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The server returns with a cart and Rowan grins. I cannot imagine what is under the silver dome that has him so excited. But when the he opens it, I’m even more confused. There’s a casserole dish, and they filled it to the brim with crisped phyllo dough. I cock an eye at Rowan, and he laughs. “You don’t remember?”
Suddenly, it all flashes into my mind. “That little Greek town?”
He laughs and nods to the server, who cuts slices. “Tarpon Springs, Spring Break of sophomore year—“
I laugh, too. “Oh my god, the galactic burrito?”
He laughs until he has to wipe his eyes. “That poor little old lady running the restaurant could not get you to say it right to save her life, but she sure tried. And it’s chocolate galaktoboureko.”
“You know I cannot get my tongue around that word.” He grins, and we dive into our first bites. Still warm and chocolaty. It’s so good that I swoon, eyes fluttering back and all. He was right—the Syrah was the way to go for this. I have to ask, “Did you have this flown in?”
“No. Our dessert chef made it. Excellent likeness though, right?”
“Yes, but how did you know it would be?”
He smiles, and if I wasn’t mistaken, it was timid. Boyish, even. “I had her keep making them until she got it like the Tarpon Springs restaurant. I have had way too much galaktoboureko today, and it’s totally worth this afternoon’s belly ache to see you so surprised.”
I giggle. “You shouldn’t have, Rowan. But I’m glad you did. What made you think of this?”
“I don’t know. But I was thinking a lot about the past today. I nearly settled on the chocolate cakes you used to make when I broke up with someone—“
“I’m so glad you didn’t. Those were terrible.”
Rowan laughs and shakes his head. “No, they weren’t.” He looks me dead in the eye. “They were proof I still had someone who cared about me. Those cakes meant the world to me.”
I gulp around the bite in my mouth. “The cakes?”
He nods. “That I had a friend who would do that for me…it was exactly what I needed when I was at my worst.”
I drink down my wine. All of it. “I’m glad the cakes meant so much to you.”
“So um,” he shakes his head, “anyway, I uh, was thinking about the past, and thinking about your chocolate cakes made me remember the old woman trying to help you pronounce the dessert that made your eyes roll back in your head.”
I giggle hard. “I still can’t believe you booked the wrong coast in Florida for that Spring Break.”
“Hey, you made me throw a dart at the map blindfolded. Whose fault is that?”
“It wasn’t so bad. Clearwater Beach was nice. And so is the galactic burrito.”
He laughs. “Try again. Galakto—come on, try it.”
I huff and roll my eyes. “Galakto.”
“—boureko.”
“—boureko.”
“Galaktoboureko.”
“Galactic burrito.”
Rowan laughs again. “Now you’re just being stubborn.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I smile facetiously and dig into the dish. It is heavenly, and I can’t get enough. But sadly, soon my plate is empty.
He looks up when my fork goes down. “You got a bit on the corner of your mouth.”
I wipe my mouth with the soft cloth napkin. “Did I get it?”
