I sent Callum my address and instructed him to show up at 7 with a bottle of Chardonnay.
The next day, I went to the grocery store to pick up all the ingredients I needed for shrimp scampi and garlic bread. According to Val and my parents, it was my "wife material" dish, but I also just enjoyed making and eating it.
I set my phone on speakerphone when I got back to my kitchen and worked on the meal.
"Can we come over?" Naomi asked with a whine.
I heard Val, Josh, and Matt laughing in the background. They were having game night at Matt and Naomi's but decided to take a break to snoop on my date prep.
"I didn't buy enough to make a family-style bowl." I laughed and continued prepping the shrimp.
"Don't worry, she makes it once a month. We call dibs on next time!" Val informed Naomi with a laugh.
"That's very true..." Josh chimed in after her.
"It'll be nice having even teams for game night." Oh, Matt. Ever the pragmatic.
"Is that all I am to you? A fifth wheel and source of free Italian food?" I joked lightheartedly and heated some oil and garlic in a pan.
"What he means is - we hope you have a fantastic, mind-blowing, orgasmic date!" Naomi lingered theatrically on the word "orgasmic". I could imagine her winking at me.
I shrugged. "I'll just be happy if I don't burn everything and he doesn't end up being a total imposter."
Naomi clicked her tongue at me. "Hey, none of that!"
"Yeah, you need to keep an open mind tonight, you hear us?" Val chimed in. "El, I love your practicality. But if you keep it up tonight, you are going to scare off a good thing."
I stirred in the shrimp and worked in silence, thinking over her words. "I know."
"You can't help it. We're not saying DON'T think, but you can't ignore what you're feeling too, you know?" Naomi added gently.
"That's... confusing." I kept working and took a sip of the glass water next to my stove.
"What I'm saying is - sometimes the right thing for you doesn't follow any reason," Naomi continued on. "Just focus on him and you. Nothing else."
As the shrimp and sauce came together, I began on the noodles. "I'll try."
"Guys? The game? Oregon Trail won't play itself..." Matt interrupted impatiently.
"Ugh, fine." Naomi groaned. Val and Josh laughed in the background.
"Good luck, girl! We're all rooting for you!" Val cheered.
"Thanks! Enjoy game night!" I ended the call and immersed myself in finishing the meal.
- - -
After the food was prepared, I went to change out of my lounge clothes. I pulled on a floral tank top and white capris, perfect for a warm summer evening.
I looked down at my phone to see a text.
Callum: [Buzz me up?]
I took a deep breath to try to settle my nerves. He was five minutes early.
"Ok, you've got this," I whispered to myself and stepped over to the intercom of my apartment to buzz him up. I frantically smoothed down my hair and clothes, trying to maintain what little control I had over the situation.
Moments later, he knocked on my door.
"Hi," he breathed out when I answered, adjusting his glasses nervously. He wore a similar outfit to the night at Rowdy's, with a navy button-up shirt layered on top of a grey shirt this time.
"Hi. Come on in." I pressed the door open wider for him to enter my apartment.
He leaned in and left a soft peck on my cheek. I could have melted.
"You'll be happy to know that this..." He held up the bottle of wine. "Is chilled and ready for you to enjoy."
I smiled and accepted the bottle from him. "Why, thank you. And that's perfect, I have dinner ready too."
I led him to my kitchen table, where the shrimp scampi was still steaming in it's serving bowl and the garlic bread was tucked securely in a kitchen-towel covered breadbasket.
"Do you want some too?" I asked as I pulled out a wine glass.
"Yeah, looks like it'd pair nicely with all this." He smiled proudly at me.
"That was the plan." I winked back at him as I poured our wine. I strode back over and handed him a glass. "To... re-dos?" I offered with a chuckle.
"Hopefully the last one."
I blushed and sipped my wine.
- - -
After dinner, we decided to take a walk around the park a few blocks from my apartment.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
We walked in contented silence for a few minutes, enjoying the last few sun rays of the day.
"So I have a confession to make..." Callum stopped ahead of me with a teasing smirk.
"What's that?" I asked, trying to suppress the surprise in my voice.
"I was waiting on telling you the verdict of your laptop because I wanted to see you again."
I laughed and playfully smacked at his arm. "Tell me now and maybe I'll still want to see you..."
He paused a moment, studying the sunset thoughtfully, then started walking again. "It'll be back to you next week."
"Well that's a relief," I sighed. "Because next week, I'm not cooking if we go out."
He turned back to face me with a satisfied grin. "Oh yeah?"
"Your turn to wine and dine me." I looked up at him slyly.
He reached for my hand and pulled me into his arms. I felt my pulse race and my cheeks flush with the sudden movement.
"I'm up to the task." Placing a hand on the side of my cheek, he guided my face up to meet his lips.
Just before the moment swept me away, I pulled back and awkwardly cleared my throat. I just couldn't do this without being as authentic as he was to me.
"What's wrong?" His eyes studied me with confusion and concern.
"Speaking of confessions..." I looked down at my toes through my sandals, feeling a sense of dread wash over me. "I have one too."
"Ok..." He gestured to a nearby bench and we sat down.
I fidgeted nervously with my clothes as I tried to piece together a way to not sound crazy. "I'm not sure the best way to say this," I started hesitantly. "I hope you don't think I'm crazy, but I just wanted to be honest."
He arched his eyebrow at me but reached out for my hand. "The only 'crazy' thing I see here is how drawn to each other we are."
I sighed deeply, feeling him squeeze my hand comfortingly. "That's the thing. I got a fortune years ago with the name of my soulmate."
He leaned forward with interest, still holding my hand.
