1. Hit or Miss

Chapter Forty-Eight

We had stepped into a familiar and calming atmosphere. Everything was how I remembered it. I smiled with a nod as Dan stepped up to just grab a table. The hostess led us to the other side filled for more walk-in dinning. We pulled out our chairs and sat across from the other. The hostess brought our waters and said the waitress would be right with us. Dan was looking through a menu quietly while I did the same. I noticed a few yummier things that I was debating on being brave enough to try. I heard Dan shift and glanced up to see him checking his phone. He had a look of annoyance while he read something.

"Dan? Everything alright?" I tried to see if there was anything I could do. Dan glanced up and realized I did say something.

"Huh, what, hun?" Dan asked quickly for me to repeat myself. I snickered and shook my head.

"I asked if everything was alright," I pointed to his phone, "I looked up and you had this look like something wasn't what you wanted to read." I explained as Dan set his phone down with a sigh.

"Well," Dan was about to explain when the waitress came up to take our drink order.

"I'll have some hot tea, please?" Dan smiled politely at her. She looked to me and I gestured to him.

"Just bring a kettle if you could?" I insisted. Dan liked the idea as he nodded to me smiling wider. The waitress walked back to the kitchen and I turned back to Dan.

"Continue?" I said sweetly. Dan nodded quickly and began again.

"Okay, so I was just checking my phone per habit, as anyone else would," he shrugged, "I had a message that Arin needed me to head over there after this to grump a little. I was sighing because I feel as if we just played this out before except the Netflix people were behind it." Dan sort of let his disappointment through. I tilted my head with a small smile.

"Danny?" I kept smiling at him.

"Hm?" he tilted his like I had and it made me giggle.

"If memory serves me right? I do believe we will have plenty of time to go on dates still. I mean unless this was a one-time thing?" I winked at him and it took him a moment to get I was screwing with him.

"Okay, you win, again, hush," he pointed at me with a chuckle, "I just, I mean, babe we just got back together, I wanted a nice night, I wanted us to not worry slash work, I wanted to wake up and be excited that we got to be lazy all night, but I get it as well. Sorry." Dan shrugged and looked down for a sec. "I'll let him know we'll be there soon." He tapped on his phone and I reached across from him. I laid my hand flat on his and he looked up at me confused.

"Arin knows where we are. Arin knows what we are doing. I want to bet he put when we can, didn't he?" I wanted Dan to calm down and see we weren't being rushed. He looked up with a nod and even showed me for reassurance.

"So what are you saying?" Dan asked still confused.

"I'm saying that we have time. He knows Danny. He knows where we are okay? He understands and I can hear it that he just wants us there when we are done." I said softly. I rested both my hands on his wrists and rubbed the back of his hands with my thumbs. He closed his eyes and breathed in slow. I could tell he was so worried about making sure they made deadlines and such that he was becoming really overworked. I watched him relax a little more as he shifted to holding my hands and smiling at them warmly.

"Thank you." He looked up and I saw the sincerity. He smiled knowingly back to him just letting him talk. "This, this is why I need you around and one of the bigger reasons I love you." He swallowed a sip of water before continuing. His hand was cold from the glass as he took mine back into his once again holding both in his. "You have this totally awesome Zen thing that works with me. I never really had someone be able to look at me and show me just how to calmly relax and evaluate shit. I mean, I meditate, but it's a whole new calm to have someone care about you and just be able to relax your being. Not just like the mind or soul apart. I just really am grateful for it. You're making me realize I am truly a lucky man!" Dan looked up now smiling wide. His smile reached his cheeks and I hadn't seen that one in a long time. I smiled back just as big so excited deep down to see him happy.