The Adventures of Sir and Babygirl Read Online Free PDF Page B

meet Johnathan in person. She was intrigued by him, and
their conversations were always so much fun. Doubts lingered,
though.
    “What if we don’t hit it off? What if we’re
better over the phone? What if I bore you or disappoint you or
spill my drink down my shirt like the dork that I am?” Katie’s
words toppled over each other as panic filled her voice.
    “Hey, hey, whoa now. Calm down.” Johnathan’s
voiced softened in an effort to calm Katie. “If we don’t hit it
off, highly unlikely by the way, we’ll know, and we’ll continue
being digital pen pals, right? You haven’t bored me or disappointed
me ever, so I doubt that’s likely. And if you spill your drink down
your shirt, I’ll hand you napkins, pay the tab, and find a store
that will happily sell us another one.”
    Despite herself, Katie smiled. Johnathan
sounded so sure, so in control. Maybe this was possible. Maybe this
wouldn’t be horrible. The idea of meeting him made excited her and
made her nauseous.
    “Um, can I think about it?” Katie desperately
wanted to say yes, but she was so afraid.
     
    “Of course you can. Will you answer me one
question?”
    “Yes.”
    “Will you tell me why you’re so afraid?”
    “I just did.” Her voice sounded petulant even
to her.
    “What are you really afraid of?” Why did he
have to sound so kind and patient?
    “I’m afraid of liking you too much. I’m
afraid of getting hurt. I’m afraid that I’m feeling things I’m not
ready to feel. THAT’S what I’m afraid of!” Katie’s voice became
more panicked and shrill as she spoke.
    “Ok, Katie, ok. It’s ok, I promise. Let’s
just take this one day at a time. Dinner between friends, ok? Will
that be ok?”
    Katie wanted to say yes so badly that she
ached. Her heart ached; her arms ached; everything ached.
    Sometimes you have to close your eyes and
leap , she thought to herself.
    “Ok, yes, that would be nice. I think I’d
like that.” Katie’s voice was soft, and Johnathan strained to hear
her words.
    “Yes? Yes?! Woohoo!” Johnathan’s excitement
was contagious, and Katie smiled.
    Later that night, they both reflected on the
evening’s conversation.
    Katie’s stomach flipped and flopped; she
thought she might vomit at any moment. She was glad she’d talked
Johnathan down from a dinner date. Coffee, tea in her case, felt
less like a date, even if she was already planning what she would
wear.
    Johnathan smiled to himself. Ok, so the first
meeting was coffee. He could live with that; coffee was a good
start. He began to plan how he would wear her down to agree to a
full-fledged dinner date.
    In separate beds, they both fell asleep
smiling, dreaming, and wondering what the future would hold.
     
     
    ****

    Katie sat in her car, staring at the door of
her coffee place. Why had she agreed to this location? She was a
regular. They knew her by name and order. What would Johnathan
think? Katie gripped the steering wheel in an attempt to focus.
    “Calm down, babygirl. It’s coffee and tea.
This isn’t a date. This isn’t a date. This isn’t a date!” Katie
whispered the words over and over again.
    She shouldn’t have let Johnathan push her
into meeting so soon after their conversation. She felt rushed. She
wasn’t ready for this. She’d never be ready for this. Oh God, was
she going to vomit?
    “Damn it, get a grip!” Frustrated with
herself, Katie growled the words. She was supposed to be a strong,
independent woman who didn’t need anyone. She needed to start
acting the part, at least until the meeting with Johnathan was
over.
    Katie looked at herself in the rearview
mirror. Hair somewhat decent. Lipgloss firmly in place. This was as
good as she was going to get, she decided. Jeans, boots, a purple
sweater – nothing too dressy, and she felt confident in her
appearance. Taking a deep breath, Katie grabbed her bag and opened
the car door.
    DING! A text from Johnathan.
    “Already here. Sitting at the table in the
corner. Enter