I sat back down; Remy poured me a glass of Prosecco. "I just need to plate everything and then I'll be right back."
I smiled and nodded before he walked away. Taking a slow sip of the wine, my eyes moved around the room again, taking in the petals, the candles, the effort. He really did all this for me, and I didn’t know what to do with that yet.
A few minutes later, I heard the kitchen door open. I lifted my gaze and watched him step out, carrying two plates. He set the plate down in front of me carefully. “Careful, beautiful. It’s hot.”
I glanced down. The plate was perfectly plated. Lamb chops, seared to perfection, sitting on top of a smooth mash that smelled like garlic and butter alongside roasted vegetables.
I looked back up at him, a smiling. “I love lamp chops and this looks so good. Thank you.”
He pulled his chair out and sat across from me, relaxed. “My pleasure."
I picked up my fork and knife, cutting into the lamb. Taking a bite I paused, chewing slowly as I processed it. “Remy…” I said, shaking my head slightly.
He leaned forward a little, watching me. “Yeah?”
“I wanna bite you this is so good.”
His shoulders shook slightly as he laughed. “I’m glad you like it.”
I took another bite, smaller this time. "You're an excellent cook. You're gonna have to show me a few things."
"I would love too," he replied still smiling. "Do you like to cook?"
"I like toeat." I shrugged, with a light laugh and making his smile deepen. "But I can't say I enjoy cooking." I paused my eating to look back at him. "Oddly enough, I do like prepping though."
Remy chuckled. "That's my least favorite part." He shook his head. "See…we're already compatible. You do the prep work and I cook."
I bit back a smile. "That could work."
His face studied me for a moment. His eyes dropped to my lips and slowly back up to my eyes.
"You like what you see, handsome?" I asked.
He nodded slowly, that soft smile still on his face. "I do. Thoroughly." His voice dipped slightly. "You're gorgeous, Gianna," he said sincerely.
My stomach fluttered for the umpteenth time. "Thank you. You know, I've heard it a million times but for some reason when you say it, it feels…different."
"In a good way I hope?" He held my eyes.
I nodded. "For sure. Feels like you're seeing deeper. Underneath the surface I guess." I shrugged slightly.
"Seeing the heart?" he leaned in, voice soft.
"Yeah," I sighed with a nod. "That’s exactly it."
He smiled again. "Precisely why I wanted to see you again."
"Well…here I am." I exhaled, picking back up my fork. "So…were you nervous to see me?"
He nodded, smiling through the food he was chewing. Swallowing, he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I was nervous as shit. I can't even flex."
I chuckled. "Little ole me," I teased.
"Nah. Ain't nothing little about you."
"You calling me fat, Remy?" I raised a brow, face serious.
"What? No." He shook his head immediately. "You're perfect," he rushed to explain. "Not that there's anything wrong with being bigger, you would be beautiful either way—"
