One More Time (Bremmy 1)

Chapterish 32

7:58 PM

Brooks arrives on schedule. He's wearing black dress pants that are V snug around his tush and a matching black button-down. A charcoal sport jacket stretches across his shoulders. No tie but he doesn't need one. Let his clothes be a lesson in aesthetic for inferior men. His face lights up when I answer the door in my is-this-a-date sextra dress. I grab my black almost floor-length coat and shut the door behind us.

"You look," he pauses. "Like every other girl should stop trying."

I smile and can't help but almost laugh.

"You could give some guys a run for their money," I say, exuding nonchalance. Hope I am anyway.

Can't give all my cards away. Don't want to let on that I'm still replaying our afternoon romp on a loop in my mind. And probably will be all during dinner.

"Only some?" Brooks feigns disappointment.

We walk next to each other down the hallway and stop in front of the elevators. Doors open. We step in. Doors close. He stands away from me but just close enough that I can smell him. Cue jazzy elevator music. I want to jump on him so damn bad.

"I'll call a car." Brooks says, opening an app on his phone.

"What, no limo? What kinda date is this?"

Shit.

Corbel Finn lives up to its hype.

It's modern and chic and so ~adult~ albeit still hipster at the same time. It shouldn't be possible. We walked past the fancy valet stand and up to the door. Giant bamboo plants stood like determined guards on either side of the insanely heavy glass door. Under a mystic blue light you could just make out the lobby-foyer on the other side of the door. The atmosphere is a wild vibe.

The attractive hostess stares at us the entire way to our seats. I wondered briefly how we look like to the outside eye. A young, well-groomed, attractive couple with a $1000 to spare on an evening out, I supposed.

"You ever been here before?" Brooks asks as we sit down.

"The bar lounge once, on the other side," I jerk my head toward the direction we came from. The bar lounge is a separate bar that is off the main lobby. Drinks only, no food. We did a cocktail hour there for a wedding I went to about two years ago.

Menu is fucking cray. For starters, it's a bound book. Like a best-selling bound book with a carefully crafted table of contents and glossary in the back. Bibliography required.

An entire section –no chapter is dedicated to bottles of wine, draft beers, cocktails, etc. $20 for a martini made with pressed cucumber and a rosemary bush sticking out of the top. For an extra $8 you can get a bushel of carrots. $22 for an orange citrus crush with lemongrass powder and magical fairy dust. For an extra $5 it guides you to Neverland.

Don't get me started on the Appetizers and Entrées.

I watch him watching me from across the table. He smiles politely as the waiter displays the bottle of wine he selected from the menu. The waiter pours a small amount first, waiting for approval. Brooks smiles and nods. Two minutes later the waiter leaves us alone together –just two kids sitting at a dimly lit table with white linens and six different forks at each setting.

Brooks raises his glass.

"Cheers," he pauses. I raise my eyebrows. "To friends visiting friends."

"Without invitation." I laugh and raise my glass to his.

"Good, isn't it?" He asks, lowering his glass.

"Yes. I don't normally like wine." This is true, but this wine is also good. Should be, considering it costs about $300.