“You are an unbearable flirt.” I tried to ignore the heat on my skin, the growing need to touch her. My leg accidentally bumped into hers as I adjusted my seating, but neither of us moved away.
“That is a lie,” she replied. “I’m a verybearableflirt.”
I looked down at the table, unable to maintain eye contact. I hadn’t expected any of this, the confidence when it came to dating, the forwardness. It was thrilling.
I inhaled deeply, refocusing on the task at hand. “Now you can take a small sip.”
“The good part,” Chloe said excitedly. We both raised our glasses, clinking them between us. While maintaining eye contact, we took a sip. The light behind her eyes quickly dimmed, her face twisting with disgust as she began to cough. “You like this?” she spluttered, grabbing for a glass of water.
“I said to take asmallsip.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her disgust as she finished off her glass of water. “What do you taste?”
“Undertones of... grapes.” She looked disgustedly down at the glass, as if it was filled with vinegar. “And regret.”
I laughed again. “This one is strawberry, cherry... a little earthy.”
“Earthy? Like dirt?” She shook her head. I didn’t bother to explain the taste, and instead I took another gentle sip, marking the feel of the smooth velvet against my tongue.
“It’s French, maybe a...” I trailed off, watching her expression for any possible answer. “It’s Pinot Noir.” Chloe smiled, nodding her head to confirm. I shrugged easily. “This one was a little obvious.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Show-off.”
I brushed my hair back, basking in the glory.One done, two to go.
“How about this one?” she said, pointing to the second. “What are the undertones? Where is it from?”
My fingers brushed her glass, nudging it along the table towards her. “Not trying another one?”
“I’m going to wait for another glass of water first.” She didn’t sound thrilled to continue the tasting.
“You never know, you might find one you like,” I said, gently coaxing her. I passed her my untouched water, hoping I could continue with her. “Please let me walk you through it again.”
Her head tilted towards me, a lock of strawberry-blonde hair slipping free from her clip. “And if I hate it?”
“Then we’ll order you a nice, cold beer.”
“Now that’s tempting,” she said with a grin, but still, she picked up the glass, holding it up to examine the color.
“I’d say this is red,” Chloe said, glancing at me with mock seriousness.
This time I played along. “Yeah, but more specifically, I’d call this an inky red, maybe with some violet tones.”
Her lips curved into a small smile as she nodded. “I can see that.” She gave the glass a delicate swirl, watching the streaks along the side.
“Before you smell it, close your eyes,” I suggested, quickly taking a sniff of the sample for my own judgement. “It will help keep your senses focused.”
She looked skeptical, but I only leaned closer, the sides of our thighs pressing lightly together. One hand rested on the back of her chair, while the other gently tucked that loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her shampoo carried a soft, tropical scent, and I couldn’t help but breathe it in.
“Close your eyes,” I said softly.
Her thick lashes fluttered shut, and my heart skipped a beat at how willingly she trusted me in that moment. I quickly scanned the room, making sure that we hadn’t attracted any stray attention, but with the low light of the room, I knew it would be hard for anyone passing by to make us out.
“Now, don’t stick your nose right in. Just a soft sniff,” I coached, holding the glass at the perfect distance from her face. “Breathe in, slow and steady.”
Chloe did exactly as I instructed, drawing the wine’s aroma in through her nose, her expression shifting subtly as she processed the scent.
“Now tell me,” I murmured, leaning a fraction closer, “what do you smell?”
“Um... like dark fruits, maybe?” She kept her eyes closed, as if she was still in the moment, picking the aroma apart. I wondered if I’d be able to taste the wine from a kiss, pick apart the profile on her lips.
