Page 14 of Their Little House Tristan
He looked absolutely stunning. He too was wearing jeans, but unlike mine, his were skinny jeans and didn’t leave much to the imagination. I didn’t try to hide my appreciation.
“You ready?” he asked, holding out a hand.
“Yeah. You look great.”
“You do too.” His cheeks pinkened.
We’d called a rideshare, in case either or both of us decided to have a few drinks while we were out. We hadn’t fully planned our date, just which part of the city we were going to hang out in. We’d wing it from there.
We had perfect timing, the rideshare pulling up just as we reached the sidewalk. He opened the door for me, and I climbed inside, scooching across to leave space for him. This was it. We were really doing this.
Unlike if he drove, we didn’t talk much on the way there. Rideshares could be awkward when it came to conversations, there being an extra person and all. But this was a case of not being given a second to chat.
The older woman who picked us up pretty much spent the whole time telling us about her grandson’s school team. Bellamy and I listened and acted like it was the most interesting thing in the world, but by the time we got out, we were no closer to a plan than when we’d left.
“Should we just walk first and see if anything catches our fancy?” he asked.
I agreed that was our best plan.
He reached over and took my hand. “Is this okay? Because, you know, we’re in public.”
I had shared a little bit about my family and how they were less than accepting of me, and I appreciated the offer. But I was never one for hiding—even when it meant making things uncomfortable as a teen at home, and unbearable as an adult. I returned the squeeze. “I like it.”
I loved this area of the city. An older part of town filled with cute little shops, small mom-and-pop restaurants, a few bars, and a great many food carts. A fun place to walk around.
We wandered through the shops, talking about memories they stirred. Items in the windows and down the aisles brought up stories, including one about his favorite childhood vacation and my first time attending a professional football game. I even spotted a little bird statue that reminded me of my grandmother and shared some memories of her with Bellamy. We never ran out of things to talk about.
Eventually, we stopped at a dim sum place—the kind with conveyor belts where you didn’t really know what you were getting unless you were well-versed with that particular restaurant or really quick with your eyes. It was fun grabbing plates, discovering what they were, and enjoying the delicious goodness. We ate every last bite, our stack of plates causing a bit of sticker shock.
The first date I’d been on where there was never a question of who was going to pay. Because we were both little, and since there was no daddy here, we just split it evenly. I took comfort in that. That lack of awkwardness, the absence of unspoken expectations over who would take charge didn’t matter in the long run, but still, it mattered.
“I think I need to walk for another, like, forty-seven miles to burn this food off,” I teased.
“Since I don’t want to go home yet, walking sounds good. But maybe not forty-seven miles.” He hip-checked me.
“Deal.”
We wandered down to the river, the moonlight casting long shadows and reminding me more of werewolf novels than romantic strolls. He laughed when I mentioned that, but then admitted he was thinking more along the lines of vampires. In some ways, we were so similar.
“This has been really nice.” I sat on a park bench overlooking the water.
“I’m having a good time.” He hesitated. “I know this probably sounds awful, but…it’s comfortable.”
“How would comfortable sound awful?” I had to be missing some nuance.
He rested his head on my shoulder. “I don’t know. Because some people think dating should be exciting instead of safe.”
“I like it this way.” I’d take someone who was fun to play with, whom I trusted, and who made me smile over a stomach full of butterflies, being worried I would say the wrong thing at any time and ruin it, and questioning if he liked me at every turn. Comfortable and safe for the win.
He kissed my cheek. “Yeah. I do too.”
We sat there, watching as the river cruise floated by. It was lit up, with couples dancing on the deck. I’d been in the area most of my life but hadn’t ever gone on one of their trips. I’d never wanted to. But here, with Bellamy, I wondered what it would be like to have a date on a moving restaurant.
There was so much I wanted to experience with him, including seeing if James was a good fit for us. “I think I do want to play with that daddy.”
“Same, but also, I-I only want to play with him with you. Like, the two of us together. We’re a package deal.” We were riding the same train of thought.
“That’s absolutely freaking fantastic. We’re like a twofer. A BOGO even,” I teased.
