“You hardly notice it spinning. You only realize it’s moved when you look out of the window and the view has changed,” I explain.
The plan was for this evening to be a professional, relaxed night out, celebrating the new project and how well it’s started. I am trying so hard to keep it friendly and to maintain my distance. But it’s not working.
The place is beautiful. Candles, soft lighting, live music playing on a stage in the center of the room. Everything about the dinner is romantic.
It’s impossible not to see it as a proper date.
She leans forward to pick up a piece of lobster, holding it delicately between her fingers before slipping it into her mouth.
I watch with fascination as she closes her eyes to savor the flavors. We ordered the lobster as a starter. The steaks will follow shortly. I want this night to last as long as it possibly can.
“That butter sauce is heaven,” she says, licking her lips.
A memory pops into my mind. One of the special moments I can never forget.
“Do you remember that time you ordered lobster, and they told you to choose which one you wanted from the massive aquarium tank at the back of the restaurant?”
She burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand when she let out a little snort.
“Oh, my goodness, I remember that!”
“You made me buy every single one of them.Anda bucket. And we left the restaurant right away to go and release them back into the ocean.”
“I saw them do that in a movie once. The idea was already in my head. And—I’d never actually seen lobsters all trapped in such a tiny tank like that. It really broke my heart.”
“And we ended up getting carryout burgers for dinner. Sitting on the beach with our toes in the sand,” I muse, remembering the night.
“It’s one of my favorite memories, actually. That, and the time we went hiking and a raccoon chased you,” she giggles, and it’s the most beautiful sound.
“He hardly chased me…it was more of…”
“You screamed like a girl!” she blurts out, laughing even harder. “Oh, my word, I remember that so well now. You were horrified, and it was so tiny and fluffy and cute!”
“Cute? That thing looks like it had rabies.” I’m laughing too now.
“What about the time we were at the new mall, a week after it opened, and you walked straight into the water feature?” I say, raising my brows at her.
“Oh wow, bringthatup. Never mind that you were distracting me with your hand on my butt and I turned to bite you, andthat’swhen I tripped over the edge of that impossibly low wall and went for a swim.”
“Oh, isthatwhat happened? Isee. I didn’t realize it wasmyfault,” I muse.
Her eyes are glittering. I wish I could capture her face in this moment and find a way to make her smile like this all the time.
“Okay, fine. It might have been my fault,” she rolls her eyes.
Our steak arrives, and we eat while we both continue to fire stories back and forth. Pieces of our past. Beautiful moments that I often long for.
“Do you remember that pink hoodie you wanted so badly, but it was limited edition, and I had to go on such a mission to get it for you?” I ask her, remembering the hoodie well. It looked so damn cute on her.
“The one with the rabbit ears on the hood part,” she says, suddenly speaking softly.
I cock my head to the side, trying to read the shift in her mood.
She looks up at me, her eyes tight. “I was wearing it the day you broke up with me,” she whispers.
My heart clenches.
“Kayla, I need to tell you…”
