I blushed at his words because I had indeed fantasized about such a situation.
“Come on, time for part three of your Valentine’s Day surprise,” he said, grabbing up two stacks of books to carry up to the counter. I followed behind, carrying one of the other stacks in my arm as he came back for the remaining books. The old man behind the counter gave us a knowing look over his spectacles as Max kept his arms firmly wrapped around me from behind.
“We’ll come back and get these in a little while,” Max told him.
“That’s fine, I’ll hold your bags here,” he said, placing them on the back counter behind him.
“Are we leaving the library and coming back?” I asked, feeling remorseful at having to leave my books behind. I was worried the library would close while we were gone eating dinner.
“Nope, we’re staying here,” Max said, dragging me back up to the front of the library. He veered off to the left instead of heading out the front doors, leading me down a brightly-lit hallway that opened up into a small café called Lindley Perk Coffee Shop.
“We’re eating here?” I asked happily, studying the small menu board.
“Well, not in here, but back there,” he said, jerking a thumb back the way we had come.
“Um, I’m pretty sure they won’t let us bring food and drinks into the actual library,” I said, hating to burst his bubble and ruin his surprise.
“Actually we can,” he said, pointing to a sign behind the counter encouraging patrons to feel free to browse the book shelves with their food in hand.
“Seriously? Oh my God, that’s awesome.”
“I thought you’d like that,” he said, lacing his fingers through mine as we approached the counter. “I called ahead,” he told the clerk when she asked for our order.
“Name?” she asked, chomping on a piece of gum.
“Maxwell Jr.”
“You called an order in for us?” I asked, touched at his thoughtfulness.
“I had to make sure my plans were going to work out,” he said, paying the salesclerk.
“Well aren’t you debonair,” I said as the salesclerk handed over a white bag with our food and two large cups of steaming latte.
“GQ-smooth baby,” he said, shooting me a cocky grin.
“That’s true, you’re as smooth as a baby’s bottom,” I teased.
“Ugh, there’s no baby here,” he said, making a show of flexing his muscles.
I giggled as we weaved through the endless shelves of books throughout the library. An elderly woman frowned at me and made a production of shushing me.
“Oops, sorry,” I mouthed as Max continued to drag me to a lone table in the far corner of the library.
We ate our sandwiches and chips, talking quietly in between bites. It was by far the most romantic date I had ever gone on, and I told him so. “Well, it’s not over yet,” he said, pulling out a small wrapped package.
“You already got me
a gift,” I protested.
“This is surprise number four,” he said, smiling nervously at me.
Apprehension filled me as I pulled off the wrapping paper to reveal a small jewelry box. Lifting the lid, I gasped when I saw the diamond-encrusted interlocking heart ring inside. My stomach dropped, and I looked up at him in confusion.
“It’s not an engagement ring,” he said quickly as I let out a relieved pent-up breath. “It’s a promise ring.”
“Oh Max, that’s sweet,” I said, pulling the ring out.
“Some guys use it as a kind of ‘I promise to eventually marry you’ thing, but I didn’t get yours for that,” he said. “Mine stands for something else,” he added quietly.