I nodded for Grai to answer. “Well, I skipped lunch because I wanted to try an Italian beef from Portillo’s.”
The truck jerked forward, and we were on our way. Grai abandoned me to slide to the other side of the truck. Because of the time of the year, there was snow covering the ground. My baby rolled the window down to get a better view of the snowflakes. It was the most innocent thing, but it opened a chasm of adoration in my heart. I spent our entire drive watching her fall in love with the city. I knew at the moment it was the perfect choice for our official first date.
“I can’t believe we took a train all the way to Chicago for our first date.”
I smirked while pulling at the hairs on my chin. “I can believe it because you deserve the effort, time, and energy it took to make this happen.”
She momentarily forgot about the city as she came closer and straddled my lap. I was quick to anchor her body to mine and accept her lips. They fulfilled me in a way nothing else could. When she’d had enough of me, she remained in my lap but returned to admiring the city.
I pointed out landscapes and facts I knew while we drove. Everything intrigued her, but it was to be expected. Grai had never been to a city like this before, because she’d never been out of Solaire. I always wanted to show her the world, and now that she was my woman, I was going to make it happen, starting with this trip.
When we got to Portillo’s, I helped Grai out, and then we made our way inside. After looking at the menu, we placed our orders. “Hi, I’d like to get the Italian beef with cheddar cheese and peppers, please.” Grai placed her order.
“Are you sure you want to get the peppers, bae? They’re really hot.” I’d had it before and knew Grai couldn’t handle super spicy foods, even though she wouldn’t stop ordering them.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure I can handle it.”
I sighed while turning to the cashier to place my order. Because I had a gut feeling she wouldn’t be able to handle it, I ordered the same meal but got an extra sandwich without the peppers. “Two sandwiches? Someone’s hungry,” she teased. I sighed because she didn’t even have a clue that she’d be thanking me for buying this extra sandwich in the near future.
We held hands as Grai dragged me from surface to surface, looking at everything that interested her. She stayed at the table she chose, while I went to grab our order from the counter. After a quick prayer, we began to dig in. I had only eaten a few fries when Grai started coughing.
“Whew, that’s spicy,” she noted, fanning her face.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I told you it would be,” I reminded her.
Her head fell backward. “I know, but I thought you were exaggerating or something.” I watched her take two more bites before she stopped. “I can’t do it,” she confessed.
I smiled widely while switching our sandwiches around. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t be able to, so I ordered this extra one for you.”
I watched her melt before my eyes. Part of my job was knowing my woman. Grai was my favorite topic to study, and even when she was in the wrong, I would give her the room to be before stepping in to save the day.
“Thank you, baby. Let me find out you love me for real,” she teased as she dug into her fresh sandwich.
“Stop playing, Bubbles. You know you’re my world.” She blushed, and it was enough to keep me content with the moment.
After we finished our meal, Grai wanted to go to 360 Chicago. It was one of the excursions I hadn’t done before, so I was excited too. When we first entered, there was a series of rooms with information about the city and the option to take pictures in front of a green screen. You know my baby would never turn down a photo opportunity. After that, it was finally time to take the elevator up.
Grai started off excited, but somehow, she ended up glued to my side. The elevator was rocking from the bottom all the way to the top. I couldn’t help but laugh at her. She gasped when the elevator doors opened to the observatory. Because it was nighttime, the city was alit before us in a beautiful way. You didn’t even have to go to the windows to be afraid of how high up we were. I had to force Bubbles to move from the elevator because she was terrified.
“Come on, Bubbles. You didn’t drag me all the way here to chicken out on me. Just breathe. We’re safe,” I reassured her.
She finally let me pull her off the elevator. She had a death grip on my hand as I walked us over to the windows. “Wow.” She shuddered, but I could tell she appreciated seeing the city from up in the sky like this. “It’s even better than I thought it would be.”
I nodded because it surely was. I was glad that my first time experiencing this was with my best friend. After admiring the city, we went to the bar for shots of cognac that settled Grai’s nerves. She never got up the courage to do the tilt view, but she cheered me on. It was worth it to me, some once-in-a-lifetime shit that I was cool with experiencing once.
After we left 360 Chicago, Grai had us on the way to Millennium Park to visit the infamous bean. I swear, all she wanted to do was drag me around the city and force me to take all of her pictures. Of course, she nagged strangers into getting the job done when she wanted us to have photos together. I just knew a Chicago-themed page in her scrapbook was soon to come, and I looked forward to seeing what she put together.
She ended our adventures on one of the architecture tours of the skyline. Even the Captain made a joke about how packed the boat was, even though it was freezing outside. Grai stood in front of me, my arms wrapped around her as we found space to stand with the perfect view. Every time I saw the Chicago skyline, it stole my breath. It was truly gorgeous, and the city had so much history to learn that I enjoyed hearing the host spill it all.
Leaning against the railing with Grai anchored in front of me made it all perfect. “This has been the most perfect evening,” she said with glee.
I kissed her cheek and nuzzled my nose in her neck. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, baby, but you literally made us do everything at once. I’m exhausted. We still have to check into the hotel.”
She spun around to toss her arms around my neck. “Does that mean you’re not in the mood for some sloppy toppy when we get to our room?”
I frowned. “I ain’t say all that now.”
She beamed. “That’s what I thought. Stop complaining, and take this picture of me.” Her phone was shoved in my hand, and all I could do was abide. I was dead tired, but there was nowhere else I would’ve rather been. Plus, since we did most of the tourist things, tomorrow, we could relax and enjoy the spa.
