This is part 18.
For context, please my profile.
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I did think of a way I could ask a question without me having to volunteer my curiosity and feel so vulnerable because shyness is a pain in the butt, lol. I asked, “So Mr. Gabriel, I am not saying that I am in or I am out, but let’s say I said ‘I want to do this,’ what would we do next? I am not saying I am in, I am just curious as to what would happen if I did.”

He took a second to think, took his usual deep breath, and said, “I will answer that question under two conditions.” You would think he would’ve stopped here to allow me time to accept his conditions, but he didn’t… but whatever, lol. He continued, “1) The only questions you can ask for the remainder of the evening are related to the answer, and 2) You will not make a decision tonight.
The reason for that is because I wish to go back to simply enjoying your company. Do we have a deal?”

Well, shit… the second one is easy, I was not planning on making a decision today anyway, lol. But I could only ask questions that are related to whatever he answers; that means I can’t ask my sex questions, lol.
I figured, why not? I was done mentally anyway, so I said, “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mr. Gabriel… bring it on!”

He sat back and just thought for a second, then said, “If you told me right now that you wanted to do this, I would take your hands, kiss them, and then kiss you.” I low-key have been wanting that from the day we met, but I was not going to say that. I just sheepishly smiled and blushed. He just looked at me and said, “Blushing, right on schedule,” and smiled.

He continued his speech by saying, “I would then assure you that I will do everything in my power to make sure that you don’t regret this decision and then kiss your lovely lips again, just because I’ve been wanting to do that since I met you.” Blush, again… he was developing a horrible habit I loved, lol. “After that, I would let you in on a few things that have to happen and some ground rules... I know you’re going to ask, so I am just going to answer those questions right now. Just do me a favor and keep those beautiful eyes on me while I do that, can you do that for me?”

I didn’t know if I should be blushing and trying to look at the ground as if I still hadn’t found that coin that started this whole thing or smile like an idiot while looking at him, so I nodded, “Yes,” followed his instructions, and looked at him, grinning and blushing.

He continued speaking with certainty in his words as if he was reading from a handbook or something, and he never stopped making eye contact as he continued, “We would then make plans for the next few days. I would tell you that I expect to see you three times a week for the time being. I have set aside Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, but they can change based on your schedule and things you have to do, but I strongly prefer if we keep those days.”

Wtf??? I have a schedule?? Did he know this was not a part-time job I was applying for?

He paused for a second and said, “Before I continue, I would like to give this to you,” and handed me the leather journal I had originally noticed when we got to the coffee shop. He continued, “I want you to have this. I would like for you to write any questions you have for me, how you feel about things, and whatever you want. You can start now with the questions that will undoubtedly come to mind.”

I swear this man could read my mind, lol.

Frankly, I did not know what to say about the gift; it was so thoughtful. I was out of words and confused as to what the etiquette was at this point, but he helped me and said, “You can just say ‘thank you, Sir’ and start writing your questions.”

Hmmm… did he just instruct me to call him “Sir”? I was not going to do that! FU buddy, do you know who you’re talking to??? No fucking way, I wasn’t just going to oblige; it just was not in me and definitely not the way I was raised.

So with a stupid grin on my face I said, “Thank you… S-S-Sir,” and started writing the question about the schedule, lol.
When I said it, I felt something though, I did not know if it was good or bad, but it was different… I thought, “I have to write this down,” and on the corner of the first page I wrote, “Sir???” then said sarcastically, “Please continue, Mr. Gabriel.”

He just had a grin on his face, as if he was satisfied with himself… Some of you are probably thinking that I should’ve been disgusted and that I should’ve wanted to wipe the smug look off his face, but I did not… I liked it. Anyway…

He continued, “Then we would have to have a conversation about birth control and STI screening. Though I wouldn’t want us to jump into a sexual relationship right away, it’s best to be prepared for whatever happens.” WTF is an STI screen?? Don’t judge me, I was sheltered, and my experience was minimal, lol.
Something else that needed to go into my little book of questions…

He continued, “I would certainly want to ask you what you would like to get out of this relationship and where do you see it going, things like that…” and then he concluded, “That would be about it, everything else would be less concrete. We would just have to spend more time together, get to know one another, and see where we land after a few weeks.”

