It is time

"Have you ever seen the movie 'wag the dog'?" Julian asked me.

I had the strange urge to touch his hair, wanting to know how it felt between my fingers.

Oh right, he asked me something. "No," I nodded. "That's a shame," Julian said smiling."Then we'll watch it together," he said, sure of his case and winked at me. Together… Did I want that?

"Maybe at our next meeting," he suggested and folded his hands on the table. He looked extremely clean.

"Nah... I don't date at home," I told him. Julian frowned. His face was particularly expressive. "You don't date at home?!" he stated more than he asked.

"That's right," I answered simply.

"What is the movie about," I wondered aloud. Note to myself; ask Julian where he teaches. Would it be okay to watch that movie together? Did I want that? So many questions popped into my head, and I asked none of them. "It's about a spin doctor who invents a war to distract the people from the missteps the president committed during election time," he chuckled.

"A movie that every political scientist should have seen at least once in there life," Julian added. So he must be a political scientist then... Right? What kind of companies would he have?

"Ah, a good conspiracy movie," I said with a laugh. "I like that," I told him. Would he think that's crazy? "It's always good to doubt the existing roads," he said sweetly. "If we didn't, we would never discover new things," I mumbled without a doubt.

Julian flashed his teeth in a big smile again. I can could see that he was quite the charmer. And it seemed he was very well fully aware of the affect he had on me.

"Mhhh... a true pioneer, who follows her own path," he said.

"I think so. I think it's important to be curious about life and to wonder about everything and anything every day," I told him.

"Incredibly beautiful, ambitious and also wise," he said sultryly. "The list just keeps growing."

I rolled my eyes at him. What a flirt.

"Julian," I began to say, and I marvelled at how nicely his name rolled off my tongue. He licked his lips and I had to remind myself to keep breathing before he would tell me again. "Are you always such a flirt during your dates," I just blurted out.

His eyebrows knitted closer together in a frown, but his lips still formed a smile. "I never date," he said without blinking an eye.

"You don't?" That must be a joke. It was quiet for a moment. "No, never." Julian looked very serious, he seemed to mean it.

I squeezed my eyes together. "You don't believe me," he said a tone softer and tilted his head slightly again. A curl fell before his eyes and I wanted to touch it.

That hair... never in my life had I ever wanted to go through someone's hair so badly. "There's never really been a good time to start a relationship, so I've never actively sought it out," he said, appearing to be honest.

"I can't really imagine that," I said disapprovingly. Julian looked surprised, so I clarified myself. "I mean you don't have to actively look for someone to start a relationship with, they present themselves naturally to you," I said teasingly.

"And... what exactly do you mean by that?" His voice was full of humor and his eyes were dancing. Come on… he knew full well what I meant.

I rolled my eyes again and said nothing. "Well, get on with it," he laughed. I sighed. "I think women willingly throw themselves at you. Wherever you are. Without you having to look for it."

Julian started to laugh out loud and shook his head. "And why do you think that," he asked without hiding that he found the situation entertaining.

"Oh Julian... I don't have to tell you that you're attractive," I told him. "You probably know that very well yourself."

"You find me attractive," he said with a tempting smile, and his dark green-brownish eyes sparkled.

It was quiet for a moment as we looked at each other. It felt like there was electricity in the air.

"Your coffee is getting cold," I noted. For a moment he seemed to be lost. "You're right," Julian said, bringing the cup to his lips.

Julian wrinkled his nose. I guess the coffee was already cold. "Warm coffee tastes better," he sighed when he put his cup back on the table.

"You haven't told me about the most important thing yet," he said with split eyes. "Your children," Julian reminded me when it stayed quiet for too long.

That wasn't on my profile. Not that I wanted to hide it, but... How did he know? I swallowed.

"They're called Esmee, Livia and Joshua. Livia is eight, Esmee is ten and Josh is four," I told him, trying not to show that I was surprised by his question.

"Beautiful names," he complimented me. "Do you have children?" As soon as the words had left my lips, I thought about how unlikely that sounded.

He shook his head. "Never got around to it," Julian explained. "Now, however, I think it's wonderful to form a family." I swallowed. It almost sounded like he wanted to say that he wanted to form a family with me.

"Would you like more children," he asked me. This wasn't really a first date topic, was it? I shrugged my shoulders. "No, not necessarily." I bit my lip. "I mean, I'm studying now so that I can work on my career full throttle. Newborn babies are not necessarily preferred in that picture." I'd better be honest, I thought.

"I get that," he said understandingly. Still, I sensed some disappointment in his voice. "It's not that I definitely don't want it, but I would only do that to make my partner happy," I explained in all honesty.

"Are you still dating others right now?" That was an unexpected question. I nodded yes. Julian frowned a bit. "Sorry I made you wait so long," he apologized

"Maybe a weird question, but you said that you don't date... Then why create a profile on an dating app?"

He smiled. Why did he have to be so sexy. "Good question," he mumbled. "My sister thought it was time for me to come home with a woman," he said melancholically.

"And you, do you think so too," I asked the man doubtfully. "Refreshing, you don't wrap any words around it either," Julian laughed. "I love that," he quickly let me know. "I need someone to tell me how it is. Not a yay-nodder like everyone else I meet on a daily basis."

"You want a sparring partner," I guessed. "Right, that. That's exactly what I want," Julian agreed. "I think you can certainly be that for me, what do you think?"

"I think you haven't answered my question yet, Julian," I smiled. His lips turned into a crooked smile. Julian put his finger back on his mouth and continued to look at me smiling.