Page 59 of March

“Do I have to?” Sophie asked. “It was awful, and I just want to be here with you.”

“We can talk about anything you want,” she said as she pulled out of the hug and held out her hand for Sophie to take.

Sophie’s hand slipped into her own, and Bryce stared down at how well they fit together. She’d planned on them having a drink here and then maybe taking a walk through a less crowded part of the city, but if Sophie hadn’t eaten in hours, they’d take care of that first. When they got outside, Bryce squeezed Sophie’s hand as she attempted to pull her through the crowd. Sophie stopped, though, so Bryce turned back to her, looking confused.

“I live here. Maybe I should lead?” Sophie asked with a smile.

Bryce nodded, and Sophie moved to walk in front of her. Making their way off Bourbon took longer than she would’ve anticipated, but when Sophie turned them onto a less populated street, they were finally able to walk side by side.

“You’ve eaten already. Are you sure you–”

“Iorderedfood. I didn’t really eat much of it,” Bryce interrupted. “I’m starving.”

“Why didn’t you eat what you ordered?”

“Because I thought you’d ditched me, and I lost my appetite. The waiter asked me if something was wrong with the food because I ate about two French fries and told him I was done.”

“Oh, babe…” Sophie shook her head, laughing a little. “Let’s get you some food, too.”

Sophie just called her ‘babe’ like it was nothing, but it made Bryce smile.

Spotting the first restaurant that looked busy but not packed, Sophie pulled them over to look at the menu, which was posted at the right of the door. When the woman moved to read it, Bryce couldn’t resist moving in behind her and wrapping her arms around her.

“Is this place okay?” Sophie asked. “They have a little of everything.”

“Can we just stand here for, like, another minute?” she asked as her chin hit Sophie’s shoulder.

Sophie didn’t say anything, but she covered Bryce’s arms with her own for a few seconds before a crowd gathered to look at the menu as well, so they headed inside before the place got even busier. Sophie gave the hostess her name, and they moved to the side after they were told to wait twenty minutes for a table for two. There wasn’t anywhere to sit, so Bryce moved them over to a wall, where they could at least lean. She motioned for Sophie to stand in front of her and looked into her eyes.

“You are so beautiful,” she said softly as she cupped Sophie’s cheek, her thumb sliding along the soft skin. “I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful before, Soph.”

“I’ve pictured your face so many times,” Sophie said. “Gorgeous.” She leaned in and pressed her forehead backagainst Bryce’s. “Can you hold me until our table is ready? I just need you to do that.”

Bryce kissed Sophie’s cheek, pulled her in against her front, and just like that, they were back in that hug that she never wanted to break. They stayed like that, breathing in one another and not saying anything, until someone called Sophie’s name to sit them, and it was quite possibly the best twenty minutes of Bryce’s life. She’d never had that kind of silence with someone where it wasn’t awkward or weird, but it was somehow just part of them that they could hold one another and not be talking, not be doing anything but enjoying the other person’s presence.

Ready to be seated, Sophie took Bryce’s hand, and Bryce led the way as they followed the hostess to their table, which, thankfully, was in a back corner, away from the middle of the room, where tables were pushed together to make room for more customers. They had a booth only meant for two, so they had to sit across from one another, and that felt too far away even though Bryce could reach over the small table and hold both of Sophie’s hands in hers. For a minute, they just stared at one another with soft smiles, and Bryce thought about how if she saw anyone else doing this in a restaurant, she’d laugh at them and think that they looked ridiculous.

“Good evening,” their waitress said as she approached. “Can I get you started with something to drink?”

“Wine?” she asked Sophie.

“Red? Merlot?” Sophie checked with her.

“Yeah. Whatever merlot you have,” Bryce replied. “And can we get the bottle?”

“I’ll need food if you’re doing that.” Sophie laughed.

“I’ll bring out some bread for you with your drinks,” the waitress said. “Water?”

“Yes, please,” Sophie answered.

“And we’ll need a few minutes to look at the menu,” Bryce added before the waitress walked off to get their drinks, and she returned her attention to Sophie. “Appetizer?”

“Yes, I’m starving.”

“I’m guessing you’ve been here before. Do you know what’s good?”

“They have fried gator tail bites here with a rémoulade.”

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