“Red it is,” he said. “How about merlot?”
“I’m kind of a cabernet type of guy,” I responded. “But we can go with merlot.”
The waitress came over to take our drink orders, and I grinned when Daniel ordered a bottle of cabernet.
“You’re the wine expert,” he said, once the waitress left the table. “I’d be a fool not to listen to you.”
“Wise man.” The butterflies flared back up when I saw him smile again. “You’re different tonight.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged and dropped my eyes to the food menu. “You just seem happier. Less grumpy. You’re more like you were at the manor.”
He reached across the table and touched my fingers, drawing my eyes up to him. “I missed this… with you.”
“Me too.” How was it possible to feel heavy and light at the same time? I felt like I’d float away any moment, but the touch of his fingers on mine kept me grounded.
“Here you are,” the waitress said, returning with two glasses and a bottle of cabernet. She popped the cork. “Would you like me to pour it for you?”
“No, thank you,” Daniel told her before grabbing the bottle and pouring my glass first. “We’d like to place our food orders now.”
“Of course.” She pulled out a small pad and a pen. “Start whenever you’re ready.”
Daniel ordered us two rib eye steaks cooked to medium, along with a side of grilled vegetables—no broccoli—and fried potato wedges. I didn’t mind that he’d ordered for me because it was exactly what I was going to order anyway.
“How did you know that’s how I liked my steak?” I asked once we were alone again.
“You’ve gotten steak a few times at the office,” he answered.
“And you remembered that I got it medium?”
“I just ordered what I like,” Daniel responded in a dismissive tone, but the tips of his ears turned pink.
“Okay. That’s fair.” I rested my arms on the table and leaned toward him. “What about the broccoli? You knew I didn’t like it.”
“You’re not the only one who’s observant, okay?” His ears turned pinker. “Drink your wine.”
“It’s cute seeing you blush.”
“I’m not blushing.”
I took a sip of wine, staring at him over the rim of the glass. He cracked a smile and took a drink of his. As we waited for our food to arrive, we made small talk about things going on at work. It was as if we both wanted to delve into deeper topics but weren’t sure. So, I took a dive for the both of us.
“When did you realize you liked guys?” I asked, then sipped on my second glass of wine. If not for the buttered bread I’d eaten for an appetizer that sopped up some of it, I would’ve been tipsy by now or close to it.
“Around fifteen,” Daniel answered. “I didn’t quite know the term for it back then, but I realized men were attractive in the same way women were. It was confusing for a while. I thought something was wrong with me. It got better, though, especially with how supportive my parents and sister were. I had a crush on a boy named Malaki. He was the captain of the swim team.”
“Did you ever tell him?” I asked.
He downcast his eyes. “Yes.”
I waited a moment, then grew impatient. “And? You can’t leave me hanging here.”
“I doubt you want to hear it.”
“I’m asking, aren’t I?” I shifted in my seat. “Come on. Tell me. Give me all the juicy details.”
He lifted his amused gaze. “Okay. When I told him, he kissed me.”
My eyes felt like they were going to shoot from my sockets. “Seriously?”
“I lost my virginity to him a week later.”
“Holy hell,” I said, impressed. “Way to go.”
“Neither of us knew what we were doing, so it was awkward. But anyway. Enough of that.” Daniel took a drink, his face flushed. “Tell me about you.”
“Not much to tell. I’m an open book and don’t hold much back.” I tore off the end of a buttered roll and shoved it into my mouth. “You know about my picture-perfect upbringing already and that I played the tuba.” Daniel snorted and put a hand to his mouth when some wine dribbled out. I grinned. “You keep laughing, but I’ll have you know that I rocked the tuba.”
“I’m sure you did.” He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, still smiling.
Conversation paused when the waitress brought our food. I cut into my steak, seeing it was cooked to a beautiful medium. The tender meat didn’t need any sauce to go with it. That’s when you knew you had a perfectly cooked steak.
Heavier topics were put on hold again as we ate. It was good to have a balance of light and heavy. Too much of either could mess everything up. However, Daniel and I worked well together, both in and out of the office.
“Did you always want to do administrative work?” Daniel asked midway through the meal.
“Definitely not. I wanted to be an actor when I was a teenager and almost majored in theater when I got to college. But nerves held me back.”
“Nerves?” He looked surprised. “You’re the most confident person I know.”
“My dad always said theater was for sissies,” I responded, feeling the mood shift. “I guess that kinda stayed with me, even when he was out of the picture. After that, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I actually made a few jackets and some pants. But the pants ripped the first time I wore them, and everyone in McDonald’s saw my bare ass. Needless to say, that dream died quick.”
He choked on a laugh. “Lucky people in McDonald’s.”
“I’m sure the small children and old people would disagree, Daniel.”
Once again, the conversation lightened.
“Probably a good thing you’re an only child,” he said. “Regina picked on me all the time. Drove me insane.”
“Isn’t she younger?” I asked, amused.
“Yeah. Pathetic, right?” Daniel smiled, though. He might’ve complained about his sister, but it was obvious he loved her a lot.
“So… Olivia,” I said a while later. We’d been sitting there for a good two hours as we ate, drank, and talked. “Do you ever see her around town? Do you talk at all?”
Daniel shook his head. “She moved shortly after the engagement ended. After begging me to take her back, she met some drummer and ran off to Cali with him.”
“Ouch.”
“Tell me about it.” Daniel finished off his wine. “I’m not in love with her anymore, though. I wonder if I ever was… or if I just thought I should be.”
“What do you mean?”
He thought a moment before answering, “Marriage. Kids. A white picket fence. I thought I needed all of that in order to be happy. I think I loved the idea of it much more than I loved Olivia.”
“And do you want them?” I asked. “Kids, I mean.”
“No. Maybe when I was younger, but not now,” he answered, then checked his watch. “Damn. I’ve talked your ear off. It’s almost nine o’clock.”