It was Bob's first date with Alice. They'd met at her work parking lot, leaving her car there. Bob had driven her to the waterfront. They'd parked. Walked a long way along the beachfront road, with all its quaint little shops. Ate seafood together at a kitschy Italian restaurant that must have been there since the days of Popeye.
Bob tried to impress ... be interesting, and interested! but not TOO interested! Dating is such a delicate dance. Alice dropped hints of her sisters and her days at college. Bob couldn't tell if she was really enjoying herself, or just being polite. She SEEMED to be participating. When they were done Bob and Alice both offered to pay the bill. Then both offered to split it. Then Bob re-proposed paying it all himself, and Alice let him take it.
It had started to sprinkle when they ducked into the restaurant, and it segued into a full-fledged deluge while they were eating. It had settled back down to sprinkle by the time they were finished.
"Good thing the rain stopped!" said Bob. "We'd have been soaked. I didn't bring an umbrella."
"But you did bring high-top boots," observed Alice. "While I only have sneakers. Sneakers aren't waterproof."
Bob looked over the sidewalk. Puddles everywhere. Some deep. The street was old, and the city was clearly not hot on sidewalk maintenance. "You think you'll be OK?" asked Bob.
"We could try," said Alice.
They started out. The first couple blocks were an obstacle course of puddles, but Alice was able to walk along one edge or another and dodge them. Bob did too, despite his boots. But then they came to a long stretch of standing water with no obvious way around.
"Hey, I could carry you on my back!" said Bob.
Alice laughed. "Not on a first date, I think" she said.
"Well," said Bob. "What about if we trade shoes?"
Alice and Bob looked at their feet. Bob's feet were much larger than Alice's. Alice would be walking in boats if she borrowed Bob's big boots, and Bob... "I think I could fit my toes in your shoes," said Bob, "maybe if I put them in sideways." Alice giggled.
"What if you give me one boot?" asked Alice.
Bob rolled his eyes. "Worst of both worlds. We both get wet feet. You sure you won't let me carry you on my back?"
"I'll just go barefoot," said Alice.
That was a solution. But ... "You sure? There could be glass. It's a sidewalk."
"I go barefoot on sidewalks all the time," said Alice.
"Really?" asked Bob. "I never do. In boots I trust, that's me."
Alice started taking off her shoes. "You really don't have to do that," said Bob.
Alice had them both off, now, and socks too, and gingerly stepped in the water. "C'mon!" she said. She rolled up her pants legs, then splashed in deeper, up to her ankles. Bob waded in after her.
"Look at you," she said, "all dry." She stomped in the puddle, splashing all over Bob. Bob retaliated by splashing back with his big boots. They laughed and splashed around in the puddle like little kids.
Bob held Alice's hand, and they continued straight through more puddles. Alice even jumped on Bob's back to go through one of them. Hands wrapped around his neck, holding her dry shoes and socks in one hand.
They made it back to his car. Bob drove her back to her parking lot. She put her shoes back on and they said goodbye.
That went well, I think, thought Bob as he drove back home. Did she have fun? I think she did, once she took her shoes off. She got to show initiative. I certainly enjoyed it. Was I too pushy with the bill? I think that was OK. Hard to tell. Did she have fun? I think so. That was real laughing in that puddle there. Man my pants are soaked. That was fun. Did she like me? Wow bare feet. She said she wouldn't ride on my back then she did anyhow. I think she liked me. That was fun. Did she ...
This was in response to a prompt on rWritingPrompts that got deleted immediately after I replied to it.