Love The One You're With

Chapter 24-First Date

Today was my first official date with Sammy, and I was nervous. I could hear him talking on the phone through our bedroom walls, but I couldn't quite understand anything specific. After crawling out of bed, I walked into the bathroom to turn on the shower and found a bundle of greenery hung from the showerhead. Upon closer inspection, I discovered it was a mix of fresh lavender and eucalyptus that Sammy must have put there. It made for a very relaxing and refreshing shower.

Once I was out and dry enough, I made my way into my room to pick out my clothes. My eyes immediately landed on a dress hanging in my closet with vertical yellow, cream, brown, and red stripes. The bodice hugged my chest, with a cinched waist that flowed out into a long skirt with a slit up to my thigh. It fits me well, and I felt hot in it, especially with my red pointed-toe heels. As my hair air dried, I applied some leave-in conditioner to preserve my waves and then pinned my bangs back since I was trying to grow them out. I heard a quiet knock on my door as I was finishing up my makeup for the day and admiring the subtlety of my eyes compared to the bold red lip.

When I opened the door, I saw Sammy standing there with a big smile. He was wearing a pair of light wash skinny jeans, a pair of brown loafers, and a chunky cream-colored sweater with his hair pulled back into a loose bun, looking effortlessly handsome. He stepped forward, placing his hands on my hips as he leaned in to kiss me. I couldn't contain my giggles when he pulled away with red lips that matched mine. "How are you so fucking hot?" He mused as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and smirked at the red smear left behind.

"You look pretty hot, yourself," I replied in a low voice as I tucked a loose piece of hair behind his ear. His cheeks flushed a light pink as he smiled down at me before kissing me again a little more passionately. "Let's get out of here before we break any rules," I added in a flirty tone.

"I'm okay with breaking all the rules if that's what you want, Quinnie," he purred as he pulled me closer and kissed a line from my jaw down to my collarbone. I groaned as I craned my head back allowing him deeper access against my better judgment. He pulled away with a sigh after I put my hand on his chest, silently reminding him of the agreement we all had. "Fine," he huffed. "I would like to take you on a real date, though..." he added softly as he took my hand off of his chest, intertwined our fingers, and lead me towards the front door. I grabbed a brown cropped leather jacket off the coat rack on the way out the door.

It was beautiful outside with the sun shining brightly against the deep blue sky, but there was a chill in the air now that it was December. Sammy wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close to keep me warm as we walked to the car. He opened my door and helped me climb in before trotting around to the driver's side. He started the car, and music came on louder than expected, which caused me to giggle once I realized it was Carole King. He started to turn it off, but I caught his hand and started to sing along enthusiastically until he joined in.

If you're out on the road
feeling lonely, and so cold
All you have to do is call my name
and I'll be there on the next train

Where you lead, I will follow
Anywhere, that you tell me to
If you need, you need me to be with you
I will follow where you lead

Once we pulled into a parking lot of a large brick building downtown, Sammy shut off the car and turned to face me. "Are you ready?" he asked nervously while placing a hand on my thigh and squeezing gently. I smiled wide and nodded as I placed my hand on top of his. Normally, I'd feel nervous for a "first date" but with Sammy, I felt completely at ease. It probably helped that we had grown so close living together, even after all the drama...

As we walked inside together, I realized this was basically a giant test kitchen. There was a large stainless steel countertop covered in ingredients, and a man standing nearby in all white with a chef's hat. "Benvenuto!" the man called out as we approached him. "My name is Stefano, and I will be your instructor today. We are going to cook a beautiful Italian meal together. Please hang up your coats and put on an apron over there," Stefano said as he held out his arm gesturing toward the coat rack on the wall.