Chapter 2 Her First Time:(2)

• After that traumatic breakup Destiny had taken a break from dating choosing instead to focus on her studies. She dipped her toes back into dating the following semester, but most guys made it clear early on exactly what they were hoping for and a loving, devoted girlfriend simply wasn't it. Too many party girls who were more than willing to give it up for free, no name or phone number required. At this point Destiny was still hoping for true love. She wanted romance and butterflies not a drunken encounter in some dorm room or common room couch. Or even worse outside in a back corner behind the dumpsters. She knew she had messed up with Joel. And she understood that he must have been disappointed and even angry but to dump her and immediately hook up with someone else seemed a bit extreme. He had just been telling her that day, hell even in the hotel room, that he loved her. Then, just because she panicked over something that to her was a very big deal, he suddenly didn't love her anymore. Is that even possible? Most likely he'd never actually been in love with her to begin with. But Destiny would never know for certain. She'd never spoken to him again. She'd see him around campus every now and again. For a while her friends would give her details about his doings when and if they heard something. Apparently, he had become a huge player and had hookups with several girls. Destiny had seen him at a party their junior year standing against a wall receiving a blow job from a girl Destiny knew for certain was a freshman. Senior year, however, he started dating a girl who was earning her degree in marketing. The girl, Jessica, was a tall blonde with striking brown eyes that stood out against her fair skin. Destiny didn't see Joel often, however, whenever they did cross paths, Jessica was almost always with him and it became clear to her that this was an actual relationship. She was correct. They were engaged before the year was out and Destiny found out through the very few mutual friends that they shared that they had married not long after graduation.
• Destiny graduated from college as pure as she had begun it. No boyfriend or even the prospect of one. She moved forward, however, and was soon hired by the same company she still worked for. At the time it didn't seem like a big deal. Being a virgin at 22 wasn't the worst thing in the world. Maybe a bit unusual but not freakish in her opinion. Now that she wasn't spending so much time studying, she could devote more time to her social life. And she did. She went out. She made friends. She went to clubs, restaurants, bars. Even more adult and cultural places like museums. She met lots of men. Men she liked and found attractive. Men she went out with. But whenever she got close to 'doing the deed' she still got so nervous she never could go through with it. By 26 she'd given up the fantasy of losing it to 'the one.' It no longer had to be in the perfect setting with someone who would love her forever. That was taking too long. Her apartment would be just fine of a location and as long as she genuinely liked a guy, and he liked her that should be enough, right? Well, Destiny still couldn't shake her biggest fear. What would he think of her afterwards? She was so scared that she would not satisfy her partner and he would dump her like yesterday's garbage afterwards. She didn't want to disappoint someone she cared about. Unfortunately, every man she liked and dated eventually got tired of waiting on her and dumped her anyway. So, the end result was still the same. She ended up alone. But she told herself she'd rather get dumped for not having sex than for doing it badly. At 27 she had the small satisfaction of finding out Joel's beautiful wife Jessica had applied for a job with her company. Destiny was the person to whom job applications had to pass through. She reviewed applicants and then passed her recommendations onto her boss who would then schedule interviews. Jessica's application was not passed on to her supervisor. Petty? Of course. Did Destiny care? Not a bit.
• At 28 Destiny had almost given up. She supposed she could try therapy, but she was too embarrassed to talk about her problem. By now being a virgin was not just unusual, it was flat out embarrassing. Her name didn't help either. At her age men not only assumed she had had sex before but also that she was a slut. A man at a bar she had been chatting with once literally had his eyes bug out when she told him her name. 'Destiny Ryder? Are you a stripper or a porn actress?' She had told him 'No' to both those inquires. 'Every girl I've ever met with a name like that has been incredibly easy! Please tell me that you are too?!' For once Destiny was not unhappy to be able to answer honestly that, no she was not. She was a nice girl. The man moved down the bar to talk to another girl.
• The following weekend, however, brought an interesting opportunity to Destiny. She had been out clubbing with her friends followed with some drinks at a bar. People left intermittently and eventually it was just Destiny left at the bar finishing up what was going to be her last drink before heading home. She glanced around at the other bar patrons. She was the only one here alone. No matter. She would be leaving soon. But then a woman walked in and took a seat just one spot away from Destiny. She was dressed very smartly in a little black dress and gorgeous red shoes. But her hair was a bit messy as was her makeup. Her eyes were wide as if she were in shock. She ordered a gin and tonic and once brought to her she downed it in a matter of seconds before asking for another. Destiny was worried that something bad might have happened to the woman who looked to be around the same age as her. Normally she minded her own business, but something compelled her to ask, 'I'm sorry to bother you. But you look a little disoriented. Are you ok?
• The woman glanced at her then pulled a mirror out of her purse. After glancing at her reflection, she started to laugh. 'I certainly do, don't I?' she laughed. 'Thank you for checking on me. And to answer your question, yes, I am ok. As a matter of fact, I am more than ok. I just had the most wonderful experience of my entire life.'
• 'Oh really?' Destiny asked. She was very curious now. What could possibly have happened to this woman who obviously put so much care in her appearance to then come in here looking so disheveled but also be wonderful? She just had to ask, 'What happened?'