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As the driver begins to drive, I rest my hand between us in the middle of the black leather backseat, trying to collect myself and push the negative thoughts aside, but I soon turn to mush again as Stephen places his hand on top, entwining his fingers with mine. I look at him and he gives me a gentle smile which I return.
I’m not sure what is happening right now, one minute I am panicking that gran is not in her bed and thinking the worst when I couldn’t find her. The nurses were just as confused as I was because it was a shift change and the night team hadn’t been briefed properly. Then the next moment, I find that my real life prince charming has come to rescue us. I feel out of my depth, but at the same time, he makes me feel so safe, secure, and desired. I have never had anyone look after me, aside from gran, it is a strange feeling to suddenly have someone who appears to want to do exactly that.
“Do you like pasta?” Stephen asks. “There is a great Italian place I go to sometimes, it is quiet and owned by a nice family who always make me feel welcome.”
“Pasta sounds good” I say shyly, feeling like a sixteen-year-old girl, nervous on her first date. Is this a date? I look at what I am wearing and am suddenly feeling very self-conscious. He looks very dapper in his tailored suit, and I am extremely casual in jeans and a jumper. He looks like he is from the cover of a magazine, and I look like I slept in late and just finished a full day of university exams.
Stephen gives the restaurant details to the driver and then we settle into some easy conversation about the Boys and Girls Club and also Nitro. Keeping the conversation work related helps to ease my nerves. Before too long, the car pulls up to a small hole in the wall Italian restaurant called Romeo’s. We walk in and Stephen is immediately greeted by a big Italian man in a bear hug.
“Stephen, my friend, so good to see you.”
“You too, Romeo,” Stephen says.
“Romeo, I would like you to meet my friend, Molly. Molly, this is the owner of this amazing restaurant and my good friend, Romeo,” Stephen introduces me.
I extend my hand to shake but Romeo grabs it and kisses it. “Molly,” he purrs in his Italian accent. “So nice of you to come to our restaurant. Come, Stephen, your usual table is ready.”
Stephen and I follow Romeo to the back of the restaurant to a secluded table. I notice the restaurant is family friendly, neat and tidy but not luxurious. It is classic Italian, with red and white striped linens and amazing photos adorn the walls from different parts of Italy, such as Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Florence. I dream of going one day.
The restaurant has a light-hearted buzz to it that makes it warm and inviting. Having not grown up in a big family, I have a feeling that this is what it would actually feel like to have a big family dinner. Once seated at the back of the room away from other patrons, Romeo promptly brings over a carafe of red wine and a basket of bread along with oil and salt. It is then that my stomach growls, and I realize I haven’t eaten a thing all day.
I blush at the sound of my stomach; it is loud enough to wake up the entire neighborhood. “Sorry, I haven’t eaten all day.”
Stephen frowns at me and Romeo claps and says, “Well, let's get your food right away.” He walks off without taking our orders.
“Romeo will feed us what is fresh and amazing but if there is anything you don’t like or can’t eat, we can tell him?” Stephen asks.
“No, no, I am sure everything will be delicious,” I say quickly, not wanting to be a burden, and I’m seriously hungry enough to eat an entire buffet. How did I forget to eat today? If I am honest, the past weeks have been so busy that I am surprised that I am not wearing two different shoes. I discreetly look down at my feet just to check, because it has actually happened to me before. But I am relieved to see that my shoes are thankfully coordinated today.
Stephen pours us some wine, and together we dig into the fresh bread, the smell of it enough to make my mouth water. With the oil and the salt, it is divine, and I close my eyes and let out a little moan of content when I taste my first bite. When I open my eyes, I see Stephen looking directly at me, his own bread stopped half-way between the table and his mouth as he stares at me. “Everything okay?” I ask hesitantly, my eyes darting around, wondering if I missed something or thinking I must have done something wrong.
“Fine,” he says in a raspy voice, then quickly shoves the piece of bread in his mouth. I shrug and continue to eat the bread while we make small talk and enjoy each other's company until Romeo comes back and paces a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs in the middle of the table.
“Our traditional spaghetti and meatballs shared dish for you two.” With a wink to Stephen, he walks away, giving us some privacy. I look at the meal and immediately think about the movie I watched as a child, The Lady and the Tramp.
“So, Gloria, do you come here often?” Stephen's reference to the character in the movie makes me laugh, and boy, does it feel good to laugh. I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud, and it is a nice feeling.
“Well, Burns, eat up because I am famished,” I say as I dig in because now that I have started eating, I cannot stop, and I need to relieve the hunger pains that are now attacking me from the inside. Like old friends, the laugh over a childhood classic movie has broken any tension between us. Along with the red wine, our barriers are down, and we continue to laugh and eat for the next two hours. I learn more about Stephen and his business and a little about his family. He talks mainly about his cousin, Scarlett, and her husband, Shaun, who are pregnant with their first baby which makes Stephen giddy with excitement, and that does something to my ovaries.
If this is a date then it has been an excellent one, and I am surprised that at the end of the meal, no bill is given so I make a mental note to pick up the tab next time. If there is a next time. We thank and hug Romeo goodbye, then walk back to the car. Stephen’s hand never leaves my back, and we get in the car and start the journey to my place.
“So, how do you know Romeo?” I ask now that we are away from the restaurant. I am more confident now, maybe it is because I am a little buzzed from the red wine. I don’t usually drink, so one glass is really my limit.
“He was Head of Security for my cousin Shaun for a few years, and he resc…” he goes silent, his hand rubbing his chin as he looks away from me and out the window. I can see him thinking, and his body language tells me that our light heartedness has gone, and he doesn’t want to talk about it. I mentally kick myself for asking a question too personal.
“You know what, it’s fine, you don’t have to tell me. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable,” I say, trying to gloss over the situation.
Stephen looks at me intensely. “You could never make me uncomfortable, in fact, you are the only shining light in my world at the moment, I just don’t want to scare you away.”
His honesty hits me right in the chest, and my breath catches at his words. He leans forward and runs his fingers down my cheeks and jaw. “You’re perfect, you know that,” he whispers.
I stare into his eyes as he slowly brings his lips to mine. His lips are soft, their touch tender and gentle, and together our lips meld like magnets, not parting. I bring my hand up and hold the back of his neck, pulling him to me. I haven’t had a lot of experience with men, but this just feels right on every level. We manage to pull away from each other just as the car stops in front of my place.
Stephen asks the driver to stay with the car while he walks me to the door. He walks around the car and opens my car door, then offers his hand which I take, wanting to remain close to him. Hand in hand, we walk up the garden path that leads to the front door. Our house is old, and in need of repair, but you can tell we take good care of it and love it immensely. The front garden is gran’s pride and joy and is proof of our love for the house with flowering roses all around in a selection of colors and varieties. At the front door, Stephen waits until I open it and turn on all the lights.
“Well, goodnight, Molly” he says with a slight smile on his face, his eyes looking deep into mine.
“Thank you for dinner and for everything you have done for gran,'' I say as I step closer to him. When we are only an inch apart, I feel both his hands come up and rest on either side of my waist and he pulls me closer. Our foreheads lean in and meet in the middle, touching, our eyes looking intensely at each other. We stand like that for a moment, both calm and in each other's space like we bring peace to one another.
