The Way Your Heart Sounds

“So I’m curious, what made you decide to become a nurse?” Jimmy asked.

It was nearing towards the end of their date. They had both finished dinner and were now sharing a small piece of cake.

“Why does anyone become a nurse? We want to help people. I mean, I was also very interested in medicine. So I figured nursing was a good combination of the two,” she shrugged.

“It’s a good fit for you,” Jimmy smiled. She made eye contact with him and they both stared at each other quietly for a few moments. There was no explanation as to why Lauren had suddenly become so enthralled with Jimmy, but just looking at his eyes was enough to make her heart flutter. As she was observing him, she noticed that he was shaking pretty noticeably. Nerves?

“You alright?” she asked.

“Me? Yeah, I’m totally fine,” he said. His voice didn't sound sincere, but his reassuring smile made her let it go.

Once they had both finished eating, Jimmy escorted her out to his car and he began to drive her home. The whole time, her mind was racing with thoughts. Should she invite him inside? Would that seem too forward? Was he still interested in seeing her again? Was this a good idea? Jimmy pulled up to her house and walked up to the door with her.

“This was without a doubt the best date I’ve ever been on,” he said.

“I agree,” she started. “Hey, you wanna come inside for a bit? I wanted to chat with you a little more.”

“I’d love to.”

She unlocked her door and let both of them inside, then led him to the couch where they both sat down. In her mind, she was hoping that he wouldn’t notice the nervousness in her voice.

“So, Jimmy, I just wanted to say a few things. You know, I had an amazing time tonight, and I’m really starting to think there’s a lot of potential between us for the future…” she paused, and Jimmy nodded in agreement, not entirely sure where she was going with this.

“I don’t want to offend you or anything, but if there were to be a future between us, I would have to insist that you seek treatment for your alcohol addiction. And before you say you don’t have a problem, I notice your hands have been shaking for a good part of the night, and I assume it’s because you haven’t had a drink today. Am I right?”

Jimmy sighed and looked away from her. Lauren wouldn’t be surprised if he was angry with her for being so obtrusive after only one date, but she certainly wasn't the kind of person to sweep serious issues under the rug. He'd have to get used to that if he were around her.

“Yeah… you’re pretty spot on… I didn’t drink today because I thought it would piss you off if I did. Honestly, I felt absolutely horrible all day, and I planned to drink as soon as I left,” he explained.

“Would you agree to an AA meeting? Just to test the waters. I’ll even go with you if you want me to.”

He took a long time to answer. She frowned, feeling like she had ruined the night by being so negative. It was their first date and she was already being a downer.

“I’ll think about it.”

It was better than his downright refusal a few days ago, she thought.

“I’m glad. I really care about you, Jimmy, even though we just met. I know that you don’t need alcohol to be happy. I’d love to help you anyway I could, if you’d let me,” she said.

“I appreciate that, Lauren. I really do.” He made eye contact with her again. She desperately wanted to kiss him, but wasn’t sure if she should. She settled for moving closer to him on the couch, so that their legs were almost touching. He smiled and reached his arm up to cradle the side of her face in his hand.

She felt her heart race as he leaned in and closed the gap between them with a kiss. Never in a million years would she have guessed he was such a gentle kisser. They kissed softly for a few minutes before Jimmy leaned her against the couch so she was laying down. He stopped as he was approaching her to connect their lips again, because he noticed a look of shock on her face.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he sat up. “I got kind of carried away there…” He offered his hand for her to grab, and helped her sit back up.

“Don’t worry about it. I just don’t want to go too fast, if that’s okay with you,” she said quietly, hoping he wouldn’t be disappointed. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

“Of course I don’t! Believe me, I want to savor every moment of this,” he smiled and pecked her on the lips. “Well, not to be a party pooper, but I should head home. We’re recording pretty early tomorrow. I’ll call you when we finish?”

“Sounds good,” she nodded. He stood up and walked towards the door, Lauren following him.

“Thank you so much for this. It’s been a really long time since I’ve been on a pleasant date,” Jimmy said quietly as he opened her front door.

“Me too. I’ll see you again soon.”

With that, they exchanged another peck on the lips and Jimmy was gone. Lauren went to get ready for bed. As soon as she slipped under the covers, she heard her phone buzz from the night stand. A text from Jimmy.

‘Is it sad that I miss you already? Sleep tight, angel <3’

Notes

Thank you to all my readers/commenters so far. Hope you guys liked this chapter. I'd love to hear any thoughts and ideas you have for this story!