Den of Angels (closed for wideeyedone and Blase)

Joel just about managed to draw his hand back instead of using his fingers to caress Julie's face.

"Glad you like it. See what you think of the cannoli."

He took a bite of his brownie while Julie started on her selection.

It was a pleasure just watching her eat.

It was a pleasure just watching her.

Joel knew chemistry when he felt it, and he was glad to feel it with Julie, but he reminded himself again that this was only a first date. Even if Julie proved willing, intimacy changed a relationship, and changing things so soon could backfire in the long run.

And Joel was pretty sure that he wanted there to be a long run.

As the two of them finished their pastries, he noticed a clock on the wall and suddenly realized that it was nearly 10:30. Only in New York would a bakery be open at that hour.

"Hey, Miss Julie, looks like it's getting a little late," he said, indicating the clock. "Should we think about starting back? I can drop you wherever you like."
 
"Do you mind dropping me at my building?" She asked softly. She could have easily caught a cab, or even walked but riding the bike to her place would give her an excuse to hold on to him.

she could picture herself snuggled up tight against him, her cheek pressed to his shoulder as he drove the bike. but she would have to hold that in a little while longer. she didnt want him to think that he was just some sort of a hook up to her. she really did like him a lot. and not just as a guy but as a friend too.

She and Jason had been together for almost a year when they went to bed together. But they had been in high school. And if she were honest with herself she had never felt this sort of spark, not like the spark she felt with Joel. She could see herself going to bed with him tonight. But she knew she needed to wait. She didn't want to freak out and she wanted to make sure he felt the same way.

As they walked out of the bakery, she gave him the cross streets for the corner her building sat on. it was an okay place. really small apartments, but it was a good building. he walked them to the bike and when she got on behind him she slid her arms around him, snuggling in just a little tighter than on their arrival.
 
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It wasn't a long trip to Julie's building, but Joel enjoyed the ride with Julie clinging to him. He was glad that she was comfortable enough to let him know where she lived.

When they arrived, Joel parked the bike and got off to walk her to the building's front door.

At the door, she turned to face him. He spoke first.

"Thanks for dinner. And dessert. I had a good time tonight."
 
Julie felt her heart pound as they approached the door. KISS ME... KISS ME. She thought. She took a deep breath.


"I had a really good time too." She nervously slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. She was half afraid that if she didn't do something with her hands she was going to touch him. "I have to work tomorrow night. Do you think you will be around?"
 
Joel was careful not to sigh with relief. He had wondered if she'd feel weird about having him around the bar once they'd gone out. Possibly that would come later, if things progressed further between them, but apparently she was ok with it for now.

"Yeah, I think I will be around."

Joel leaned in and kissed Julie. It was a slightly longer kiss than he'd anticipated for the end of their first date, but it seemed right for the feeling that they'd shared that night. He didn't try to push and make it something torrid or deeply intimate, though.

"Good night. See you tomorrow."

He smiled at her, then turned and started walking back toward his bike.
 
The kiss was even better than she had imagined. He was confident but tender. She loved the way his mouth was warm and eager but not insistent.

When he made his goodbyes, she managed to tell him she would see him tomorrow. She watched him go and when he got his bike started she slipped inside her building and rushed upstairs to her apartment. She kicked off her shoes and flopped on her bed.

It really had been the ultimate first date. Joel was so much fun. Now, she just hoped that he asked her out. It was going to be a massive downer if she had to see him at work all the time if he wasn't going to want to go out again. But she reassured herself that he had had a good time too.
 
Things seemed to be going Joel's way all of a sudden. The next night his table turned out to be in Julie's section. She seemed glad to see him; a feeling that he certainly reciprocated.

Remembering the indulgences of the night before, Joel decided he'd better go easy on the pub grub and ordered a Ceasar salad with grilled chicken and a glass of unsweetened iced tea.

He'd been remembering all day that she'd specifically asked if he'd be around that evening and decided that that was as much of a hint as he could want.

