Page 31 of Verse Two
“In your head about what?”
“Can we talk about it later? I wanna enjoy this date with you.”
I was a stubborn nigga, so I wasn’t really trying to accept her putting my access to her thoughts and feelings on hold. I wanted to enjoy our date, too, though, so I decided to let it go, . . . for now.
With a nod, I said, “Cool. I planned something that should help pull you out of your head. At least a lil bit.”
She raised a brow.
“Really?”
I winked at her. “Hell yeah.”
“Oh my goodness. I saw this place from your balcony but couldn’t figure out what it was. It’s beautiful,” Dy said as we drove past the iron gates.
Glass Gardenwas a dome-shaped conservatory that was surrounded by lush greenery and glass walkways. I had neverbeen, but I did my research on nice places to take my lady the day before. When I saw all the flowers and shit, I knew the place was right up Dylan’s alley. I was sold once I realized I could rent out a portion of the venue for a private evening with her.
I parked in front of the valet area before stepping out and rounding the car to open Dy’s door. Once I helped her out of the car, I gave my keys to the driver.
“Come on, Doll,” I said, leading her past the valet area and to the ticket booth.
“Welcome toGlass Garden. Do you need tickets, or have you already purchased them online?” the woman behind the booth asked.
I have a private reservation for two. It’s under Brixton Ellis.”
We waited as the woman got to work on the computer in front of her. A few seconds later, she was smiling and handing us lime green tickets.
“Here you are. Please follow path number four, and you’ll find an attendant at your reservation spot at the end.” She pointed to a sign that readPath Two, and we thanked her before heading there.
We walked through several rows of tall ass bushes and followed a path that was lined by small lights. Dy was quiet, but she remained close to me as we walked. Her fingers brushed against mine, and I took advantage of the contact by grabbing her hand and lacing our fingers together.
“Have you been here before?”
I glanced at her. There was something woven into the question that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I heard a hint of jealousy in her tone, but that couldn’t have been it. Dy was it for me, and I didn’t need her thinking otherwise.
“Nah, I haven’t. I wanted to bring you somewhere that we could experience for the first time together.”
She smiled softly. “This was a great choice.”
We finally made it to the end of the path, and like the woman said, there was a man in theGlass Gardenuniform waiting with his hands behind his back.
When he noticed us approaching, he took a step forward and smiled.
“Good evening. You must be Brixton Ellis and Dylan Davis?”
“We are.”
He nodded politely and said, “Right this way.”
He led us to the garden’s wine tasting lounge. It was built into a corner of the dome and gave a speakeasy vibe. For the next few hours, Dy and I had the place to ourselves. Already in the lounge was a man playing the piano softly in one corner and a dude standing behind the bar.
“I love this so much,” Dy said, almost whispering.
I leaned over and kissed her cheek, glad to see that she blushed right on cue.
“I’m glad,” I replied against her ear. Our attendant led us to the bar, which was lined with candles and had a charcuterie board with cheeses, chocolate, fruit, and bread on it. We took our seats.
