Petty Interaction (Olli Maatta)

11.

Chapter 11:

"Hey." I said returning his smile, blushing slightly accepting the rose. I took a moment to smell it before whispering a short thanks.

"You ready to go?" He asked. 

"Yea, let's go." I said grabbing my coat, wallet, and gloves. He extended his hand and I took it interlocking our fingers as we walked down the stairs.

"So any chance of you telling me where we're going?"

"It's meant to be a surprise." He replied softly. I take that as a no.

"Okay, I'll trust you just this once." I said playfully as we got to his vehicle. He chuckled once more at my antics. He had a cute little laugh. As we got moving, I could tell we were headed towards the South Side. There are a lot of fancy restaurants there and it worried me. I didn't want Olli to spend a lot of money on our first official date. He had already 'wooed me' with Starbucks and the game. The ride was silent but after a few moments, he reached over and took my hand in his. I smiled at the small gesture and interlaced our fingers.

A few minutes later, we were parked in a public parking garage and he was leading me into Station Square. I smiled. It was not as busy as you would expect for a Friday night but it was still relatively early. We walked a few minutes and my curiosity grew. There were a lot of different restaurants and bars in the small area. We continued until we reached our destination. It was nice restaurant I had heard of but never been to, the Melting Pot. It was known to be good for groups and parties, but it would be perfect for us.

"I hope this is okay, I thought it would be fun. I've been her once before with a couple of the guys and it was entertaining. But I remember seeing this couple not far from us and noted how happy they seemed. It sparked the idea for me."

"Olli, it's perfect. You could have taken me to McDonald's. I'm just happy to spend time with you." I said squeezing his hand in assurance. I could tell he was really trying and was nervous I wouldn't appreciate his effort.

"I requested a back booth, so people wouldn't stare. It can be hard for us to go out in pubic being pro athletes. I wanted tonight to be private, just you and me, no unneeded interruptions."

"It will be fine." We walked up to the hostess. She looked to be middle aged, but you could tell she knew who Olli was immediately. Her eyes widened and her eyes glanced down at her computer screen.

"Do you have a reservation?" She asked looking back up this time looking at me skeptically. I felt suddenly self-conscious as she took in my appearance and our joined hands.

"Under Oliver." He said smoothly. I chuckled at his code name.

"Of course, right this way Mr. Maatta." She corrected looking at him and smiling sweetly. Olli rolled his eyes and followed after her pulling me after him. We reached the farthest booth from the door and sat opposite each other.

"Your server will be right with you. If you need anything at all please do not to hesitate to ask."

I picked up the menu and was not pleased with the prices; few things were under $30 per person and almost cringed. I tried to hide it the best I can and tried to find something that was still good but not expensive. I didn't want Olli to spend so much on me. They had a chicken course that didn't look bad.

"What do you recommend Olli?" He suggested a couples' deal where we got both the cheese and chocolate fondue and our entrees from a choice list. It wasn't too bad and I felt a little better.

Soon enough we ordered and our chats began. Once we got over the typical formal awkwardness of a first date, we fell back into our causal conversation that we've been blessed with. We went with the more date-like questions like favorite colors, music preferences, and hobbies. Some stuff we had already covered in previous conversations, but it was nice to just let the discussion flow as it will.