached her in the crowd.  He was gorgeous and self-assured, as he spoke tenderly in her ear, mixing wit with disarming flirtations.  She was fascinated by his scent and his mustache. His name fit him well…Kent.

The noise at the party had been deafening.  But she heard every word he spoke clearly. At the end of the night, they exchanged numbers with promises to call. The chemistry crackled between them as they said goodbye. He grabbed her hand and pushed her hair out of her eye with the other. For her, it was a gentle gesture never before experienced and she floated out of the party into the balmy night air, oblivious to the surrounding sounds of merriment.

The next day, she sat fingering his card trying to make up her mind to call him.  Those rules about letting the guy call first kept intruding on her thoughts.  But, she wanted to see him and she didn’t feel like playing the waiting game.  She resented the power automatically bestowed on men by the nature of their sex. 

One thought bellowed in her head,  Why should men be the master in the game of pursuit?  Her friend Sofia was against her making the first call.  “Only hungry women make the first move.”  “I’m not hungry,” she said to herself.  I just want to continue last night’s moment without losing the rhythm.

As she stared at her phone, she examined the possibilities.  He could be a flirt only.  He could be a numbers man, (one who makes a hobby out of collecting phone numbers and creating anxiety) or he could be a man who was sincerely attracted to her and was now sitting at home thinking about her. 

The last thought served as strong motivation as she dialed his number. He answered on the first ring.  They ended up talking for hours and meeting for dinner the next night.  He confessed to her that he hadn’t stopped thinking about her since they’d met and he hadn’t called because he didn’t want to appear over-anxious.