may 20th, 2026
8:02 pm
THIRD DATES WERE THE BEST KIND OF date.
At least in Sunday's opinion.
When you reached the third date, you and the person you were on the date with were a little past the awkward 'getting to know each other' stage and heading straight to the 'let's see if this can work' stage.
And Sunday truly believed that her and Aaron might be able to work.
He was attractive, tall, they held amazing and deep conversations, he could make her laugh and perhaps the most important trait: Aaron was clearly and utterly single, no fiancee, no girlfriend, no one who could complicate things.
The pair were strolling through the United States Botanic Garden, her arm linked through his, as Sunday continued telling Aaron a story from high school.
"And I fell on my butt in the middle of the cafeteria freshman year. I was so embarrassed." Sunday chuckled a little at the memory.
"I have a worse story. I was... I wanna say thirteen, I tripped up the stairs at this baseball game, right in front of this older girl I had a crush on at the time," Aaron shook his head as Sunday snickered a little.
"She laughed right in my face. I was so hurt." Aaron continued as they walked past an oversized fountain and some cherry blossom trees.
Sunday tried to rifle through her memories to pick a more embarrassing story but when she couldn't, she sighed in defeat, "You win. That sounds painful."
"You don't look like someone who has a lot of awkward stories." Aaron glanced down at her.
"Oh, please. I wish you could've seen me back then. Glasses and so clumsy." Sunday replied then stopped in her tracks, her gaze at the brightly colored pink plumerias and white magnolias to the right of them.
"You like those?" Aaron asked, following her eyes.
"Yeah, they're pretty." Sunday gushed.
Aaron looked around before striding over and plucking a few of each flower right out of the ground.
Sunday watched with a mixture of amusement and slight horror as Aaron brushed most of the dirt off, snapped the roots off and then walked back over to her.
"You are insane." Sunday laughed as she took them from his extended hand, "But thank you."
"Hey! I saw that!" A security guard of Indian descent pointed right at them then began to jog in their direction.
"Run." Aaron gripped her hand and Sunday had barely a second to glance down in surprise before he was pulling her into a mild run.
After about a minute and a half of running, Sunday turned her head when she heard panting and saw that the guard was slowing down and eventually waved them off before turning around and walking back to his post.
"Oh my god," Sunday laughed.
"I thought he was never gonna give up," Aaron laughed then checked his watch, "Oh, shit. We need to get you home. You have an early class tomorrow right?"
Sunday nodded, brushing some of her hair out of her face with the hand holding the flowers.
The ride to her apartment building wasn't as eventful as the end of their third date, it was just as fun and when Aaron pulled up outside, the pair were still laughing about the security guard.
"He really should find another job," Aaron was saying as he parked his car.
Sunday was about to open her door to get out when Aaron held up his hand, "Hold it."
He got out first, rushed to her car door, swiftly opened it and then extended a hand to her.
Sunday smiled and took his hand, allowing Aaron to help her out of the car.
But as they began to enter the building and walk up the stairs, Sunday could already feel some disappointment settle inside her.
This was the third time that Aaron had walked her up to her apartment and this was about to be the third time that she was getting no kiss at the door after an amazing date.
"Well, this is me." Sunday said as she stopped right in front of her apartment.
"Yeah. I'll call you." Aaron said.
Sunday nodded then put a hand to her forehead, a little annoyed at herself.
This isn't college.
You've changed.
If you want the kiss, get it yourself.
"Wait, Aaron." Sunday called to the man just as he reached the staircase, "I have to tell you something."
He turned halfway around and Sunday waved him over.
As soon as he was in her range, Sunday went onto her toes and gently hooked her arm around Aaron's neck.
If he was surprised at all, he didn't show it, kissing her back expertly and with no hesitation.
"Okay!" Sunday pulled back at the sound of her friend's exclaim and looked behind Aaron to see Jeanette and Rafael waiting a few feet away.
"Oops. Did I interrupt?" Jeanette asked in a sheepish tone.
Aaron laughed, "I should probably go."
Sunday sighed, "Yeah."
Aaron leaned down and kissed her once more for a considerably shorter time before turning and walking off.
Rafael watched him go down the stairs and once Aaron was in a sizable distance away, he turned back to Sunday with a proud look on his face, "Ooh. Where did you meet him? Does he have friends?"
Sunday shook her head as she unlocked the door to her apartment.
Her friends came in after her, both sitting at the kitchen counter with an expectant look as Sunday searched for a vase.
Once she found one that suited her tastes and filled it with water, Sunday put the plants in and then sighed at her waiting friends, "Yes?"
"Who is he? How'd you meet him? Where's he from? And again-." Jeanette started to say.
"Does he have friends?" Rafael interrupted.
"His name is Aaron. I met him right after class a couple of weeks ago. He's from Chicago and as for his friends, yes but I haven't met any of them." Sunday dug her phone out of her jean pocket and passed it to Jeanette.
"Can you plug this in for me?"
Jeanette nodded but paused her phone began to ring, "Um, it's your ex. Again. Why is he calling you so much?"
Sunday blinked, "I don't know," She lied.
Sunday couldn't tell her friends that her and Brandon had kissed, all they would do is encourage her to steal him away from Kimberly on the grounds that he was hers first.
Plus she was exceedingly ashamed of the fact that she had kissed him back.
"Just let it go to voicemail. Me and him don't have anything to talk about." Sunday replied as she popped off her shoes.
"That's true. Bro, I almost forgot to tell y'all. I saw Barbie leaving some bridal shop a few weeks ago and tell me why she had a plastic tiara on her head." Rafael chimed in.
"Like prom?" Jeanette wrinkled her nose, "Mad tacky."
Sunday tried her best to tune her friends out, her chest compressing a bit at the reminder that Brandon was marrying someone else.
If only he would move away.
Or better yet just ignore her existence.
Something other than plague her with phone calls that led to sleepless nights filled with 'what ifs'.
What if it was us getting married?
What if he had gone to the Wizards earlier?
What if he had never met Kimberly?
"Sunny?" Rafael called.
She blinked, "Yeah?"
"Where's your head at?" He asked.
Jeanette nudged him, "On Ken, probably."
Sunday rolled her eyes playfully, "Don't do that."
But Jeanette was right, even though she wasn't trying to be.
Brandon was a painful past, Aaron was a bright future and Sunday needed to jump over the hurdle that was her ex boyfriend.
And soon.
NOTE FROM KY
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