The Next Best Thing: Part II

Fifty-Seven

"So, where'd you take her?"

"Milo's. Are you in the bathroom right now?" Eoin laughed heartily on the other end of the line as I opened a tap to rinse my hands in the cafe's restroom.

"She's in the bathroom, isn't she?" I heard Min ask in a very loud, and embarrassing, tone of voice. "What did she do with Mitchell?"

"What did you do with Mitchell?" Eoin echoed.

"He's on the phone outside, waiting for me. I'm thinking of joining you guys, actually. I'm starving." Mitchell and I had some coffees and split a muffin over our unexpectedly long and worthwhile catching up session. It was already almost after lunchtime when we checked the time and he had to leave me.

"Well, we just got here. I'm sure Min won't mind."

"I don't mind," said Min. "I'm ordering some fries though. I can't wait forever for you, I apologise."

"By all means, do," I grinned into the phone, and my heart was unusually warmed. Today is a great day to be alive, I surmised. "I love you guys. See you in five."

Mitchell stood beside my car, his back against the passenger side door and his head tilted to the sky, his pale skin catching the warm rays of sunlight casting a serene glow on his face. Mitchell Crawford, my first.

"I was waiting for my car," he muttered into my direction. "So you don't have to take me to my hotel." I received a toothy grin and he held out his arms for a friendly embrace. "Thank you for today. I had fun." Likewise, I had replied. "You're beautiful, Zoe," he added. "Remember that."

I waved at him as he climbed into the black SUV now idling beside my car. "Bye, Mitchell. See you soon."

Milo's was a few blocks from where I had just been, a quaint yet quite high maintenance steakhouse in the heart of the city's cutthroat restaurant district, and not the easiest place to get a table at. But to Eoin, friends with and loved by everybody who was anyone, places like these were his regular jaunts, and he their favourite customer. Even with his cooking skills and credentials, he was often too lazy to eat regular homecooked food in the city if he could help it.

I found my awesome twosome seated at a cosy round table nestled among the lunch hour crowd. The diners were still huddled around their Kobe beef steak rolls accompanied by full bodied reds and the anomalous crisp white with the dig's signature chicken Parma.

Min had tucked into the enticing rectangular fries stacked in a large bowl, accommodating enough for both mother and baby. Eoin stood politely for me, pulling my chair and affectionately kissing my cheek. "I missed you," he breathed into my hair.

"Oh, for goodness sake! Eoin, kiss Zoe already. I know you've been waiting for this opportunity for the entire day. You don't ever need my permission. I honestly have no problem with that," Min butted in.

His lips swiftly interlocked with mine, soft, like a feather, nibbling gently on my bottom lip and his long, lean fingers cradling my face. Then they were off again, on my chin and lastly my cheek. I settled beside him, directly opposite Min, my fingers comfortably inbetween his.

"So, how was your get-together?" Let the probing begin. I gave them a frame by frame picture, from when we got there and when we started to really talk.

I didn't go into it much, out of respect for Mitchell and what we had - raw, real emotions were stimulated and that moment, those few hours together were very personal. And I knew they understood that.

"I missed you two," I cooed, changing the subject.

"Oh, honey. Eoin is actually trying to find another father for Mace," Min said, tut-tutting her head. "I'm really, really not that desperate though. He probably feels bad for me because you two have been on fire lately."