Lucky Number

3

Tom was deep in thought, worrying about how the evening would go. You got along so well over the phone, but what if there was no chemistry? What if you got to know him, and hated him? Would you have much in common? His thoughts were unending as he studied the candle's flame, trying to focus on that instead of the whirling storm in his mind. A sudden noise pulled him back to reality, and he looked up. His jaw dropped, his breathing faltered.

The most incredible eyes stared back at him from across the room. They were y/e/c, and Tom swore he'd never seen anything so stunning. Tom couldn't pull his eyes away from yours, he was captivated. You radiated beauty with every ounce of your being and a small smile blossomed on your face—the cutest fucking smile. Tom blinked in awe and was finally able to tear his eyes away from your face to take in the rest of you. You were wearing a deep blue dress that looked like it was made just for you, hugging your curves in all the right places. As Tom drank in the sight of you, he realized you had said something to him but he had no clue what. He stared blankly at you for a second still in a daze, then smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, what'd you say? I was distracted..."

You cocked your head, "Distracted...?"

He let out a single laugh, eyes glinting in the candlelight. "I just wasn't prepared for you to be so...breathtaking." His voice was breathy and slightly husky.

"Mmm? If anyone here is breathtaking, it would be you." You smiled coyly back at Tom while your insides fluttered uncontrollably.

He stood to meet you as you approached the table. "No, really...you look incredible. I've tried to imagine what you'd look like, and nothing my mind could come up with compares to seeing you in real life."

You felt your cheeks flush at the compliment. "Thank you, Tom. And thank you for the flowers—they're lovely."

"My pleasure." He pulled out the chair for you to sit. "I wasn't sure what kind of flowers you like, so I'm glad they're ok."

You gazed adoringly at Tom. "They're the nicest flowers I've ever received...and for future reference, my favorite are [your favorite flower]."

He chuckled as he sat back down across from you. "I'll be sure to remember that."

A waiter appeared to fill your wine glass and placed a basket of bread on the table.

"So...." You tried to think of something to talk about, but couldn't think of a "safe" topic. You had so many questions...Tom was a famous celebrity, and you'd always been fascinated by celebrity culture and lifestyle. But he'd made it clear he wanted to be normal, and you made him feel normal. So starting your date off by quizzing him about his his life as a movie star was probably not the way to go.

"So..." Tom copied your tone of voice, teasing you.

You rolled your eyes at him and grabbed a piece of bread.

"Damn. It's so nice to get to see you actually roll your eyes instead of seeing the fuckin emoji."

"Yeah well, you'd better get used to it, because you'll be seeing it a lot. I'm sure the novelty of it will wear off soon enough."

His smile widened, crinkles appearing around his eyes. How adorable can he be??

Tom began asking you all about yourself, wanting to know about your childhood and family, favorites, stuff you hated, your hopes and dreams—everything. You prattled on and on about your life as you both ate. Tom hung on your every word, nodding and laughing at your stories. When desert arrived, you realized that you had talked practically the entire dinner, and suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment wash over you.