I had just finished making sandwiches when Lynn showed up.
“I’m so hungry,” she groaned dramatically and walked through the door, straight to the kitchen table.
She started eating, and I joined her. We ate quietly, and once we were done she sat back into the chair, fully sated. Those brown eyes of hers looked me over, knowing something was up.
“What is going on?”
I sucked in a breath and let the words flow out of me with my exhale.
“I wanna have sex with Arthur, and I’m nervous, but wanna touch and take it to that level. But I don’t know what I’m doing, and even though he says I could never be bad at it, I still think I might, and I just need advice.”
She simply smiled, like she’d been waiting for me to verbally vomit those words out for forever.
“I’m so proud of you,” she gushed, and I felt a bit of pride in myself. I was definitely coloring outside my normal lines.
“Thanks. So, like, what do I do? I mean I know the basics, but I want us both to enjoy it.” It was hard to convey what I was feeling. I knew how sex worked. But connecting with people was hard for me, and I didn’t read emotions well. So, he could be totally not enjoying it, and I wouldn’t read it that way.
“Well, for starters, it should make you feel more comfortable because you are premeditating touching him. Your mind is already there and getting used to the idea of being physical. We both know how you feel about spontaneity. I would give him a call before he comes over, hear his voice that way it’s fresh in your mind. Feel connected to him before he gets here. Now, were you wanting to jump on him as soon as he gets here or are you guys having dinner before?” She was all professional right now, but I still felt as if I was talking to an aunt. If I had one. We were very at ease with each other.
“He’s coming over to watch a movie. Not sure about dinner. Maybe I should invite him over for that too?” I hadn’t thought about feeding him. Feelings of guilt started to crawl into my stomach that I had completely disregarded his needs.
“I think that’s a great idea. That way you can feel close. Sex for women in general can be very pleasurable, but having a connection makes it even better. Especially for Aspies like you.”
I felt very connected to him. I mean, I really liked him a lot.
“If I were you, I’d start slow. Give your mind time to adjust to all the senses that are going to be running through you. His presence in your space, his smell, his touch, the feel of him against you. It’s going to be a lot for you. Let your mind and body adjust. There’s no rush. From what you’ve told me about him, he is okay to wait until you’re ready. The biggest key is communication. If you wanna say something, say it. If you wanna know what he is thinking or feeling, ask. There has to be a completely open dialog between you too.”
Communication. Go slow. Adjust to sensations. I could do this.
“How are you feeling right now?” she asked. I gave her a grin and my honesty.
“I’m excited. I’ve been dreaming about us touching, and when we do, I feel so consumed by him. It’s like a warm blanket, fresh out of the dryer, being wrapped around me. At times my senses go wild and almost obsessive. Like how I get when I’m working on a robot. I want to ride out those feelings until I remember the need to eat and sleep.”
She was nodding her head like she understood.
“Being with someone you have a connection with is very powerful. Just remember to communicate, and I think you’ll do fine.”
It was like a seal of approval. I felt strong and confident that I wasn’t going to mess this up. He said he wanted me, and I did too. But I didn’t want to wait a month before having sex, as sweet as it was that he was trying to hold off for my benefit. I was ready for more.
With that out of the way, Lynn helped me pick out an outfit that was comfortable but looked attractive on me. I wanted Arthur to really look at me and see beautiful.
Lynn had left, and I was feeling positive about my upcoming adventure with Arthur when I got an email from one of the nurses from the hospital.
One of the young girls had her third round of chemo today and normally she struggled with calming down before getting the treatment. The robot kept her distracted with funny stories, and she made it through the process without too much trouble. I felt so happy after reading that email. My robots were doing what I wanted them to do, helping people who needed someone or something to focus on, helping make them happy. Everyone needs to feel loved, safe, and cared for.
I was giving them that.
Twenty minutes later, I called Arthur to invite him over for dinner before the movie. He agreed, under one condition: he cooked our meal. Of course I had to know what, and he told me in detail what he would do. I felt so much better that he was okay with no surprises and being open between us.
I showered, shaved my legs, and primped myself up as best as I could according to a magazine article about getting sexy before date night.
I was feeling excited and nervous and so many more emotions I had trouble deciphering. I knew I needed to get some of my energy out. So, I began playing with a metal cube in my living room that was my end table. I took the coasters and lamp off, then began shifting the metal into different shapes, melting it down then pulling it back to me like a magnet. I was both testing my ability and draining my power a little. Didn’t want to crush Arthur’s glasses or anything around us if I felt too much.
There was a knock on the door right when Arthur said he would be there, and I put everything back the way it was before.
Showtime.
My feet moved quickly to the door and I opened up with a smile on my face, hoping he would like that greeting. But it wasn’t Arthur at the door.
Chapter Twenty
Arthur
The woman at the counter of the grocery store was training, which was great for her, but she was taking an obscene amount of time checking out my items. I was going to be like five minutes late meeting with Gwendolyn. I wasn’t sure if that was going to be a big deal or not. She was very routine. Hopefully it wasn’t going to throw her off.
As soon as the bags were full and everything was paid for, I ran out the door and hopped in the car, wishing my power was teleporting instead of water manipulation.
Just as predicted, I was exiting the elevator to her floor five minutes late.
But when I looked at her door, I saw someone else standing in front of her. A male someone.
Her eyes caught mine and there was a look of discomfort in them. Whoever this man was, he wasn’t reading her body language, which was broadcasting that she didn’t want him there.
“Hey, baby. Sorry I was running late. The cashier at the store was a mess today.” I walked right past the man like I lived there, and his eyes started moving from me to her, obviously confused there was a man here. That was what I was going for—it was time to bring old Arthur out and make my woman feel safe.
I set the bags down and walked over to her, standing close so she could feel my body heat, but not touching. Didn’t want her to get upset over the unexpected contact.
The man was about five-eleven, not muscular at all, but not fat. He had brown hair, that was cut short and combed back with gel, and brown eyes. He looked like someone who worked at a desk. Accountant, something like that.
“Hi, honey,” she said softly, and that endearment spoke volumes for her. She wanted this man to know she was taken.