Page 26 of Champagne Kisses
Chapter thirteen
Adam
At 7pm on the dot, Maya walks up to the host who gestures in my direction. We make eye contact and she gives me a small smile. Wow. She looks amazing in a burgundy dress with a plunging neckline and a flowy skirt. Her hair’s up in a tight bun tonight and all I can think about is taking it down and running my fingers through it. As she approaches the table, I stand up to pull out her chair.
“You look amazing. Did you have any trouble finding parking?” She sits down across from me and it’s hard not to stare at her breasts. As nice as they are, it’s her shy smile that threatens to undo me.
“Thanks. And no. I actually found a spot right across the street.” She lifts her menu up and holds it like a shield between us. No way. We’re past that. I reach out and press her menu tothe table. She bites her bottom lip and those big doe eyes look almost scared.
“Maya? Do I make you nervous?” From the way she’s now clutching the strap of her purse, I already know the answer. She lets out a little puff of air, flustered.
“Well…Yes. I mean you're a customer and…" She fidgets in her seat. "I wasn’t expecting you to ask me out.” And here I thought I'd been coming on too strong.
"Is this not how most of your orders go?" She can tell I'm kidding by the mischievous glint in my eye. She lets out an embarrassed laugh.
"Considering the most people usually see of me is a FedEx box? Definitely not."
“Was it really a surprise, though? You had to know I was interested.” I see the rosiness rising in her cheeks and her breasts. She’s so cute when she’s agitated.
“I knew you were flirting, but some people just flirt for fun. I didn’t realize you were genuinely interested until your text.” I give her a slow smile and see goosebumps rise on her arms.
“I’ll be sure to be more clear next time.” I take her hand and can feel her shaking. She’s having trouble making eye contact too. I give her a gentle squeeze and make it my mission to help her relax.
Dinner was delicious. We got a bottle of mead for the table and shared the vegetarian hot pot. I thought Maya might not want to try it, but she said yes right away. I can’t wait to see how far her adventurous streak goes. Hearing her slurp down the rice noodles and tofu put all sorts of ideas in my head.
Whether it's the mead or the great conversation, Maya's been getting more and more relaxed as the date goes on. She moved closer to me when a rowdy party was seated next to us, and her hand's been on my leg since halfway through dinner. I can barely concentrate.
Looking at the menu now, she starts to pout. I’m immediately worried.
“What’s wrong, Maya?” She sighs dramatically and I feel the bottom drop out of my stomach.
“They don’t have dessert here.” She looks at me with a playful smile and my mouth becomes the Sahara. I amall aboutflirty Maya. I press my lips together to control a laugh.
"So you're a dessert girl, huh? Is that why you're so sweet?" The line is definitely corny, but I'm glad I risked it anyway considering the genuine laugh that erupts from her like a cheerful geyser. She gives my knee another squeeze, accidentally tickling me. I flinch away reflexively and chuckle, but she looks worried again.
"Sorry! It seems mead makes me a little handsy." I sigh and pull her hand from her lap back onto my leg.
"It's OK. You just tickled me is all." I hope it's still manly to be ticklish.
"Noted," she says with a grin, all traces of worry gone.
"So what are we going to do about dessert?" I look down at her hand and don't hesitate.
“I know a place close by that has dessert. Ice cream, butter cookies, and espresso.” Her face lights up.
“You had me at ice cream. But how far is it? Can we walk from here?” This is the moment of truth.
“It’s actually just two blocks from here. It’s…my place?”
I don’t want to scare her off, but I also don’t think I can go much longer without getting Maya alone. She looks so soft and inviting and she smells so good and damn, I almost didn’t make it to Friday waiting to see her.
Her eyes darken and the skin of her throat gets even more rosy. Game on. I pay quickly and lead the way out of the restaurant.
She’s quiet as she walks next to me, but so am I, because it’s all been leading up to this. There’s no need to drown out the sounds of the city around us with small talk. We both steal looks at one another until we reach my building.
I fumble for my keys and hold the door for her before leading us to my apartment on the second floor. Once inside, she keeps walking, surveying my living room and the posters on my walls.
“So I was right about you being into indie bands,” she says quietly, looking anywhere but at me. I step closer to her and nod my head.
