Chapter 6: The Explanation

Blake finally discloses the reasons why he behaves the way he does.

Blake and Danielle continue to hang out with each other for the next three months, seeing the hottest new movies, visiting each other's apartments, and going out to dinner. At this point, though he still finds the experience a bit unnerving, Blake is willing to call Danielle his girlfriend, and can't ever seem to find it in himself to say no when she asks for his company and attention. His new relationship is also having an effect on his appearance. He now spends more time out, which turns his skin less pale, and though his eyes are gray by default, they seem to shine noticeably brighter than they did before. He even starts to incorporate a bit more color into his daily outfits and is seen smiling more often.

Tonight, they're heading to a Cajun restaurant called Sandra's. Both of them dress casually for the occasion and meet up at the maitre'd, before they're promptly seated at one of the booths.

"Good evening, you two. I'm Roxanne Romano, and I'll be your server tonight," says a short, curvy waitress with bronze skin and black hair with platinum-blonde highlights.

Blake and Danielle each order a soft drink and an appetizer sampler to share. Clearly they're not in the mood to waste any time, but little does Blake know that Danielle has other plans for this date.

"So uh, this question just randomly popped into my head, but I couldn't help but notice something," she begins.

"Really? What?" Blake perks an eyebrow.

"I couldn't help but notice that you don't seem to have much of a life," Danielle continues. "I mean, outside of the times when we go out together, you act rather... antisocial. I can tell that during the rare times you do interact with others, you seem pretty reluctant to do so."

Blake hesitates for a moment, trying to get this thoughts organized before he gives his girlfriend an answer.

"Well here's the thing," he says. "I never met my birth parents, nor do I even have any photos of them, but I was adopted by an Armenian family at a young age. And Armenian people don't really discuss sexual topics all that much, even amongst themselves."

"Interesting," Danielle's voice trails off as she pays close attention.

"And not only were they Armenian, but they were Catholic as well. They believed that sex out of wedlock is a sin, as well as lust in of itself, and because of those beliefs, I was forced to attend all-male schools from Pre-K up until college," Blake explains. "So as I grew up, my logic was that if I never felt love, I wouldn't feel lust. I figured the best way to avoid sex and lust altogether was to shield myself from other people as frequently as possible, and it worked up until recent years, even though all the other workers on my floor are all women. I just had no chemistry for any of them, but that all changed the day you became one of my colleagues, and suddenly I started feeling emotions I'd never felt before."

"Aww..." Danielle coos.

"And let me tell you it was downright scary," Blake continues. "When we almost did it at that happy hour, I was terrified. They say alcohol impairs your judgement, but I guess I didn't drink enough for that to happen."

"Well there was nothing to be afraid of. Those people who raised you are just stuck in the past. Sex out of wedlock is not a sin, and lust is just a natural part of any relationship. As a species, our main purpose is to grow up and mate before we die, so the desire to have sex is perfectly normal. It's only when you love someone purely for sex when it becomes a bad thing. It's important to love someone for reasons other than that," Danielle explains. "Now let me ask you this: is lust the only thing you feel for me?"

"What?! N-No! Not at all! I mean, yeah, you're pretty good looking, but you're also smart, you're funny, you're friendly... I-I don't need to have sex with you in order to prove we're meant for each other!" Blake quickly replies, only to blush and look around.

Several other customers immediately look his way, having heard his remark. Danielle simply chuckles in response.

"Er... sorry, that was loud." Blake grins sheepishly.

"It's okay. I don't mind." Danielle shrugs. "But yeah, like you said, you love me for reasons other than my appearance, so we're all good. Your family was right, in that it takes more that sex to have a good relationship, but they're wrong in that lust is a bad thing."

"Okay, I think I get it now," Blake replies. "Gotta say, it felt really good to get that off my chest after all these years."

"No problem," Danielle says.

With that, the two examine the now cluttered tabletop for a few seconds, before looking back at each other.

"Well I have to say, that was delicious," Blake comments, before checking his watch. "But I'm afraid it's getting a bit late."

"Agreed. I really enjoyed hanging out tonight," Danielle replies. "Say, uh, how about you come over to my place this Friday? Money's a little short for me this month, so I can't go out for every date."

"Sounds like a plan," Blake says, not noticing a small but devious grin on Danielle's face.

Following that comment, the two hug each other and part ways.