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"Rocky mountain oysters are a delicacy."
"If I'm going to have balls in my mouth, I prefer it under very different circumstances." The doors slid open and he followed her into the garage.
His eyebrow cocked reflexively. "Now that's something we haven't tried yet."
Her laugh echoed through the concrete structure as they made their way to the truck.
Once at the theater, they settled into their seats with a tub of buttered popcorn between them. In the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, the theater was only half full, mostly of middle schoolers and teenagers off school for the summer.
As the previews started, JT slid his arm across her shoulders and bent his head to kiss her. She kissed him back, but there was no mistaking the stiffness in her shoulders or the way she quickly broke off the kiss.
"Not into PDA?" he whispered.
She shook her head. "It's not that, it's just I feel a little weird all of a sudden," she whispered back. "It's like I have first date jitters or something, which is dumb since we've been sleeping together for two months."
He tightened his arm around her shoulders. "So, does this mean we're dating now?"
His heart clenched in his chest as he waited what seemed an eternity for her answer. He had no idea what was happening on screen, his gaze locked on her face as she stared straight ahead.
Finally, she turned to him, and swallowed hard. "Yeah, I guess it does."
He somehow restrained himself from jumping up and shouting in victory in the middle of the movie theater. Instead he reached for her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. He leaned in close so she could hear him over the theater's impressive audio system. "So maybe when we get home, you'll let me take you on another date to somewhere other than my couch?"
She turned and pressed a warm kiss to his cheek. "Yeah, I would love that."
Colleen blinked against the sunlight as they emerged from the theater, disoriented by the brightness of the summer evening. Her hand was clasped firmly in JT's, as it had been through most of the movie.
Contrary to his promise in the elevator, other than stealing a few kisses here and there, he had kept his focus on the screen and let her do the same. Still, most of the movie was a blur, as she'd spent the last two hours coming to grips with the fact that she was taking the next step in her relationship with JT.
That she was even contemplating a relationship with JT.
Sure, admitting out loud that she was dating—not just sleeping with—JT would seem like no big deal to most people. But considering that, until very recently, she was convinced her heart was slammed closed to any and all potential suitors, this was a big deal.
How she felt about JT was a big deal. And as scary as that was, it also felt utterly, completely, right.
The restaurant was downtown, close to their hotel. It was bare bones, with Formica topped tables and a few faded woodblock prints on the walls. But what it lacked in ambience it more than made up for in the quality of the fish. No mean feat, considering they were over a thousand miles from the nearest coast.
Colleen ordered cold sake and a Japanese beer. JT forewent the sake and just got the beer. "I think the chicken teriyaki is on the other side," she said as JT picked up his menu.
She didn't bother reading her own—she always ordered the same thing.
"I'll start with the miso soup, then the ahi nigiri, the sake nigiri, and a spicy scallop roll," she said when the waiter came back with their drinks.
"I'll have the sashimi combo and a spider roll," JT said to the waiter, winking at her as he handed the man his menu.
"Sashimi?" she asked and poured some sake into the dainty porcelain cup. "Look who's all adventurous. Better not tell anyone or you'll have to turn in your cowboy card."
He smiled and took a sip of his beer. "When I lived in Denver there was a great sushi place near my apartment. My roommate made me go one time and I tried the sashimi on a dare. Ended up hooked."
"It's weird to think of you living anywhere other than the ranch." Even though she knew he'd left for college and business school afterwards, it was hard to picture.
"It was weird for me too, living in such close quarters, being able to hear your neighbors through the walls." He sipped his beer and gave a little shudder at the memory. "But it was great in some ways, getting off the ranch for a little while, living a different kind of lifestyle."
She paused as the waiter returned with her soup. "So, you're a fan of sashimi. What else don't I know about you?" She picked up her soup and took a sip, then set it down. She propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward. "What other secrets are you keeping?"
He smiled. "I think you already know, I'm pretty much an open book."
"No more past engagements you want to tell me about?" She joked.
