Not A Bad Thing (A Russell Wilson Story)

Seventeen

Since I've been craving pizza for the longest time, Russ drove us to this small restaurant that makes gourmet pizzas. We walked into the place, and it wasn't too busy for a Tuesday night. Russ requested for a private table, away from the onlookers. They led us to the corner, smiling at us.

As I peruse the menu for the pizza, I feel Russ watching me, smiling.

"What?" I smile while I keep looking for something to eat.

"Nothing," he says.

I look up from the menu and look at him. "Not nothing. Why do you keep looking at me?"

"I'm still reeling from the fact that you're actually my girlfriend. It's surreal. It's been a long time since I've been in a committed relationship, and I feel like I'm out of practice. I just feel so lucky that it's you," he takes my hand, holding it.

"Hey, I know what you mean. But when you truly love someone, I think that it comes naturally. You don't need practice to be in a relationship. It's all based on a good friendship, and that's what we have. We were really good friends before all this: we told each other everything, you were there for me, I was there for you, and it just brought us closer."

Russell kisses my hand. "You're so smart, you know that? And beautiful."

"And hungry," I point out while I go back to the menu. He chuckles, letting go of my hand so that he can also look. "You are full of compliments today, you know that?"

"Well, I think that my girlfriend deserves all the compliments that I give. They're all true and I'll never get tired of reminding her every day how lucky I am," he says as he reads.

I can help the goofy grin that I feel growing on my face. Ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend: King of Sweet Sayings. I lean over, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, and I'm the lucky one."

He smiles down and me, then pulls my chair right next to his so that we're sitting side by side. We end up ordering a veggie supreme pizza, with a side of breadsticks. Russell refused to let go of my hand as we ate. We talked about today and how the guys kept him busy this morning. He wanted to come see me before visiting the children, but the guys kept dragging him away.

He honestly had no idea about the surprise and he was so happy. I'm happy that I thought of it. I know how close these kids are to his heart, and it was only rational to add them in. He pointed out that I made it very easy to remember our anniversary date. I giggled.

When we finished eating, the waiter came out with a small dessert, on the house. We both looked up at him, confused, but he clarified that one of the chefs was a huge fan of the team, recognized Russell, and made the dessert. We thanked him, extending it to the chef. We left a generous tip when we left, and noticed that there were more people in the restaurant. Funny how we didn't notice these things. Russ held me close as we walked out. I had that feeling that someone would notice him and see us, and it will soon be on the news.

"Come over?" He asks as we drive off.

I check the time, it's getting pretty late and I have to do some studying. "Now?"

He glances at me quickly. "If you're worried about how late it is and that you have some studying to do, I texted Dani earlier to bring your things over. I just want to spend more time with you."

He really is unbelievable. I pinch his arm and smile. "You sneaky bastard. You're lucky I love you," I chuckle.

Russ rubs the area I pinched, smiling. "The pinching was unnecessary. And is it a crime that I want to be with you, especially since we just became official? Besides, the dogs missed you, and it is my birthday."