Page 42 of Trial and Error

“Come,” he says as he leads us over to a table in the far corner.

He holds my hand as I lift myself up onto the stool and he waits until I’m comfortable before he takes a seat opposite me. I let my eyes wander over him as he gets himself situated. The dark shirt he wears hugs his muscular frame deliciously, and suddenly I want nothing more than to be the fabric that gets to drape itself over him.

I want to be wrapped around him.

“Thank you for coming on short notice,” Elias says as he places his elbows on the table, clasping his hands together under his chin. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”

I tilt my head to the side. “I think we both know I would’ve.”

The corner of his lip quirks up. “I didn’t realize you enjoyed my company that much.”

“Apparently I haven’t been obvious enough,” I tease, watching as his smirk deepens.

“Apparently not.”

The server comes by to take our drink order but Elias keeps his eyes on me as I rattle off my order. “What do you want?” I ask Elias.

“Surprise me.”

“Is that tonight’s theme?” I ask, and he nods as I turn to the server. “He’ll have an Negroni.”

The server nods before she turns and walks away. Elias and I sit in a comfortable silence, the two of us looking at each other. Neither one of us speak, and for the first time in a while, I don’t feel the need to fill the silence. Nothing with Elias feels awkward or uncomfortable like it used to with my ex. There’s something about him that just calms me.

“As flattered as I am that you asked me on a date…” I start. “I must say, I am interested to know why.”

“Why I asked you on a date?” I nod. “Well, I thought it might be a good idea for us to get to know each other…you know, since we’re engaged and all.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything.” He pauses. “Everything.”

I lean back in my chair and fold my arms over my chest. “All right, let’s start with the basics. I’m twenty-seven years old, my birthday is March sixteenth—which makes me a Pisces. My favourite colour is green, I like to travel, and my goal for this year is to get a tattoo.”

“A tattoo?” Elias asks, and I nod. “What do you want to get?”

I shrug, smiling as the server puts our drinks down in front of us. I take a sip of my blood orange margarita and sigh happily. “Not sure. I like the idea of getting a spontaneous one, but I’m also too anxious for that, so maybe it’s not a good idea.”

Elias smiles. “What do you do for work?”

“I am a legal assistant, but my dream is to one day be an editor.”

“What kind of editor?”

“I want to work in the food industry, so maybe for some high-end magazine that focuses on which wines you should pair with certain cheeses. You know, something like that.”

“Where would your dream honeymoon be?”

I hum. “Good question. I’d say somewhere like Portofino, or some other Italian town. Somewhere quaint and serene, not too busy, but somewhere that’s still lively when it needs to be.”

Elias sips his drink and nods in approval. “What kind of wedding do you want?”

“Oh, so we’re diving head first into the good stuff, huh?”

“I wasn’t lying when I said I want to know everything about you.”

“Enough about me,” I say, leaning forward. “Tell me all your deepest and darkest secrets.”

He shakes his head. “Let’s start with the basics,” he mimics me. “I’m thirty years old, my birthday is August twenty-fourth, and I have no idea what my zodiac sign is⁠—”