How I Met Love, Sunrise Sunset, Part 2

When we both woke up at about 2 o'clock, we were refreshed and ready for the next adventure! We climbed back in the car and stopped for a bite to eat before we made our way over to the west coast. Orlando is almost directly in the center of the state, so it takes about an hour to an hour and a half to get to either coast. Because of that, we had decided that we would stay in Sarasota at his parents house, instead of driving me back home that night. So, not only was I spending almost two days with Shanam, I would be meeting his parents for the first time.

"You're sure your parents are okay with letting me stay there?"

"Of course!" he assured me. "They are more than happy. They wanted us to come for dinner, but I told them I was already taking you to Ophelia's. Which reminds me, we need to stop in to make reservations."

We arrived in Sarasota at about 6:00, so we didn't have quite enough time to eat before the sunset. I waited in the car while Shanam ran into the restaurant to make reservations. From the outside, Ophelia's looked like a regular one story house with only a small paved area in place of a yard. It was even located in a residential neighborhood with palm trees and huge, mature banyan trees that draped over the street. I wondered where everyone parked and then noticed that there was only valet parking offered.

"What kind of restaurant is this?" I almost said out loud to myself. But, I fully trusted Shanam's judgement and he had told me that this was his mother's favorite restaurant, so I would just have to wait and see.

Once he got back in the car, he suggested that we drive around the neighborhood a little to look at all the huge houses. Yet again, I was impressed that he would even have the desire to do that! This was a common activity that my parents did whenever they went to visit a new town, so I was one hundred percent on board! As we explored tiny streets and went up long driveways we weren't supposed to, we pointed out everything we liked or disliked. We shared our dream house fantasies and were surprised by how similar our dreams were!

"I would love to have at least two homes!" Shanam shared. "One in New England and the other, a large cabin in the mountains!"

"Oh, yes! And I would put a third house in the south of France!" I added.

Shanam agreed enthusiastically, "Definitely!!"

We could have gallivanted around those neighborhoods all night, but the sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon, so we headed to the beach just down the street. We rounded the corner into the parking lot and sure enough, the white sand was absolutely gorgeous, just like he had said! I couldn't wait to get out and feel it.

"Come on! Let's go!" I said, hopping out of the car before Shanam even had a chance to turn off the ignition. I went around to his door and helped him get out of the car, pulling on his arm while jumping up and down, like a child.

"Hold on, hold on," he said laughing.

The minute I stepped barefoot into the sand, I felt the fine powder seep between my toes and I squealed out in delight. We walked down the beach hand in hand, watching children play and parents relaxing, and I squeezed his hand tighter, once again feeling a wave of gratitude for just being able to be with him. A woman was kind enough to take a picture of us right before the sunset. I wanted to make sure I had something to prove that this day had actually happened. I also collected a tiny cup full of sand from each beach for the same reason. :)

We stood in each other's arms watching the sky as it turned from peach to sultry orange and said goodbye to the same sun that had begun our memorable day. We waited until the top arch of the sun slowly slid out of sight before we drew our eyes from the sky and looked at one another. Our faces were almost touching as we looked into each other's eyes. I knew he wanted to kiss me, just like I knew he wanted to kiss me a hundred times before, but I was still too scared to let him. I was still too scared to let him into my heart. I looked away, breaking the gaze and placed my head on his chest instead. My heart was racing almost as fast as his was. He slowly took my hand and turned to lead us back to the car when suddenly a loud voice inside my head said, "Just do it!!"

I couldn't deny the prompting, so I pulled back on his hand and turned him towards me. I looked up at him with eager anticipation and brought my lips closer to his. He bent down and met my lips with a sweet, tender kiss that intensified into a deeper, more passionate connection. My whole body rejoiced! When we pulled apart, I was so happy that all I could do was laugh! He looked at me with a puzzled expression, so I quickly had to explain to Shanam that I was laughing because he made me so happy and not for any other reason :)