The Best You Ever Had

I'm Yours

I checked myself in the mirror for what must have been the fifth time, smoothing my dress over my torso, and fluffing my long brown hair. I raised an eyebrow at myself. Was this good enough?

“You’re gorgeous,” Brendon said, sneaking up behind me with a single rose.

I took it and smelled it appreciatively before laying it on the nightstand gently and taking in an eyeful of my boyfriend. Something I still pinched myself over saying. Boyfriend.

He wore a charcoal gray shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a neatly knotted black tie. The shirt showed off how slim and lean he was, and the way his tattoos showed was..*chef’s kiss*. I had to kiss him.

He smiled against my mouth. “As much as I’d love to stay here in your bedroom kissing you, I came to pick you up for exactly the opposite.”

“Not kissing me?” I pouted.

“Okay, not the exact opposite,” he admitted. “But I’d rather do it in public. Just this once.”

“No, not just this once,” I disagreed. “In public whenever you damn well please. That’s the point.”

He took my hand and together we went down my wide stairs and out the door to his car. It was early evening, and the sun was still up, but soon enough the sky would be painted with the magnificent colors of sunset, and the heat would die down to something near tolerable.

He grabbed my hand again when we got to the restaurant, and we made our way inside. Nobody in front of the establishment seemed to take any notice of us, but when we got inside and he said his name to the hostess, a couple of heads turned our way. I felt his hand tighten around mine, and I couldn’t help but smile a little bit.

We were led to a table out back, under an awning, surrounded by tables filled with other couples and a few families chatting away. Nobody so much as looked up as Brendon pulled my chair out for me, like a true gentleman. That was okay though. Maybe we wanted to be seen a little but I also never minded when I could just go about my business without worrying about every little thing from my hair to my posture, to the look on my face. Not that I’d have to worry about the latter when I was with Brendon. He made me laugh and smile, and more than once he’d caught me giving him “the heart eyes”. I couldn’t help it.

“You’re not just gonna order salad, are you?” he teased me.

I laughed shortly and turned to the page of the menu full of meat. “Steak. I’m craving meat.”

“I’ll just bet you are,” he joked.

I kicked him lightly under the table. He pretended to be wounded. We chatted, and when our orders came, we ate.

I caught him staring at me just as I was about to put a morsel in my mouth. “What?”

“That looks amazing.”

I chuckled and extended my fork across the table to him, feeding him a bite.

His eyes closed and he made an appreciative noise deep in his throat. “That’s really fucking good,” he said, licking his lips.

“How’s yours? Looks good.”

He smirked as he lifted a forkful of his meal in my direction. I took the bite from him and practically moaned. It was amazing.

“Little quieter now, babe,” he joked, looking around.

I followed his eyes around. I’d drawn a few looks. Fuck it. I raised my glass to the looky-loos and laughed, covering my slight embarrassment. “God, are you sure you want to be seen in public with me?”