Love Anchored

Chapter 21 - David - Hook, line and Sinker

Stepping out of the car into the crisp Virginian air, picking up the small bouquet of flowers from the passenger seat, I begin walking towards the neon signs  of the restaurant. Spotting Lizzy, I knock on the window as I walk past her sitting in the window seat. I enter the restaurant and make my way to her table. Her head already peeking over the tops of the booths. "Lizzy?" I call out, she greets me with a charming smile. "Hi, Dave, It's so nice to finally meet you." she says as she gets up and wraps her arms around me. "I got these for you." I mention as I pass her the bouquet of daliahs and daisys, and she takes a moment to appreciate their scent. "Thank you, Dave. This is so thoughtful."

As Lizzy and I sit across from each other in the cozy booth of the Mexican restaurant, her presence captivates me. Freckles dance across her face as she talks about her work as a nurse in the short-stay children's ward. Her jade-green eyes sparkle behind the glasses perched on her nose.

She tells me about the weird character she had delt with when she was a nurse in the emergency room. "It was the night before Christmas" she begins, thinking she will continue to tell me about the stockings hung by the fireplace." The ER was packed with a mix between drunks with various ailments and children with broken legs and arms from falling off scooters, bike and trampoline that Santa brought them." I listen intently. " a gentleman walked in, he was well known to the staff. We even gave him a nickname of 'Die Hard'." Peeking my curiosity." Why die hard?" She gave a cheeky grin and roll her eyes. " I was just about to tell you." she giggles and continues. " well this gentleman always had the urge to try crawl into the roof cavity." I laugh hard, now invested into story. "Did Die Hard succeed?"," not just did Die Hard succeed that night but we also had to evacuate the ER due to him braking the gas and the sewage pipe when he used it like a rope over a canyon, screaming the floor is lava."

As Lizzy wraps up her story the waiter cames over, taking out order. We decide to share a plate of loaded nachos between us.

I take my turn telling stories about what it's like on the last few days of deployments. Telling her the mischief that is appropriate for a first date. " I was forced to dress up as a mermaid got tied the front of the ship for over 5 hours." ," forced huh?" She smirks.

As we finish up our meal our bill came, hearing Taliah's voice echo in my head, I place my hand over the bill and whip out my card and gave it to the waiter to complete the transaction. " I could have paid for us." Lizzy says as the waiter walks away. " You can pay for our next date."  I joke.

I suggest we take a leisurely stroll, the night air is crisp, Lizzy wraps herself into her coat. We stumble upon an icecream shop, and her eyes light up like a child in a candy store. "Go order what your heart desires." I encourage, and she skips over to the counter. Lizzy doesn't hold back, getting everything but the kitchen sink placed on her vanilla scoop of icecream.

We find a bench outside the ice cream shop, and Lizzy takes a generous bite of her overloaded creation, a mix of flavours and toppings. I can't help but chuckle at her delight, and her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint. "You're not going to escape this, Dave," she says between bites. "You have to try some." She scoops up a bite with a bit of everything — chocolate chips, gummy bears and caramel drizzle and offers it to me.

I playfully pretend to hesitate, then take the bite, savouring the explosion of flavours. Lizzy bursts into laughter, and it's contagious. I find myself appreciating the beauty around us in a way I hadn't before.

We keep strolling through town, finding ourselves in a quiet park, surrounded by the soothing sounds of rustling leaves and distant city murmurs. We settle on a bench, and Lizzy leans back, looking up at the night sky. "You know," she begins, "I used to come here as a kid with my family. It's always been a special place for me." I listen intently as she shares childhood memories of chasing fireflies and having picnics under the stars. The more she reveals, the more I feel a connection, as if I'm being invited into a cherished part of her past.

The night comes to a close as we wander back to my car. " How are you getting home tonight?" I say glancing at her. " I was just going to get a taxi." I can't let her take a taxi home this late. " May I drive you home, I'll feel better knowing you got home safe.", " Are you sure?, Its no worry getting myself home and its not not far." I open the door for her. "Exacally, it's not that far, Please, I insist." I gesture for her to get in, she gives in and gets in the passage seat.  

I walk her to the front door when we arrive at her house. As we stand at her door, Lizzy looks up at me with a warmth that goes beyond words. "Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun." she says, grabbing onto my jacket pulling me down as she reaches on her tippy toes to kiss me. It's a gentle, lingering kiss that ends the night perfectly. Before I had time to react to her lips against mine she disappeared inside.

I Floated on air back to my car. Once home I lay in bed, replaying the moments in my mind. I can't help but wonder where this will lead with Lizzy.