“Mama taught me right. That’s one of the many perks to dating a southern boy.”
“Mmmm. I see.” I settled in the car and waited for him to get inside as well. I glanced at him and smiled. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
I was still fairly certain he was going to take me to a fancy restaurant. Wasn’t that the status quo for dates? He’d buy me a nice meal, order a bottle of wine and then take me back to his place. It wasn’t an exciting prospect, but I was alright with it. I just wanted to get through the night so my life could go back to normal. I just wanted to stop thinking about him.
We drove through the loud streets and I took in the multitude of people filing along on the side walk. The mix of culture and influence in New York was part of the reason I was drawn to the city. It was something different, something wild and full of hope. It was the place I’d always dreamed of being. My phone was buzzing in my purse, but I wasn’t going to answer. I already knew who it was. It was my dad and I just didn’t have it in me to deal with it tonight.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?”
“Nah. I’ll take care of it later. I’m on a date right now. Isn’t that kind of rude?”
He smiled and turned his attention back towards the road. “I think you’ll really like where we’re going.”
“Well, I trust you know what you’re doing. I’m sure you’ve taken lots of girls out on dates, hmmm?”
He smirked a little. “Well, I’m not one to brag.”
At least he wasn’t trying to lie. We made small talk until the car rolled to a stop at the opening of a small alley where people had gathered. “What is this?”
“This is little Italy. Haven’t you ever been here?”
“Not really,” I murmured, standing and closing the car door.
Jami tipped the valet and offered me his hand, which I took surprisingly quickly. He pulled me along the alley until we came out on the other side, underneath the neon lights that announced the name of the small alcove. The light radiated down onto us and when I looked around I couldn’t help but smile, watching children run through the streets with sparklers, giggling and squealing with joy.
“What is this?”
“This is the Italian light festival. It’s something a little different. I thought you might enjoy it.” He said with a soft smile.
“Wow, Jami. I didn’t think— “
“You thought I was going to take you to a fancy bar and get you drunk.”
My cheeks went hot and I nodded, smiling a little. He shrugged and squeezed my hand. “That’s alright. Given my current track record with women…I don’t blame you.”
At least he was self-aware. He gave my hand a tug and I followed him into the street. We spent the evening sampling food from various restaurants. The people who spooned pasta onto our plates were dark haired man and women who’d owned their restaurants since they immigrated from Italy. Lively music played in the streets and every hour, on the dot, a flock of paper lanterns were released into the sky. I watched them in wonder, my heart beating faster.
I hadn’t expected a date like this. I hadn’t expected something so wonderful and unique and I certainly hadn’t expected to end up in his arms at the end of the night, build close to his strong body as we swayed together to the sounds of Italian instrumentals.
The cool wind blew through my hair, tickling my shoulders and neck. I looked up at him and smiled, putting my head on his shoulder as we moved in perfect sync. “This is nice.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah. I’d say you knocked the ball out of the park.”
He chuckled and pressed his hand into my lower back. “I didn’t think a fancy restaurant or bar was a good date for a chef. Besides, you can cook better food than any restaurant I could have taken you to.”
He spun me round and I was grinning when I faced him again. “You know how to butter a girl up, don’t you?”
“It’s one of my many talents.”
Damn this guy was charming as hell. Everything he said and did caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected myself to be so happy to be here. I had expected a lackluster date and instead I got my first taste of culture since being back home.
The veranda was filled with other couples, moving to the sound of the music and I couldn’t help but feel like we were just like them. There was just as much hope and promise in our budding relationship.
As the music ended, Jami pulled away and smiled, nodding towards the inside of the building. I followed him through the ornate structure, brushing past hand painted murals and rich, oak tables. We finally came to the other side of the veranda where a single table sat with a bottle of wine. I crossed my arms and chuckled to myself.