Mariana and I enter the Gilt Bar and I am so shocked at what it actually looks like. "Welcome back, shrimpy." I was confused.
"Hey Madeline. I miss working here." She smiles.
"Well Mariana, you were the best waitress with the amazing belts..." She winked at Madeline and started to laugh. "Well any way, the last few people left, so you have it after hours. Have fun, guys." She walks out. So we get this place, all to ourselves. That is just mind blowing. "Oh and the chefs made two of everything for you.... so you pick and choose and you know how to authorize a payment, right?" Mariana nods.
"So you used to work here?" I ask Mariana as Madeline leaves.
"Yes, for 6 years. I started young, at 13, and then I slowed down and quit completely because of my cancer." She looked down. "It was fun, and when Madeline said the best belts... I used to sing the entrées. Just for fun." She smiles and I can tell that she truly misses this job.
"Do you ever see yourself go back to working here?" I ask her and she nods.
"In a heart beat." She smiles. She gets up, "I will be right back." She says as she disappears into an office. I felt my phone vibrate. Hey bro, I miss you. xox . The text reads from my sister. I nod and I reply. I miss you too. Talk later? Kind of in middle of a date. :) I told her honestly. I will make sure to call in the morning so that it would make more sense. She responded. Okay, sure. Hope to see you at my graduation soon. Oh crap, that is in about a week. I have to ask Mariana about that. If she wants to go or not.
Before I know it, she comes out wearing an apron and a smile. Please sing... I beg internally. She takes a deep breath. "Welcome sir, to this fine Gilt bar, is there anything I can get you to drink tonight?" She sings out.
"I will take a diet coke please." I let her know and I smile. Showing her my dimple and she leaves and comes back with the soda and her own soda.
"Here sir. Here is a menu, I highly suggest the Truffle Pasta or the Ricotta Gnocci." she smiles and waits for me to think about what I want on the menu.
"I would like both please." She smiles and goes to the kitchen to prep them. All she has to do is cook them. I hear music playing. She comes out and she told me that she has the timer on her phone so that she will know when to take the dishes out of the oven.
"Can we dance?" She says as she holds her hand out for me to take. "Thank you for letting me make it up to you. I had fun planning tonight. There is more to come." We both laugh and look into each other's eyes. There is something in my mind. Just how lucky I am to have her in my life. Just as I am feeling lonely and wanting to discuss what is going on. Mariana is always open to listening to things. I am just the same way back to her.
"Mariana, I have a question." She nods and gestures me to wait a minute.
"Be right back. Checking on the food." She smiles and kisses my cheek. Mariana is so sweet and I feel like I am the luckiest man alive right now. She comes back and gestures for me to sit down. "Is there something you want to ask me?" She smiles and looks into my eyes, giving me the best wide eyes and laughing.
"How would you like to go to England in...lets say.... next week? My sister is graduating." I tell her. "Mum and her both invited the both of us. So there will be nothing odd with it." I let her know and I internally beg her to say yes. "I would understand if you cannot come, but I would like it if you joined me." I word it to where I could possibly get the answer.
"I still have t give you that money. Has Dwayne been bugging you?" I feel my phone vibrate. Tick Tock... money where? Speaking of the devil. I show her the message. "I will go with you. Only if, we get to stay in London and Manchester, and your small town." She says.
"We can, however, Gemma is graduating from Sheffield Hallam University. Which is in Sheffield." I smile and laugh.
"Your laugh is so amazing and contagious." Mariana states as she smiles and lets me know. "Well we can go all over the place then. New adventures." She smiles. "Which brings this up." She hands She hands me a blue bag. "The story behind this, is, I saw your older journal that was all torn and used and written on. So I know you are someone who expresses better with a pen and paper. I hope you like it." She smiles. I open it and it looks like a new leather journal and has a buckle clasp on it. I was so happy I got up and did a happy dance.
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She smiled and laughed. "Thank you for this." I gave her a kiss on the cheek. I know I wanted more, but this train is already going at a faster pace. Might as well keep it that way, but slow it down a bit. "I cannot believe you got me a leather journal. It must've been expensive." I say and I look around. "I feel like anything I give you now will be inadequate." I pout and sit down.
"Hey, you gave me a fun weekend in Nashville... and you are bringing me to England. That is a lot more expensive than a dinner and a journal." She makes a point. "You are very thoughtful. You came to my house and comforted me when I broke up with Trey." She smiles.
"Well that was because I wanted to help cheer you up." We both laugh.
"We watched Mama Mia!" She said and gave me a hug. "Thank you, H. I really mean that." She tells me and I never felt more real. This was happening.
"Question, if you could move anywhere. Where would it be?" She looked puzzled and thought for it for a moment.
"I would move somewhere in Europe. Just for the heck of it." She says honestly. "What about you?" Her eyes looks as if she knows the answer....
"I want to move back to England... only if it is safe for me and everyone I love and care about." I tell her honestly. I hold her across the table and I am just about to cry. I miss my family all so much. "I cannot wait for you to see my mother. You and her will get along with her. I just know it." We both laughed.
"Wish I could say the same about my parents..." She said and we continue our dinner.
SKIP TO AFTER DINNER
*MARIANA'S POV*
I am sitting in the driver's seat and we are going to drive around the city. Just give him a quick tour. Small tour of the city. If he wants to go somewhere he could always ask. "Mariana, how come the ferris wheel is different than the postcards?" He asked and he gestures himself so that he is facing me and sitting against the passenger's door.
"Well for the centennial, the decided to expand it and make it larger. There are advertisements playing constantly. Do you want to go up on it?" I held his hand. "Unless you are afraid of heights?" We both laugh.
"Maybe some other time?" He says. He smiles and we are at a red light. I felt his hot breath go against the skin of my neck. Then I feel his lips on the base of my neck. Making me moan and wish that in a perfect world, we would be slowing things down, but then ironically sleeping and cuddling in one bed. "Right about now... I want to do something." He kisses my neck and it feels amazing.
This has been the best time I have ever had in a while.
