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“Thanks again for taking the girls for the night,” I told my mom after dropping them off. I listened to Bella and Emery laughing in the other room with my dad and smiled. It was so great to have my parents living just a few minutes away from me now.
“I’m not sure why you’re thanking me,” my mom said with a laugh. “I’ve been begging you to let them stay with us for months. I’m just happy you finally are.”
“Well, I still appreciate it, so thank you.”
“What are you and Tori doing tonight?”
I moved my eyes around the house to look at anything but my mom. “Nothing really. I don’t really know. I think we’re going to get dinner or something. Maybe. Maybe not.” Very smooth. I could have slapped myself.
“Mhm.” My mom smirked and lifted both eyebrows. “That’s what I thought.”
“I don’t know what you think you thought, but it’s not what you think.” Yep. That jumbled mess of words was definitely convincing.
“That’s too bad. I really like Tori.”
Since she clearly knew what was going on, I figured I might as well use this opportunity to test the waters. “So, you don’t think it’s weird? The two of us?”
“If having a gay daughter has taught me anything throughout the years, it’s that you can’t help who you fall for. I’m also a big fan of whatever has brought that sparkle back in your eyes, and I think I know exactly what that is. Or maybe I should say who.”
Instead of saying anything, I wrapped my mom in a tight hug. She hugged me back, then gently pushed me away. “No more wasting time. I have two little girls to hang out with, and you have a date.”
I skipped to my car because I was so happy about how things had gone with my mom, but even more excited about what was to come with Tori. She had planned the whole night for us so I had no idea what was coming. All I knew was that it was starting as soon as I got back home and dressing up wasn’t necessary.
When I pulled into the driveway, I took out my phone to text Tori just like she told me to. I’m here. Should I come in or are you coming out?
Come in :)
I skipped toward the house and swung the door open, surprised when Tori was nowhere to be found. For some reason, I half expected her to be waiting at the door for me.
“I’m up in the extra room,” Tori shouted as if she could read my mind. It was strange she was in that room since it had been empty ever since Bella decided she didn’t want it to be her room, but I was too excited to overthink it.
When I got upstairs, the door to the room was closed, so I knocked and waited for Tori to answer. I couldn’t believe my eyes when she opened the door for me. Somehow, in the time I had been gone, the room had been completely repurposed. There was a small table in the middle of the room with a white table cloth on it, two chairs on either side, and a candle in the middle. There were also two plates, which were currently covered by those fancy warming things I had only ever seen in movies. Tori lifted one as if we were in a movie and revealed a mouthwatering pasta dish.
“I thought about taking you to your favorite restaurant, but I figured it would be loud, and we’d end up waiting forever for a table. So, instead, I brought your favorite restaurant to you.”
Tori looked at me with a nervous smile. “Don’t worry. We are going out tonight. I just thought an intimate dinner with just the two of us was a better way to start.”
“It’s perfect, Tori. Truly.” And it really was. I couldn’t think of a better first date. It combined two of my favorite things—eating out, but also staying home.
“In that case,” Tori pulled out my chair for me, “would you like to have a seat?”
I accepted her offer and once I was sitting, she pushed my chair back in, then ran to the other side of the table and took a seat in her own chair. I looked around the room and smiled as I thought about how hard the two of us had worked on it only to have Bella decide she wanted to share a room with Emery. “The bright pink walls really add to the ambiance,” I joked.
Tori cringed. “If I had the time, I would have painted them.”
I thought she was joking until I noticed her pursed lips and reddening cheeks. I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. “Tori, I’m only kidding. I meant what I said. It’s perfect. I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”
The smile returned to Tori’s face and she waved her hand. “It was nothing compared to what you deserve. You deserve the whole world and all of the happiness it has to offer, Rosemary.”
My face warmed, and I knew it was probably the brightest red at the moment, but I didn’t care. My heart was more full than it had been in a very long time. I had no idea what to say, so I made a joke to keep the mood light. “Really laying it on thick for the first date, huh?”
Tori tilted her head and brushed her fingers back and forth against mine, that simple motion making my stomach do somersaults. “I’m just saying and doing all of the things I’ve been holding in for months. I felt like I was going to burst from all of the feelings I was keeping locked up inside of myself. It feels good to finally let it out. I want to tell you exactly what’s in my heart.”
I swallowed hard as my throat went dry. I had never seen Tori so serious before, and it took my breath away that it was all because of me. “Let it out. I definitely won’t stop you.”
Tori stared at me for a long time before saying anything, those gorgeous blue eyes burning into mine with a passion that only Tori Fittery was capable of. “This is going to sound crazy, and I know it’s not the same for you since you had Willow, and she was clearly your soulmate, but I think you were made for me. I’ve known you so long, but it was like one day I woke up, looked at you, and realized you were the one my heart had always been waiting on. You were the reason it never worked with anyone else. You were just… it.”