When she brought his order, he thanked her, then added, "You know, I was actually wondering if you were off on Sunday, by any chance?"
 
Julie was so glad to see Joel that night she actually had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from grinning the whole time. She took him his order and when he asked if she was going to be off on Sunday she felt her smile widen.

"I am off this Sunday. I have to work the late shift Saturday, so I am up for anything a little later in the day. Saturday nights are big business" She offered.
 
"Well, how would you feel about a late lunch?" Joel asked. "While we were listening to "Brown-Eyed Girl" last night, I thought of a place that I'd like you to see. And then I thought that it might be a fun place for a picnic. What if I picked you up at 11:00?"
 
"I would love too." The bar was loud. and the music just got louder. "Sweet Home Alabama" was starting up. The bartender cranked the music and the waitresses were rushing to the bar. "I can't wait." Julie said with a smile and then she was off to pop up on the bar.

the bartender had chosen the song with Julie in mind. she was singing along and dancing like no one was watching. As she danced, Julie thought about her date on Sunday. It had to be a good sign that he had asked her out so soon.

After the dance, she had a few orders to deliver. She planned her outfit and how she was going to do her hair as she delivered a tray of tequilla shots to a table of frat guys in the corner. They loved her sexy smile, but it really wasn't intended for them at all.
 
Sunday Morning

That Sunday, Joel called Julie about 10:30. She said she'd meet him out in front of her building at 11:00.

When she came down, he had a digital camera ready. When he said "Smile," from a little off to her left, she looked, and he got a quick candid of her turning to look for him, a pleased smile on her face.

"Photography's a skill that goes along with Web design," he offered. "I'm not a world class photographer, but I do ok. And you..."

He looked at the digital display, then turned the camera so that she could see. "Just as I thought. You're a natural."
 
Julie had on a soft green top and another pair of great jeans. She had been surprised when Joel had taken her picture and even more surprised when she saw how she looked.

"you have to take all of my pictures. that is really amazing." she said her fingers tracing her cheekbones on the display screen. "thanks for inviting me today"

It felt so good to be outside in the sunshine. And it felt good to be with Joel. She got on the back of his bike and this time she nested in tight when she put her arms around him.
 
It was surprising how quickly you could get out of the city on a bike.

Joel and Julie got onto Interstate 95 and headed north. In less than an hour they'd traded the buildings and traffic of New York for the rolling hills of semi-rural Connecticut.

The place Joel brought Julie to was a sort of park along the banks of a river. There were no special facilities, but it was a grassy, open space where people came to picnic, walk or fish along the shoreline. Toward the east end of the park, a low dam held the water mostly in check, causing the water above it to back up and form a small lake. The dam was partly manmade and partly natural; on the far side from where they stood, it was mostly cement, but on the near bank, water still splashed over rocks that had been there probably for centuries.

"It isn't the kind of waterfall you can hide behind," Joel told Julie, "but I thought you'd like it here, anyway."

"Shall we spread our blanket by those trees?" He indicated a spot towards the edge of the park where a wood came down to meet the river.
 
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"This place is perfect. So peaceful." SHe found herself speaking in hushed tones. It was a sort of reverene for the stillness and beauty of the place.

She nodded when Joel suggested a spot. She helped him smooth the blanket. The spot really was ideal. The sound of the water and the cool breeze were the perfect antidote for two many weeks in the city. Julie watched the water move through the river. The current was swift, the water winding its way through the rocks and banks of the river.

"I really do love it. Thanks for bringing me here, I really had no idea something like this was so close and the drive was pretty too."
 
"I'm glad you like it," Joel said. "I've always enjoyed coming here, but a lot of the people I've met in New York are real city people. Not everybody "gets" what makes this place so special."

The next half an hour or so was devoted to sandwiches on paper plates and wine in plastic cups. Joel had brought some softdrinks, too, and switched to ginger ale after having a little wine with a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich, since he was driving.

After they ate, they sat on the blanket, looking at the river and talking sporadically.

Joel sat behind Julie and started to rub her shoulders as they relaxed and enjoyed the warmth of the day.
 
