Page 36 of The Rhythm of their Souls

I quickly cup the back of her head, locking my fingers into her thick strands, careful not to mess up her updo. I’ll save that for later tonight. Forcing my mouth on hers, she doesn’t fight back, parting her lips so that our tongues can dance in sweet, tasteful circles.

I’ve craved her mouth since last seeing her. And no matter how hard I try to savor the taste of her smooth tongue, I can never get enough to satisfy the hunger inside me.

When I pull away, I gently nip her bottom lip, and a small whimper leaves her throat. My dick is already throbbing for her. And I’d love, more than anything, to pick her up and lay her on the hood of my Corvette. I picture sliding her red dress up and finding that she isn’t wearing anything underneath. So many dirty thoughts run through my head.

I rest my forehead against hers, caressing her cheek with my thumb. “We would be late for dinner if I went through everything I’ve missed about you.”

She closes her eyes for a moment and replies with so much desire in her tone. “Maybe you can show me how much you’ve missed me after dinner.”

Fuck, I can’t wait to show her physically just what she’s doing to me. I growl back, “ Yes, my little spicy Olive, we’ll save dessert for later tonight.”

We arrived at our 6 p.m. reservation just in time, and luckily, the dinner traffic hadn’t affected us yet. The server collected our menus and guided us to the table I had requested at the back of the restaurant. From there, we have a perfect view of the chefs. My parents used to bring me here as a child, and we always sat at the same table so I could watch them cook our food. And after they adopted sweet Emma, we continued this little tradition for many years.

I watch Olive as she scans the room, always paying attention to her surroundings. I hope she likes the food here, as this has always been one of my favorite hibachi grills near home. I might sound biased, but I truly believe they serve the best sushi around. I’m eager for her to try it, as I doubt she has experienced anything better.

“So, what do you usually order?” she asks playfully, peering out from behind her menu with a curious glint in her eyes.

I smile and reply, “I was thinking about getting sushi. I really hope you’ll try it—I’ll be amazed if it’s not the best you’ve ever had.”

A flicker of surprise crosses her face, followed by a soft laugh as she shakes her head, clearly skeptical.

“I’ve actually never tried sushi. It always looked unappetizing to me,” she admits, her nose wrinkling slightly. “I think I’ll just stick with teriyaki steak, rice, and vegetables. You really can’t go wrong with that.”

With a playful grin, I shake my head. “That’s fine, but you have to at least try a piece for me, okay? Just one little bite!”

Her eyes twinkle with amusement at my enthusiasm, and after a brief pause, she nods in agreement, a smile spreading across her face. It’s clear she knows I won’t let this go easily, and I can’t wait to share this experience with her.

Our server eventually brought out the sushi; I ordered several California rolls. I wanted to stick with simple since this would be her first time trying it. Olive spends a good minute examining the rolls on the long dish.

I can’t help but let out a small chuckle. “There’s no backing down now,” I say with determination.

She wrinkles her cute little nose at me. “Fine, just one bite.”

She picks up a roll and smells it before I can warn her not to. Her expression makes me laugh again.

“Theo, how do you eat these? They smell awful!”

I quickly grab one, dip it in shrimp sauce, and pop the whole roll into my mouth. Then, I gesture for her to do the same. Finally, she follows my lead, dipping the roll in the sauce before putting it in her mouth.

I sit back and patiently watch as she slowly chews, holding a napkin near her stained lips.

She mumbles, “Okay, it’s not that bad, but I don’t see myself eating it again. I’ll let you handle the other several rolls on your plate.” Then she gives me a half-hearted grin. She looks so cute, even with one side of her cheek bulging from stuffing a whole roll in her mouth. The sushi might have been a failure, but dinner has gone well so far.

As we drive to my house with the top down, the night breeze feels refreshing. Olive asks to listen to Sublime, and I’m more than happy to oblige. I can’t help but glance at her as her hair dances around her face, gently framing her high cheekbones.

She sings along with the band, her smile proving to be contagious. For once, I notice she isn’t lost in her thoughts. As silly as it may sound, seeing her like this makes my heart skip a beat.

And seeing her in my passenger seat makes me so fucking happy; her presence makes my car look good. I give her smooth thigh a light squeeze, and in return, she squeezes my hand, giving me that lazy smile I’ve grown to love.

As we near my neighborhood, Olive turns down the radio. “How long have you lived here?” she asks curiously.

“I started working in the landscaping business with my dad when I was thirteen. I saved up every penny I could. When I turned eighteen, he gave me partial ownership of the business. Since then, I’ve focused on building my credit, and I bought my place about two years ago.”

We pull into the driveway, and I park the car, leaving the headlights on. I turn towards her, placing my hand back on her thigh. She gazes at me for a moment before looking towards the house.

“That is really impressive, Theo. You should be proud of yourself.”

I let out a long breath. “I appreciate that. Truthfully, my parents are the reason. It was working hard and building something for myself or failing and figuring it out on my own.” I let out a short laugh. “But I’m glad they stuck with it because I probably would have turned out to be a fuckhead otherwise.”