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“I’ll be right back,” she said, flashing him a big smile. “Don’t you go anywhere.”
She bolted out of the car and hurried into the twenty-four hour market, returning less than three minutes later carrying a brown paper bag.
“What’s this?” Devon wondered with a chuckle.
“These,” she began as she reached into the bag, “are for you.” She pulled out two ten-dollar bottles of wine and Devon erupted in laughter at the sight of them.
“Awesome!” he exclaimed as she passed the bottles to him. “Have I ever told you that I love the way you think?”
“You looked like you could use a drink,” she giggled as she fished into the bag for the cheap corkscrew she’d also purchased.
“That obvious, huh?” he asked, unable to shake the smile from his face. “And you’ve officially spent more on this date than I have now, damn you,” he quipped.
“Yeah, well, it came out of that three hundred you gave me so it’s kind of like you bought yourself those drinks,” she smirked. Devon began laughing uncontrollably, his deep cackling contagious, and Eva couldn’t help herself from joining him until her face hurt and a tear streamed down her cheek. Wiping it from her eye and ta
king a deep breath, she glanced at the driver and was surprised to find him chuckling as well.
“Do you mind?” Devon asked as he held up one of the wine bottles.
“Hey, you’re not driving so go right ahead,” Eva replied and watched as Devon used the corkscrew in conjunction with his strong hands to easily open the bottle. Tilting his head back, he placed the bottle to his lips and gulped down a quarter of it within seconds.
“God, that’s so good,” he whispered to himself while reading the bottle’s label and shaking his head in approval. Realizing Eva was watching him, he looked at how much wine he’d just chugged and blushed in nervous concern. “Don’t worry, I’m not a drunk. I just needed something to—”
“It’s okay,” Eva interrupted as she took the bottle from his hand. In one quick movement she threw her head back and poured the tart liquid down her throat until the bottle was half empty. “Damn, that is good,” she agreed as the two shared yet another laugh.
Five minutes later, the first bottle of wine was gone and they’d reached their destination. The sun had set, but stepping out of the car Eva instantly recognized the city’s famous Windsor Bridge. Named after the philanthropist that made it possible, the impressive bridge stretched for over a quarter of a mile and connected the city’s larger east side from its smaller west side. They were standing in a small park area by the riverbed below the bridge, and it occurred to her that she’d never seen it, or the city, from this perspective. Lights from the high-rises that jutted up from across the calm river bounced off the water, and Eva could hear the faint sound of cars whizzing back and forth across the bridge overhead.
“Wow,” Eva gasped as the two took a seat on a small bench overlooking the river. “I’ve driven over that bridge more times than I can count and I never realized this place was here,” she said as she looked around the small park.
“I come here to think sometimes,” he mused with a far-off look. His eyes were fixed on the river, but she could tell his mind was elsewhere. “It helps clear my mind,” he added solemnly. Eva wondered if he might be thinking about his parents.
“I can see that,” she agreed as she took in the silhouette of the city’s skyline. “It’s so peaceful here.”
“Indeed it is,” he said, and took a quick look around before opened the remaining bottle of wine they’d brought along with them.
“So, tell me,” Eva began slowly. “Are you really single? I have to ask because it just seems so hard to believe.”
“I was with a girl for a long time,” he answered, his eyes growing somber and distant. “But it didn’t work out.”
“What happened?” Eva asked softly.
“Oh, you know.” He paused to take a swig from the bottle with a sadness on his face, the reason for which Eva couldn‘t quite ascertain. “Nothing worth talking about,” he added before turning the question around on her. “What about you? There has to be some lucky man in your life.”
“Nope,” she laughed as she reached for the bottle and took a sip. “I’m pretty terrible at the whole dating thing.”
“Why’s that?” he questioned as she passed the bottle back to him.
“Eh. I don’t know, really. I’m too defensive, I guess. Maybe it’s because my dad walked out on me when I was young. Okay, well, he didn’t exactly walk out. He was thrown in prison for trying to rob a store with his idiot friends. Still, I think that might be the reason I have a hard time letting people in. Maybe not,” she sighed.
“That makes sense,” Devon replied understandingly. “And I know firsthand just how defensive you are,” he laughed.
“Sorry,” she said with a nervous smile.
“Don’t be,” he was quick to comfort. “You’ve had it rough, too. We’re cut from the same cloth in a lot of ways.”
“Only your cloth is a lot more expensive now,” she joked, pointing at his suit. “What is that, Armani?”
“This?” he questioned while pulling on the right lapel of his jacket. “I honestly have no idea. I walked into a Men’s Wearhouse and basically said, ‘I need a suit.’ This is what I walked out with.” They shared a laugh as they continued passing the bottle back and forth.
