It took me almost two hours to get ready for dinner that night, and Derrick, unlike most brothers I’d dated, was on time. There I was, standing in front of the bathroom mirror with a curling iron in my hair, trying to decide if I should open the door or just let him wait until my hair was done. I decided on the latter and ran to the front door, shouting.

“Just a minute, I’m still getting dressed!” I ran back to the bathroom and my curling iron, praying he would understand.

I don’t know how long I left him outside, but he was the perfect gentleman when I let him in. He just smiled at me with those pearly white teeth while I admired his dimples.

“Damn, baby, if I’d known you were going to look this good, I could have waited outside all night.” He smiled seductively, looking me up and down.

I spun around so he could see all the curves that my tight-fitting mini dress would reveal. Taking my hand, he led me out the door to his Porsche and whisked me away to The Tobacco Company, one of Richmond’s nicest restaurants for dinner and atmosphere.

Derrick treated me like such a lady that night. When we arrived at The Tobacco Company, he wouldn’t even let me order. It was as if he knew exactly what was right for me from that point on. We ate shrimp scampi and drank Moët till I was silly drunk, then we walked over to the club After Six and danced until they were ready to close. Derrick was having such a good time, he bribed the owner and DJ into staying open an extra half hour. It was the most perfect evening I’ve ever had, and quite honestly the most fun I’ve had in my adult life. It was as if that perfect date would never end. By the time I awoke from my fairy tale, it was two weeks later and we were a couple. A month later, he’d moved in.