Like A River

4. My Hallelujah (Chris)

     "Why exactly am I blindfolded again?" Seb asks as I lead him out of the stairwell and onto the roof of the apartment building. "And why are we outside while I'm blindfolded?"

    "How can you tell we're outside?" I ask.

     "The air changed," he laughs.

      "That's a fair observation, actually," I nod, bringing him to a stop about ten feet from the door to the stairwell. "Now, are you ready for the first surprise of the night?"

      "I'd like to think that I am."

       I look over at Scarlett and Mackie, both of which are smiling watching us. They're helping me photograph the night's events so we can get ahead of the public on social media in real-time. At the end of the night, I'm probably going to owe them both all-expenses-paid vacations to whatever location they want.

      Scarlett gives me a nod, her phone apparently recording now. Mackie just grins and gives me two thumbs up, looking far more excited than I expected him to be.

      I let go of Seb's hands, move behind him, and set my hands on his shoulders before saying, "Ready, Seb?"

     "You're making me nervous," he says, cheeks burning crimson. "Should I be nervous?"

      I smile as I reach up to untie his blindfold, and as I remove it, I say, "You tell me, babe."

      He blinks in shock for a moment, and then he turns to me in disbelief, saying, "A helicopter? Chris, that's a helicopter! What on earth did you get us a helicopter for?"

      I can't help but smile even more as he takes my hands and pulls me toward the helicopter, eager to fly off to our next adventure.

     "Where are we going?" He asks as I adjust my pace so I can walk in step with him, slipping an arm around his waist and resting my hand on his hip. "Or is that another surprise too?"

     I bring him to a stop just a few feet from the helicopter, saying, "Easy, Sebby, honey. Take a breath for me."

      That's when the pilot steps out, saying, "The Brooklyn boys! How are you doing tonight?"

      Seb's jaw drops.

     "Harrison Ford," He gasps.

      I smile, "We're fantastic. How are you?"

      "I'm doing well," Ford smiles, charm rolling off of him in waves. "You two ready to take off?"

       Seb turns to me, saying, "You seriously called Harrison Ford?"

      "I did," I tell him.

       He lights up, pulling me with him into the helicopter with a smile that leaves me breathless, absolutely breathless. I manage to start breathing normally once we're up in the air, sitting hand-in-hand looking out at the New York City lights. Seb's eyes sparkle as he takes it all in. I get lost in the lights reflected in his eyes.

      Beautiful.

     Seb pulls me from my dreaming with a quick kiss.

     "I have no idea what on earth I'd do without you," he tells me, "This is amazing, Chris."

      "Only the best for you," I smile.

      He snuggles into me, resting his head on my shoulder as I wrap him up in my arms.

      A short flight later, we've landed and I've led Seb into the restaurant we have all to ourselves for the evening — The NoMad Restaurant. The NoMad Restaurant is within the NoMad Hotel, built out of a series of rooms laden with rich fabrics, mystifying floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and a luxurious bar help up by carved mahogany elephants. It's fancy without excess, decadent without overwhelming depth. It's also a favorite for celebrities and, because of its location in a hotel, it can get busy at times.