Julie snuggled back against Joel as he rubbed her neck and shoulders. Being a cellist she used the muscles in her back and shoulders all the time. It felt good to have some of the strain rubbed out of them.

She leaned back. Her head resting against his shoulder. It felt so good. The sound of the water and his warm hands eased her deeper into a relaxed state. She looked at him and whispered, "You can kiss me if you want..."
 
Joel looked around, briefly.

Not that it really mattered, but he and Julie weren't entirely alone. There were a couple of people fishing from the dam and another two or three scattered around, including one woman who was walking a Golden Retriever.

"That sounds very nice," he said. "But there's another part to this place that I thought you might like to see."

He pointed toward where the trees actually came right down to the river bank. "There's a path through the woods that mostly follows the river. It's a very pretty walk. Would you like to have a look before we get too relaxed?"
 
"Mmm hmmm, I want to see" She whispered, her voice warm and honeyed. She clambered up to her feet and offered Joel her hand. She planted her feet and playfully tugged him up.

She ran her fingers through her hair and brushed off her jeans. As they headed down the way, she slipped her hand back in his.
 
The path did mostly follow the river, though in some spots it was quite close to the bank, while in others, the water was more distant and hard to see though the trees.

In one such spot, there was a fallen tree a few yards off the path. Joel and Julie strolled over to take a look. The tree, apparently a pine that had died of old age or perhaps just been blown over in a storm, wasn't lying on the ground, but leaning against another tree that still stood.

Joel saw that the shallow angle that the pine lay at would make it quite easy to climb. It gave him an idea.

Pulling his camera out of his pocket, he asked Julie to climb the tree until she was even with where he stood. In just a few seconds, she was looking down at him, her feet being roughly at his eye level.

"Now," he said, raising the camera, "show me a tigress."
 
"Seriously?" She asked, looking around to see if anyone was around. She felt a little silly posing. But she had liked the other picture that Joel took. She crouched down. one hand holding the trunk of the tree for balance. She tilted her chin down, serious eyes. She tossed her hair back. Her thighs were open, her legs lookng trim in slender in the dark dennim.

"Like this?" She asked softly.
 
Joel swallowed.

"Hmm, actually, I doubt that tigresses usually look exactly like that," he said. "If they did, they probably wouldn't need to go to the trouble of sneaking up on their prey."

He took a few shots as Julie crouched in the tree, making clawing motions and looking sexily menacing.

"You know, I think this prey's about ready to be pounced on," he said.

"Go ahead," he added, spreading his arms out in front of him. "I'll catch you."
 
She only hesitated for a second. Her childhood of tree climbing actually came in handy for once. She took a deep breath and slid from the branch towards Joel's arms. She couldn't help but giggle the whole way.
 
A second later, Joel found out that even if a girl was model-slender, catching one wasn't as easy as it looked. Julie fell into his arms and knocked him over like a bowling pin, the two of them landing on the soft ground in a heap.

They were both laughing as Joel extricated himself from beneath Julie, then Joel held up a hand and asked Julie to stay as she was.

Jumping up, he got her framed in his camera's viewfinder.

"Do you know how to make a snow angel?" he asked.

When she said that she did, he replied, "Well, go on! Make me a "leaf angel"!
 
Julie's dark satiny hair was peppered with scarlet, gold and russet leaves. She made the "leaf angel".

"I only know of snow angels by reputation. we dont get snow in alabama." she laughs as she moves her arms and legs in the rustling leaves.
 
"Stop!" Joel said as Julie spread her arms and legs a second time, defining the boundaries of the "leaf angel".

She froze in place and he took the shot as she looked up at him. Then, he knelt between her legs, taking another picture from the closer vantage. He offered a hand to help her sit up: When she took it, he pulled her upright and snapped a closeup of her face from about a foot away; too close for his pocket camera to really focus.

Then, moving the camera from in between them, he kissed Julie. This time it was no goodnight kiss but a frankly serious kiss between a man and a woman.
 
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