The Hamilton Charm

Chapter 13

So after working my ass off in the office all day trying to get that report done for Hamilton it was finally time for my date with Cassio. I glanced at my reflection in the window while standing on the Metro. I looked good well as good as I can get. I was wearing a slightly oversized jumper with black and white Aztec print and a pair of skin tight black pants with a strip of leather on the outside of each leg. I paired the outfit with a large necklace and black heeled Chelsea boots. I was told to dress casual enough tonight, but casual in Paris is a whole different story.

The Metro jerked to a standstill and I hoped off. I set about on the five minute walk to where I was meeting Cassio. It was dark outside and there was a chill in the air, I knew that it would freeze tonight. The stars shone brightly and penetrated the darkness above. I took a quick picture of the park I passed for instagram and then continued on my way.

I soon reached my destination and found Cassio leaning against the wall outside of an old cinema. The light struck his angular cheekbones and highlighted their perfectness. He looked very dapper in straight leg jeans and a brown jacket with a woollen jumper underneath. His legs were crossed at his ankles, he wore brown leather boots. It was unfair how good he looked, years ago I decided to create a rule where I would never date a man better looking than me but that plan didn’t seem to be working out so far.

He jumped away from the wall and pulled a bright red rose from behind his back when he noticed me coming. He greeted me with two kisses on either cheek and then tucked the rose into the lapel of my coat. “It didn’t know what to get you to apologise for not texting you” he shrugged sheepishly. “Cassio its fine, I don’t mind. And thank you for the rose” I smiled and sniffed the it. The scent was faint but still quite lovely. He grinned and grabbed my hand and then pulled me behind him while he entered the cinema.

It was slightly run down, the paint was peeling from the walls but the carpet and cashier area was spotless. From the groups of people milling about, I knew that this was one of those cinemas that the artsy people attend and watch foreign and classic films. Somehow Cassio didn’t seem like the type to me to enjoy this genre of film, but I didn’t question it. We grabbed our popcorn and settled into our seats.

It was a foreign film in Italian and although I understood every word I found it very boring. I felt bad for Cassio considering he didn't even speak italian.  I glanced over at him. He was trying very hard to pay attention but every once in a while he would resort to playing Flappy bird under his coat. He would jump in frustration and kick his leg out every time he failed and a resounding slap of the bird hitting the floor in the game would echo about the cinema. The people in front were getting quite annoyed and one of them even asked him to stop. Cassio had blushed and put his phone away. After a while I took his hand and hurried out of the cinema much to his confusion.

“Did you not like it?” he pouted with a dejected look on his face. “Not at all” I grinned and then continued the sentence “You didn’t either so don’t give me that look”. He ran his hand through his hair tugging at the strands and sighed. His hair stood up in tufts and I giggled to myself. “I just thought that you would enjoy it considering you speak Italian” he explained and then pulled me closer by my waist “but it’s so difficult to please you”. I was about to apologise when he grinned and then kissed me on the cheek. I shuffled closer but he pulled away and laughed. I groaned and mumbled about how he was a tease. “Anyway you were the one playing Flappy Bird in there” I said and poked him in the arm. He recoiled while smirking and denied it. I rolled my eyes.

We walked aimlessly around the park that I took that picture of earlier. The park was beautiful at night, the pathways were shrouded in darkness and every now and again a light was cast out onto the shadowed laneway, which gave it a real romantic atmosphere. He swung our joint hands in between our bodies as we strolled along. He told me all about his trip to Africa last year where he tended to sick animals like lions and elephants. He talked about all the different cultures and tribes that he visted, I sighed wistfully. He shared one funny story about how he was nearly run down by giraffes. I was hunched with laughter after his dramatic retelling of events. I smiled and listened attentively as he spoke about growing up in London with his brother and his two parents. Conversation flowed easily and when we weren’t talking there was a comfortable silence. I didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with useless chatter. It was perfect. He was perfect.