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They were in the car driving to Maricela's restaurant aptly called Maricela's, and Sam has asked Riley to keep their arrival a secret wanting to surprise Maricela.
"Hey, I got a question." Riley pipes up while keeping his eyes on the road as he's the one driving.
"What's the question?" Sam turns his head to look at Riley, he leans over and turns down the music that is coming from the radio. "How long are you planning on staying?" Riley looks at Sam when they get to a stoplight.
Sam chuckles lightly. "What, getting rid of me already?" Sam says teasingly. Riley shakes his head, he knows Sam is teasing but he can't help the eye roll. "No, I just want to prepare myself for when my lover goes away." Sam laughs reaching his hand out for Riley to hold which of course he does, letting their hands rest on the console in the middle of their seats.
"Maybe a week or two, I was thinking about inviting you to come with me. To meet my parents and Sarah." Riley raises his eyebrows in surprise, he didn't think Sam would want him to meet his parents this quickly. "Are you sure?" Sam nods, he opens his mouth to respond but Riley pulls into Maricela's so the conversation is put on pause for the time being.
Riley unbuckles and puts his hand on Sam's arm to stop him from getting out just yet. "Hey, I want to talk about this later okay?" Sam nods, he leans over and kisses Riley. Riley has to pull back before it gets too heated and they never make it into Maricela's.
"Ready for some good ole Cuban food?" Riley pulls back grinning, he's never been shy about growing up in a mixed household. "I'm assuming you'll know what I'll like here?" Sam asks grabbing Riley's hand so they can walk in together.
Riley has a smirk on his face as he turns around as Riley clicks the lock on his truck. "Everything here is good but I'm a little biased. I have something in mind for you to eat though, sounds right up your alley." The bell dings when Riley swings the door open, Riley looks at Sam who takes a deep breath in smelling the Cuban food wafting throughout the restaurant. "Holy shit, It smells amazing in here," Sam mutters to Riley who had a wince on his face. "I heard someone curse in my restaurant." Maricela's voice drifts out to the seating area from the kitchen, all the servers look at Sam like he was in trouble, which he was.
"Oh, it's just me Maricela. I'm sorry." Sam looked over at Riley ashamed, meanwhile, Riley was holding his laughter in watching the scene behold in front of him of his boyfriend getting scolded by his mother. "Samuel! Such naughty words but I am so glad to see you drop by darling. How was your drive?" Maricela hugged Sam and led them towards a booth by the window, and it happened to be close to the kitchen as well.
Sam grabbed the menu looking it over quickly before handing it towards Riley. "My drive was good, you have a nice place here Maricela." Maricela waved her hand at Sam's compliments about the restaurant, Maricela didn't take compliments well and neither did Riley. "Thank you, Honey, do you know what you guys are gonna have?" Maricela looked at Riley expectantly like she already knew Sam was going to let Riley order for him.
"I'm gonna have the Ropa Vieja and Sam's gonna have the Picadillo." Riley handed the menus back to his Mom who nodded and leaned over to kiss both of their cheeks leaving a clear lip print behind. "Let me get that." Sam leaned over and wiped Riley's cheek when Maricela left them alone.
Riley did the same to Sam making sure no residue was left behind. "So what exactly did you order?" Sam asks, leaning back in the booth putting his leg under his other outstretched leg.
"Well, Ropa Vieja is a dish made with shredded beef, it's slow-cooked in a tomato-based sauce with onions, bell peppers, garlic, and of course cooking wine. It's served over white rice and it also has tostones which are fried pressed plantains. The Picadillo is a classic in Cuban food, it's ground beef cooked with garlic, onions, bell peppers, oregano, bay leaf, and salt. Once all those flavors combine it's mixed with white rice."
Just hearing Riley describe the dish made Sam drool, he knew that he was going to be eating well today. "Those both sound so delicious." Sam rubbed his hands together when Maricela personally walked over with the two plates in her hands. "Enjoy boys, I hope you have a good date." Maricela winked at the couple before walking back to the kitchen.
Sam looked at Riley with a wide-eyed look. "I guess this is a date huh?" Riley nodded smiling before digging into his food.
Riley watched Sam out of the corner of his eye while Sam took a spoonful of his food, his eyes closed and he swallowed. "That was fantastic, oh my god." Sam took a sip of water before taking another bite. Riley couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face, he may not cook but he knew his mother was a fantastic cook so he couldn't help but feel a little pride when Sam complimented the cooking.
They were both silent as they ate the food, both of them had equally clean plates. "Thank you for bringing me here," Sam said pushing his empty plate away from him.
Riley got up and walked over to Sam's side pushing his leg away so he can sit next to him. "I'm glad you liked it, that means a lot to me." Sam scoots down so he can lay his head on Riley's shoulder. "I know you just didn't come over to this side of the booth to tell me that though." Riley grabbed Sam's hand bringing it up to his lips and kissing his palm.
"You're right, I didn't just come to sit next to you for that. I have decided to come to Lousiana with you when you go back."
The smile Riley got in response from Sam was blinding, Sam couldn't help it, he pressed his lips against Riley laughing when he pulled back from happiness.
Today was a perfect day, and it was all because they were together.
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