Page 288 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“To moving relationships to the next level.”

She stared into my eyes as we clinked our glasses together. I took a sip of the expensive wine, enjoying the bittersweet taste in my mouth.

“That’s good,” she said after taking a drink of her own.

“Maybe I’ll open a vineyard.”

“You’d have to move out of the city.”

“That’s true. There’s too much here I’m interested in right now.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Well, Maggiano’s, for one.” I joked. “Then there’s you…”

She glanced away again, looking down at the table covered in a white cloth.

“You’ve thought about that night, haven’t you?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I mean, once or twice. Not excessively.”

The waitress returned with our salads. I wanted to press Jade for more, but I backed off. We ate quietly for a minute.

“We can’t just pick up where we left off,” she said suddenly.

“No, I guess not. Let’s forget about it and have fun tonight, okay? We have more options here than in Afghanistan.”

“That’s for sure,” she said, smiling.

By the end of our dinner, I had her laughing lightheartedly.

We finished our dinner and walked toward the door.

I don’t want this night to end, I thought. Where could we go next?

“You up for a comedy club or something?”

She took a deep breath.

“Normally I would, but I need to get up in the morning. I should get home.”

“Maybe some other time. You have my number now.”

“I do,” she said.

“Let me get a cab for us.”

“I’d rather go home alone if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure,” I said, hiding my disappointment.

From what I could tell, she would be worth the wait.

“I’ll call you later this week, okay?”

I stepped forward and put my arms around her waist, hugging tightly. After a few seconds, I pulled back and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

“Good night, Jade. So great to see you again.”

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