Just a Dare

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I would like to dedicate this chapter to _changemymind_ . Surprise! :)

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We walked outside into the crisp, wintry New York air side by side. I looked over at her and found her inquisitive emerald eyes staring back at me. "Where to?" She asked me.

I glanced around the street until I saw a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant I liked to visit myself from time to time for lunch about half a block from us across the street. I nodded toward it. "There," I said, and began walking.

She nodded and followed my lead. We crossed the road soon enough and when I looked over at her as we continued making our way over, I noticed she was trembling a little in the wind and nearly shook my head at her for not wearing a jacket. Wordlessly, I unbuttoned my own and held it out to her. I at least still had my suit jacket on, whereas she only had her thin white blouse to combat the cold.

"Here," I said, and when she turned her head, her eyes widened slightly as she looked at it.

She shook her head a little, holding her pink-tipped nose a little higher in the air as she looked up at me. "I can't-" she started, but I cut her off.

"Yes," I murmured, chuckling as I carefully draped it around her shoulders, "you can." We both had stopped as I pulled it tightly around her and people continued to bustle past us on the sidewalk. I slowly walked to her back as if she were a wild horse and any quick motions would startle her and cause her to gallop away, collecting the hair that had gotten tucked inside the collar of the coat to gently tug it out once I stood behind her.

After I'd finished and walked back to her side, I found her wide eyes staring at me, her lips parted ever so slightly. I raised an eyebrow at her, chuckling, and she merely closed her mouth, shaking her head. I could see whatever it was that had caused her to adopt such an awestruck expression was still lingering at the tip of her tongue, begging to be discussed, just by the thoughtful sparkle in her eyes.

I didn't want to push her to talk although I was dying to know what it was because I was afraid of pushing her away. Instead, I buried my hands in my slacks pockets and continued forward at the earlier pace we'd set. "We're almost there," I informed her quietly, my breath exiting my lips in a twisting, curling cloud of white condensation.

She nodded and settled back into her place beside me, and I smiled inwardly when I saw her subconsciously pull my jacket tighter around her body. "What kind of food do they serve?" I looked down at her and saw her wrinkling her nose as a gust of wind blew in her face and toyed with her hair, her eyes twinkling up at me as she said, "I'm in the mood for something warm."

I let out a laugh. "This is definitely your place, then."

We arrived at the restaurant and I held open the door for her so she could step inside the glorious warmth from the heater first before following behind her. We both took a moment to blow some heat back into our red, wind-licked hands to get the sluggish blood circulation going again before I stepped up to the hostess's stand and asked the smiling woman for a booth. I remembered Melody used to love booths when we were in high school.

"Right this way, sir," she said, and we made our way further into the restaurant. My eyes glanced around the small, dimly lit restaurant, the lights hanging over the booths giving off a soft, intimate glow. As Melody and I settled ourselves on opposite sides into the worn leather cushioned benches that surrounded a smooth wooden table in our own secluded corner, I was reminded once again why I enjoyed coming here so much.

It was a homely and humble establishment, and it was refreshing to come somewhere like that after going to countless posh, expensive restaurants. The food that I'd tried there had always been good and it was, in my opinion, priced much less than what it was actually worth.