She was grateful for the more upbeat conversation.
Laughing lightly as he ate, he said between bites, “Not much to show off, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?” she asked as she enjoyed the simple but tasty shrimp and vegetables.
“Oh, Sofia and I were just talking about this the other day. I ate some strange things on this last trip, but the strangest thing was sannakji in a small town in South Korea years ago.”
“What is that?”
“Octopus tentacles.”
“Oh, well that’s not so bad,” Aria said, relaxing her face which was bracing for something gross.
“Did I forget to mention that they’re live? And wiggling around the bowl?” he answered as she held her hand to her mouth in horror. “I’ll spare you the details of what it’s like going down.”
She smacked his arm playfully. “Stop!”
Holding his hands up in surrender, he said, “Okay, no more, no more. But you asked.”
“I think I’ll stick with my shrimp.”
He shared a few more funny anecdotes and stood to take their plates to the sink when they finished the light meal.
“Let me help,” she said, placing her napkin on the table, grabbing the platters, and serving bowls.
“I feel like I need to apologize again for my outburst. I have no idea why that keeps happening around you. I hope I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable,” she said softly, handing him a plate to wash.
Taking his hands out of the sudsy water, he dried them on a nearby towel and took her hand.
“You didn't make me uncomfortable at all. Actually, I’m glad you feel that you can say what’s in your heart. It means a lot to me that you trust me with that. You have no idea how much.”
Loving the feel of holding his hand again, Aria placed her other hand over his and stroked her thumb across the top of it, mirroring what he had done earlier. The action caused him to look down at their joined hands.
“You keep surprising me. The way I feel when we’re together,” Aria said softly.
She was shocked when the words came out but wasn’t sorry they had.
“How do you feel when we’re together, Aria?” he asked, looking fully into her eyes.
Pausing to calm her overactive heart, she answered, “Happy, and like I’ve known you all my life.”
“Well, we’re not strangers. I mean, we knew each other back in school. But I’m glad we’re finally where we can spend time together, get to know more about each other. I want that very much.”
Nodding with a grin, Aria said, “Me too.”
Alex looked at her with so much emotion that she felt joy for the first time in so long. The gentle sway of the vessel, the vanilla scent from the candles, the feelings that were blossoming between them seemed to work their magic of bringing peace to her erratic mind.
She allowed herself to be in the moment, though it felt selfish. Surprisingly, she was alright with that. She felt ready to open up just a tiny bit more.
“I know I told you before that I haven’t written in a long time, which is true. It’s been years since I even wrote in my journal.”
“You mean like the pink one you had in school?”
Gasping, she answered, “How do you know about that?”
“I told you. I had a crush on you back then and anyone paying attention could see that you had it with you everywhere you went,” Alex answered, with a teasing look, his voice deep and rich.
Leaning her forehead on his chest, she mumbled into his shirt, “You really meant it, didn’t you?”
