Franco returns with more plates filled with bow tie pasta. He sets one topped with green sauce in front of Ruth, and one with a nice red sauce in front of me. “So,” he says as he waves his hand between us. “How long have you two been a couple?”
Ruth manages to laugh lightly, but she doesn’t correct him. She peers at me, like she’s yielding the question, and I say, “Well, officially we aren’t together. It’s our first real date.”
“There’s no way you are not a couple.” Franco's brows bunch together. “Look at her, she’s shining, and you can’t take your eyes off of her.”
I must give it to Franco as he is good at reading people, and I have no words to argue. I offer a shrug. “I’m trying my best to win her over.”
Ruth smiles and shakes her head. Every time I see that smile, I feel like I’ve scored another point. I’m that much closer to winning her heart.
Franco spins on his heel to help a newly sat table. Ruth picks up her wine glass by the stem and holds it near her face, not taking a sip as her eyes narrow. Truth be told, I love the way she looks at me. After a moment, I pick up my glass and say, “What are you thinking about?”
“Just that I’m glad I’m here.”
“I’m glad you’re here too.” I push my glass forward to initiate a toast. “Shall we toast to having a great first date?”
Her laughter is more relaxed than I’ve ever heard it. The sound flutters into my chest, and she doesn’t hesitate to click her glass with mine. “To our perfect first date.”
My breath hitches in my chest, as it does feel perfect. It’s everything I hoped for, and it’s only just beginning.
It’s dark when we step back into the night. My cheeks tingle, but if I’m honest I hardly notice over the tingles that spiral up my arm when Ruth allows me to lead her back to the hotel, hand in hand. It’s like a scene from a movie, the streetlamps casting soft halos guiding us forward.
Quebec is still very much awake, as window shops are lit, a hum of life spills from the bar across the street. “Should we walk around or are you ready to head in for the night?” I ask, after we are a few steps away from the bistro.
Her face lights up with excitement. “I’m not ready to go to bed. Let’s explore.”
Music floats toward us, and I turn my ear while I point forward. “Let’s check it out.”
We pick up the pace toward the rhythmic beats until we find a band playing outside a pub on the block past our hotel. It’s not so much of a band, as it’s one guy with an acoustic guitar and a gal with a tambourine, but their vocals sound amazing. A small crowd of people has gathered. Some are clapping, and a few of them are dancing. Ruth stops mid-step and just stares. “This is magical.”
I open my mouth to reply, but she surprises me and yanks me forward into the middle of the crowd, where the music wraps around me, infecting us both with playful joy. I apparently have no ability to say no to her, because she pulls me into a dance, spinning me like we’re teenagers. I’m laughing, and she’s grinning so brightly her smile lights up the whole night, and the city around us fades into a whirl of color.
Her eyes catch mine, sparkling, and her lips twitch, curling into an angle that hints she knows something I don’t. “You’re staring at me,” she whispers in a low voice as she leans forward and tilts her head back, gazing at me.
“That’s all your fault.” I wrap an arm around her lower back and draw her even closer to me. “You’re too beautiful to look away.”
She laughs, rolling her eyes playfully, but there’s a magnetism there that pulls me to take another step closer. Now we’re standing so close, there’s hardly room for a hand to pass between us. “You think you're smooth, don’t you?” she teases, all the while her gaze stays hooked on mine.
I toss up a lazy shrug. “You haven’t run away yet, so maybe it’s working.”
Her lips twitch like she’s fighting a grin for a mere moment, before she gives in, and a full smile fills her face. “Fair enough.”
Taking a risk, I brush a strand of hair behind her ear and watch as she leans into my touch, even lowering her eyelids as if it’s warming her. The way she savors it undoes me. I told myself I’d take everything slowly, but the cues she’s giving me tell me she’s ready. I lean in slowly, watching her eyes for hesitation. She doesn’t flinch as I proceed to brush my lips against hers in a testing kiss.
I hold my breath, half expecting her to turn her head again. Instead, her mouth curves into the kiss like she’s been waiting for it. I keep it a tad playful and pull away quickly. She’s all laughter when she moves back into a dance. We wrap ourselves together, her hand resting on my chest. It’s like she senses the quickening of my heartbeat. I take her hand and hold it there as our eyes search each other’s. Her gaze morphs from tentative to one that’s more fearless as she leans closer to me, until her head is on my chest. I tighten my arms around her and whisper so quietly, I doubt she even hears, “Man, I love this city…”
twenty-one
Ruth
We dance until the music stops, and I reluctantly allow Bill to escort me all the way back to the hotel and down our hallway. It’s hours past my usual bedtime. Except for the soft tap of our shoeson the carpet, everything is silent and no one is around. When we reach my door, he slides his hand on my back, as he’s clearly gotten so used to doing tonight, and he leans down, staring deeply into my eyes like I’m the only thing that matters.
My breath catches in the back of my throat as I lean against the door. Without hesitation, I wrap my hands around his neck, inviting him to kiss me. My knees are jelly as his lips connect with mine in a tender kiss that’s only sweet, and he pulls away, leaving a whisper between us, “Goodnight, Ruth.”
Unable to speak, I allow him to take the cardkey from my hand. He swipes it for me, opens my door, and stands back while I go in. He pulls the door shut behind me, and I pause with my eyes closed. My heart slams against my rib cage, as the last few hours replay in my mind like a movie. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
Then the spiral starts.It’s too soon to be feeling these strong feelings. We hardly know each other. I need to slow down and stop letting myself be so careless. One weekend of letting my hair down is not going to be worth the heartache…
Without turning on a light, I step forward, and my foot catches on the open bathroom door. I both stub my toe and stumble forward, accidentally hollering, “Ouch!”