That felt like I was on probation with a likely chance of getting fired lol.
Honestly, this all sounded reasonable and strategic, which did not bother me as much as it would bother most other people. I mean, how many girls do you know would be fine with hearing “if you don’t perform up to my standards, we will break up in a few weeks”? I didn’t know many girls at all, but I am willing to bet not a lot of them would be OK with such a thing, but I was.

I’ll admit that usually, relationships are more about feelings and less about structure, which is how I always thought it should be. But maybe I was too caught up in the idea of Gabriel to feel bothered by it, lol.

Anyway, so I asked him about the scheduling, 3 days a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays… why? And of course, he had an answer ready for me. Clasping his hands in front of him, he said, “Well, it may seem impossible, but I don’t want you to get bored of me.” He chuckled a bit, I did not… I wanted a real answer, NOW!

He continued, “I know I said it as a joke, but there’s a bit of truth in that. I want to have my space to do the things I need to do and enjoy doing while at the same time allowing you to do the same. I’ll give you my schedule as an example:
Monday evenings I have set training sessions with my friends, I will not stop attending those.
Wednesday evenings I have it set aside for Christina; that is when we get together.
Friday evenings I have it set aside for my own personal projects and things that I need to do.
And Sundays are reserved for family, friends or just plain relax, that sort of thing.”

Did he just say that Christina has him Wednesdays?? WTF did they do on Wednesdays exactly?? Lol.
That feeling in my gut every time he brought her up was too much, even if I liked everything else, I am not sure I could deal with that… but I thought it best to save my hissy fit for another day.

He continued, “So, Tuesdays you and I would have a date and that is just for us to enjoy each other’s company; you know, movies, dinner, whatever we feel like doing.
Thursdays will be reserved for our growth, we can have talks about our relationship and figure out what we need to work on, attend some group meetings for couples, take classes, things of that nature.
And Saturday we will spend the whole day together and just enjoy ourselves.
If we organize ourselves, we can continue to enjoy life as it is and continue to grow, both independently and as a couple.”

The next question was obvious, so I said, “You mean to tell me that I can only see you during those days?” and he responded, “Well, we can definitely get together when time allows it, we can get together for coffee or lunch or to just spend time together, but you have to respect that those days are set apart for other activities.”
Now, I don’t know what I was thinking; it just flew out of my mouth before I could catch it. I said, “Yeah, like your activities with Christina,” and yes, I made the voice you just the way you heard in your head as you read it, accompanied with the face to go with it.

He smiled and looked into my eyes… ugh that gaze… then he said, “Red, I understand that this is new to you and it goes against everything you’ve ever been told is acceptable, but all I ask is that you have a little faith when I tell you that this is not as bad as you think it is. As I said, you have to be willing to question what you’ve been told your whole life and try something different.
There’s an old saying I heard in another life that says: ‘If you want to have what you’ve never had, you’re going to have to do something you’ve never done.’ And in my experience, that saying is never wrong.”

Then he placed his hands on the table palms facing up as if asking for my hands to be placed in his. I was confused, tormented by the thought of sharing him, but I was also excited to hold his hands… I thought “oh alright” and placed my hands in his.

When I placed my hands on his, I felt this warmth combined with a sense of electricity running through my body and I just felt… home, if that makes any sense to you.

While holding my hands, gazing into my eyes, and doing whatever he was doing to my entire being lol, he said softly “Red, do you think you can have a little faith?”

Without letting go of his hands cause it was feeling good lol, I just let out a big sigh and said “Gabriel, you keep telling me to trust you, but this is a lot to take in and just accept it. I think I can deal with most of the things we’ve talked about, but sharing is not something I’ve even considered, it is just not normal.”

He then sternly said, “Red, I am not telling you to trust me*, I am* asking you to have a little faith, those are two different things.” Then he softened up quite a bit and continued saying, “I said I will work diligently to earn your trust, but before we get to that point, you need to have a little faith and be open to the possibility that this may be a good thing for you, and if it isn’t and you’re unhappy, you can simply move on and go back to your life as it was before we met.
You lose absolutely nothing and have the possibility to gain a whole new life. Now I ask you again: Red, do you think you can have a little faith or at least take some time to consider it?”

I took a deep breath, but before I could say anything he said, “But remember, you can’t make a decision today.” And smiled, again too confidently. It was at that moment that I understood, this guy knows what he is doing lol. All I could do was smile and say, “You’re right, I can’t… but you don’t play fair.”

He just smugly shrugged and said, “What can I say? You bring out the best in me... And I want more.” We both laughed and I went back to feeling high.

 to be continued...