The Little Life

Chapter Seventeen

Jack finished up some paperwork and put the folders back in the file cabinet before shutting off his computer. He then came to my place on the floor and crouched down, so he was face to face with me.

"Do you want to go get dinner, Princess?" he asked as he flattened an unruly piece of hair on the top of my head.

I blushed then nodded my head before handing him the puzzle, which was now neatly settled in its box. He took the box and put it back in the drawer, then walked back to me and stuck his hand out for me to take. I took the offer, letting him pull me up, and we walked hand in hand through the club to his car outside. Not without saying his goodbyes to everyone in the building, however.

He opened the passenger side door after he unlocked the car, and ushered me in before buckling me. A gesture so small, yet it gave me butterflies every time. I thanked him and took Shakespeare out of my bag and held on to him as Jack took his seat and started the car.

"So, what are you in the mood for?" he asked after sitting in his car for a moment.

"Oh, um, I don't care. Anything is good" I smiled at him, but he sighed.

"Little one, you have to have an opinion on something." he laughed, "You always say whatever I pick is fine. I like how submissive you are but sweetheart you have to work with me a little bit"

I started panicking.

I hate having to choose. Tasha always picks for me so I don't have to. Making decisions is definitely not my strong suit. I knew eventually he would get tired of me being so...submissive.

"Calysta?" he asked, pulling me out of my trance as he wiped a tear from my cheek.

Oh great. I was sucking my thumb too.

"You don't have to choose if you really don't want to. But I don't want you to feel like you have no say in anything we do. Now can you tell me why you're crying?"

"I just-I'm-I" I stuttered, trying to get the words out without crying. Taking a deep breath, I replied. "I'm sorry. I just, I'm not good at making decisions. Tasha usually decides when we go out..."

"I see. Why didn't you just say so? I have no problem choosing" he smiled as he took my hand in his and brought it to his lips before placing a soft kiss on my knuckles.

"I just get nervous trying to make decisions. I don't wanna make the wrong one" I said, sounding small because of my nervousness.

"That's okay, little one. My job is to make the decisions for you as long as you're okay with that. Now let's go get some dinner" he said as he plugged an address into Google maps and began driving. He didn't let me see where we were going, so I just sat quietly and looked out the window, taking in the surroundings of the city.

Everything was so beautiful. All of the historic buildings and lights were mesmerizing. Before I knew it, we were parked in front of a really gorgeous building and Jack was leading me out of the car. It had a patio outside with lights and tables, and the sign on the front had lots of names on it. I looked up at him confused, but he put his hand on the small of my back and lead me inside.

As I walked in, I noticed it wasn't a regular restaurant. There were a few different options, all in one building. All the way to the left was a ramen place, in the middle was sushi and poke bowls, to the right of that was what looked like a smoothie/boba tea cafe, and all the way on the right was a Korean barbecue place.

"I figured this was an easy first choice for you to make" Jack smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

"Can I get ramen? And boba tea? I've never had real ramen! Or boba tea!" I said excitedly, making my choice easily as I pulled on his hand towards the ramen stand.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold your horses, little girl. I haven't decided what I want yet" he said as he looked around at the menus, placing a hand on his hip and scratching his stubble with the other.

I mumbled a sorry before I started getting impatient and began to tap my foot and pulled on his shirt. This caused Jack to laugh and look down at me, making me blush. "Okay, okay. I'll get ramen as well. Let's go over there" he said as he took my hand in his and lead me to the ramen stand. I stood behind Jack and held onto his shirt as he ordered.

"I'll take the pork Tonkotsu ramen, the large, and she will have the chicken Kurume ramen, the small," he said as he pulled out his credit card and handed it to the cashier. After he paid and we got a number for the table, he crouched down to me and asked, "Can I trust you to get your boba while I go to the bathroom?"

I love when he crouches down to my level. It makes me feel...little. I like that. "Mmm. I can do it" I said as he handed me his credit card and stood up, walking to the bathroom after placing our number on the table beside us.

I ordered a white peach tea with mango boba and made my way back to the table, struggling to get on the high top seat. After struggling to get on the chair, I felt hands under my arms making me squeak. I turned to see Jack helping me up.

"Thank you" I blushed as I took a sip of my drink and handed him back his card.

"You did a very good job, Princess," he said as he pushed the hair from my face and put it behind my ear. As I looked up, the cashier brought over our ramen. I picked up my chopsticks and began to eat. The food was too hot, though, and I burnt my mouth and dropped my chopsticks before I started to cry.

"Oh, sweetheart. Are you alright? I'm sorry. Daddy should have told you to wait" he said as he wiped the tears from my face and handed me a napkin.

I looked at him and paused, taking in what he had just said. "It's okay" I said as I sniffled a bit.

"Sorry I got carried away" he said, shooting me a soft smile as he scratched the back of his neck.

I cleared my throat and bit my lip. "Don't apologize"

We sat in silence for the rest of the meal. I kept trying to start a conversation but I didn't know what to say. Every time I went to talk, that word popped into my mind and made me blush and turn all mushy. I don't know what he does to me, or why, but I think I can live with this forever.