AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Someone who didn’t want to cower and crouch in corners, hiding from danger. Someone who wanted to challenge herself and grow. Someone with a kind, ambitious heart.
Someone who he was falling for harder and harder with each passing second.
It didn’t take long for the two of them to finish their food. Sophia finished way before him, of course, but he took his time, enjoying the food as her eyes burrowed into him. He could feel her impatience, and he found it charming. She loved life so much, she just couldn’t wait for what was coming next.
‘So,’ he finally said, putting his fork down. ‘I think I’m do— oh no, wait a second.’ He picked his fork back up again, slowly. ‘No, I think there’s a morsel of potato there. What do you think?’
Sophia was glowering at him. ‘I think you’re doing this on purpose to annoy me!’
He opened his mouth wide. ‘Just what are you accusing me of, young lady?’
‘Being annoying!’
He popped the fork in his mouth and licked it clean. ‘Guilty as charged,’ he admitted. ‘Okay, so are you ready for your first surprise, or would you like to wait a little lon—’
‘I’m ready!’ she said, smooshing her palms into her cheeks.
‘Hey, you look good like that!’
‘Justgivemethesurprisealready!’
‘Okay, okay,’ he said, smiling. He stood and walked over to the bar, then he started to pull out bottles, setting them on a tray, before taking them back over to the table.
‘It’s not a stuffie?’
‘No,’ he said, patiently.
‘You’re making us drinks?’
‘I am. But… different.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘What’s different about them?’
‘Okay. Here goes.’ He sighed. ‘Before I met you, Sophia, I had a problem.’
‘But you’restillannoying.’
‘Very funny. Yeah, I don’t think that’s a problem I’m ever gonna be able to solve. Nope. My problem was with drink. You know I’ve been sober for three weeks now?’
‘Is that a long time?’
‘For me, it most definitely is. I don’t think I’ve been sober for three weeks… well… ever, honestly.’
Sophia looked shocked.
‘I can’t tell you how grateful for that I am,’ he said, unable to keep the emotion from his voice. ‘Sophia, these past few weeks — working on this place, seeing you work, feeling grounded and positive — I think they’ve been the best weeks of my life.’
There was a huge change in Sophia. Gone was the petulance, replaced with humility. ‘I’m really glad for you,’ she said. There was emotion in her voice, too.
‘I’ve made a big decision. I think, maybe, I’d already made this decision, but I hadn’t worked it out yet. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Anyway. Here it is.’ He’d practiced saying this so many times, and yet, somehow, he was still fucking it up. ‘Sorry,’ he said, rubbing his forehead. ‘I don’t know why this is so hard. My dad always drank. Brought me up drinking. The only times we ever were happy together were times we were both drinking. Anyway.’
She rubbed his arm. ‘I understand.’
‘Point is, I’m not gonna drink again. Ever. There. I’ve said it, so it’s real.’
‘I’m proud of you.’
They were such small words, but they meant so much to him. ‘Thank you. Anyway, to celebrate, I thought I’d make you some of the new mocktails I’ve been working on. When you said Sex on the Beach it really got my mind going.’
