“Um,” I say, stalling.
I was so busy staring at Davis and talking to him that I haven’t really looked over the menu that much.
“I recommend the goat cheese and tomato bruschetta,” our waiter tells us, and I nod, looking at Davis.
“Sure, we’ll do that one.”
“Very good.”
The waiter leaves to put in our order, and I vow to pick out a meal before I get sucked in by Davis again.
“What looks good?” He asks me, and I chew on my bottom lip.
“Um, I’m thinking the filet mignon,” I tell him, and he nods. “What about you?”
“The sirloin,” he says.
“The eight ounce,” I say, and he laughs.
“No, the big one.”
“You can’t eat all of that!” I say, glancing down at his flat stomach.
“Wanna bet?” He asks, a devilish look in his eyes.
“What’s the bet?” I ask him, leaning forward towards him.
“If I do, you go out with me again.”
“And if you don’t?” I ask.
“I will.”
I like how cocky and confident he is. I like that he’s not afraid to tell or show me that he’s interested in me.
“Deal,” I say, and he smirks.
Our waiter comes back, and Davis orders for both of us. I’m eager for it to be just the two of us again so that I can get to know him more.
“What made you choose the Army?” I ask him when we’re alone.
“I just wanted to see more of the world,” he says. “The Army seemed like a good way to do that.”
“Did you like your time in the military?”
“Some of it. Some of it was boring, but I liked the people I worked with or deployed with. What about you? What made you choose photography?” He asks me.
“I’m not sure that it was a choice. My dad was a photographer, and he gave me my first camera. I just fell in love with it. I loved how the world looked through the viewfinder. I loved capturing moments and memories.”
“Is your dad still a photographer? He must be so proud of you,” he says with an easy smile.
“He was, he would be. He, uh, he passed away a few years ago.”
“Shit. Cameron, I’m sorry,” he says, reaching across the table and wrapping his fingers around mine.
“Thanks. He was the best. I miss him a lot. I guess photography makes me feel closer to him. He was a wedding and portrait photographer, but he loved nature. We went hiking a lot. Every weekend that he didn’t have a wedding, we were out in nature,” I tell him.
Our waiter comes back with our appetizer and we pause to dig in.