Sealed with a Kiss ✔

Chapter Fourteen | Sealed with a Kiss

These past few weeks school abruptly picks up a faster pace, the days start to rush by- they become a stream of intensive workloads and the evenings are hardly better. Cramming hours of work into the day seems to speed everything up and you find each week rapidly melting into the next. January gives way to February and suddenly it's Valentine's Day and you could have sworn Christmas was only yesterday.

Ryan and I have arranged to go on a date at The Squirrel and the Acorn. The first thing I heard about the place is that as different as its name is, the food is something else. Everything from its soup to its éclairs have been raved about, and even though I'm more of a café person that a restaurant diner, I'm feeling excited to go.

The place is buzzing at midday when Ryan and I come through the door; it's jam-packed with other Valentine's Day dates or gatherings. The atmosphere's bustling and full of the vibrant hum of conversation whilst the air's pleasantly warm, full of delicious smells drifting from people's meals. Everywhere there are love-struck couples, all looking completely smitten.

Ryan and I are directed to a window seat by a waiter, as soon as we're seated we're given menus and I take a moment to just sit and soak everything in. Peering outside, I see the restaurant's settled in a busy street in Wickworth's core, beyond it you can see a shop's gotten into the romantic spirit by decorating their outside with pink balloons. Others are emblazoned with posters promoting discount prices on things like chocolate and wine. Funny how the world remembers romance on Friday the fourteenth.

"So, what do you want to get?" Ryan asks, peering down at his menu. I do the same with mine and my eyes land on the penne carbonara and immediately my stomach grumbles. Carbonara's my favourite pasta dish and the thought of it's making my mouth water, especially considering how meagre my breakfast of burnt toast was.

I mention the carbonara and Ryan orders steak, as well as a couple of drinks, and our menus are taken away by the same waiter. Then it's just us at the table. I smile abashedly at Ryan, who's looking at me quietly from the other side of the table. His mouth upturns as he leans forward on his elbows. "You look really pretty today."

I feel my cheeks blush at once and Ryan chuckles, he knows I always have no clue how to respond to such out-of-the-blue compliments and he always gets amused by it. I roll my eyes as he continues to grin.

"You get red so easily," he says as we're served two Cokes. I mutter a thank you to the waiter before pretending to be annoyed.

"I thought you'd know I blush easily by know," I say, sipping my fizzy drink slowly and raising my eyebrows at him. Ryan exhales and stretches back in his seat before grinning once more, the broad smile brightening his blue eyes.

"Well," he says, and already I know I'm in for it, "I found that out from day one. Ever since that time by the pond-"

"Hey!" I interrupt as my cheeks heat again as  I realise where he's heading. "We're outside!"

Ryan laughs and puts his hands up for surrender. "I was just going to mention a kiss," he says, appearing highly amused. I huff and sip at my drink, feeling a confusing mixture of being flustered, amused and relieved. The last emotion's out of place from the rest but a part of me can't help but be secretly glad that Ryan and I able to still joke around, recently things have been a bit sparse in the conversation department. But right now, it seems like everything might go OK.

The shortest of moments passes and it's as though the thought jinxes everything.

Because then the restaurant door opens and, immediately, I forget all feelings of hunger or enjoyment and freeze. In fact, it feels as though my chair has suddenly disappeared and I'm plummeting down to the ground. Levi stands in the restaurant doorway; his arm is draped around a girl I faintly recognise and a feeling of horror sweeps over me. What is he doing here?