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I checked myself in the bathroom mirror. My teeth are clean, my white dress is spotless, my hair is gracefully lopsided, and there’s nothing on my face. I’m all ready.
I was happy to go on a date with my girlfriend Nao, however I was nervous. What if I say something weird and make it awkward? What something goes catastrophically wrong.
I reassured myself it would be fine and got into the car and put in Nao’s address on the GPS.
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It took seven minutes and thirty-eight seconds for me to get to Nao’s house. I knocked on the door and waited thirty-three seconds for Nao to answer the door. She had a long, yellow sundress on and her hair down.
She greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and an around-the-waist hug. My face got a little red at the feeling of her warm hands on me, and her soft lips on my face. The smell of vanilla, which is the signature scent of Nao’s place, filled my lungs. I embraced it with a deep breath.
She guided me by the waist to the couch and cuddled with me. I felt the cushions under me, Nao on top of me, and the warmth of the apartment. After a few moments of silence, Nao looked me in the eyes kindly.
“What would you like to do tonight, darling?” Nao inquired, tilting her head a bit. The honorific name filled me with warmth.
“This is out of the blue, but... can we make pasta? it’s a good bonding opportunity.” The words were out of my mouth before I knew it. A hole formed in my stomach, and I started berating myself for saying something so awkward.
Despite what I thought of it, Nao seemed happy. “Of course! I really do like making it!” she smiled.
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She got up after a few moments and grabbed a pot and filled it with water, then put it onto the gas stove and started it up. I grabbed the spaghetti from the cupboard and cracked it in half to accommodate the pot.
“Should I just... put the spaghetti in now?” I asked Nao.
“I mean, I usually wait until it’s boiling, but my mom always put in the noodles right away, so that’s fine.” Nao smiled.
I dropped the sticks into the pot, squealing a bit as the water splashed back at me. A grin of pride spread across my face.
Nao set a timer on the stove and redirected me to the living room and turned on the TV while we waited. She put her arm around my shoulder and I lied on her chest. I felt the warm, gentle feeling again.
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Without me noticing, time flew by faster than expected. Around what felt like two minutes in, I hear a faint noise, hard to describe. Like water, and... distinguishing?
Curiously, I pulled away from Nao and looked over to the stove. Sure enough... the pot was boiling over!
I rushed over to the stove. Nao, seeing what happened, ran over too. Boiling water was peeking over the pot, threatening to put out the flame of the stove. I turned the button quickly to the lowest setting.
Nao was a bit stirred up, I noticed. She gets nervous easily. I hugged her waist and assured her it would be okay. We started cuddling again, but more carefully this time.
-timeskip-
The pasta tasted lovely. After it was cooked, we added butter and salt, and that made it just right. I don’t know if it was the food or the company which was good, but either way, the date went well.