How much time?

I had a date with HB (hardbody). First the acronym - it's not the best I could come up with but it is the most descriptive. So anyway, I am still trying to work things out in my head. It takes several emails/conversations back and forth to even coordinate an evening out. The issue this week was I am back at the big house - dog/cat/housesitting and I can't leave before I have fed and walked the dog at 6:30pm. We had met for dinner earlier in the week and shared a meal. Now when I say share I mean he bought one dish and we split it. I was very put off by this. I can understand someone being careful with their money (as I was during my unemployment) but I never invited someone out to eat and then asked them to split a meal. So I wasn't exactly looking forward to a Saturday night date. I had rehearsed over and over in my head how I was going to broach the subject of not dating but just continue on a friendly basis. Best laid plans - do they ever work? I seem to think it's a figment of our imagination.

I was prepared this time for dinner. I had a late afternoon lunch so that I wouldn't leave dinner hungry. We got to the restaurant and was seated immediately. We were having sushi. I had been looking forward to this meal all week and knew exactly what I wanted. It took me about 2 minutes to look over the menu. So when the waiter came, HB told me to go ahead and order and then he sent the waiter away without himself ordering. I'm thinking what's going on. Is he tabulating the cost of the meal trying to decide how much he can order? The waiter came back and he still wasn't ready to order. I was starting the get embarrassed. I finally told him he had to decide. Halfway through the meal, I decided to talk about being friends. I know you guys hate these conversations but I was not prepared for what HB had to say in return.

He is going to give me time and space I need to gain back trusting him. He had done nothing but think about what he wants in his life and who he wants in my life and he believes with all his heart that I am that person. So he will continue to date me and if he does anything that I feel uncomfortable with (pursuing me faster than I am ready) then all I have to do is say so and he will take it down a notch. We were done with dinner by 9:30pm but still had things to talk about so we found a Starbucks to people watch and talk. We kept the kisses - lukewarm. The hot ones just get too freaking hot! We are not doing Valentine's day but we are going to have dinner again on Thursday night. (I'm not sharing this time - even if I have to pay for my own meal!)