More Than a Memory

3 | a first date

Vera

No. This cannot be happening. Not again.

Danny parks the car at the back of Sal's Bakery and cuts the engine before hopping out and running around to the passenger side door, opening it for me with the sweetest smile.

I'm not having it.

"Danny Adler, why are we here? I swear, if you're gonna make me climb that fucking fence again for our first real date, I will walk home right now and not let you kiss me for twenty-four hours."

He just laughs. "That's a very specific punishment, Vera. A full twenty-four hours of no kissing? You're not gonna... I don't know, give me the silent treatment for a week or be really dramatic and threaten to break up with me? You're just going to withhold your lips from me for one whole day?"

I shrug. "It's the first thing that came to mind. I know you can't resist these lips," I tell him, puckering up and sending an air smooch in his direction to enhance the drama. "So, what's the deal? Why are we back here? I am not breaking in to steal baked goods again."

Danny reaches for my hand and pulls me out of the car. "Stop freaking out, we're going through the front door this time. I just parked back here because I don't like parking on the street."

"Okay," I mutter with some lingering hesitance. Danny's hot and all but he's a trouble maker. You can't blame me for freaking out when the last time he brought me here, we definitely climbed that big ass fence and broke in to steal ugly cookies.

Mmm, cookies. My mouth starts watering as I ask him, "So, we're spending our first date eating sweets? I like that. I like that a lot."

"Well, we're doing that, yes. But that's not the only thing we're doing here today."

I'm confused. "What else is there to do at a bakery?"

"Actually..." Danny stops on the sidewalk and looks at me. I swear, I can see the smallest sheen of adorable pink cover his cheeks. "I was struggling to find ideas for a good first date because... I've never actually been one of these before."

Is he serious?

"Never? You've never been on a date?" I can't hide my shock. I mean, I've never actually been on one either, come to think of it, but I can't believe Danny hasn't. That's pretty hard to believe, given his distinguished reputation with the female species.

"No, I haven't. Not a real one anyway. I don't think it counts if you just take girls to get food after fooling ar-" Danny stops and shakes his head. "You know what, that's not important. The important thing is that I'm here with you right now and we're having our first real date. But I didn't want to be lame and take you someplace typical of a first date. I wanted it to be interesting and fun, so..." He trails off and it's killing me.

"So what?" I whine, unable to contain myself because I'm too excited and Danny is being so shy right now. It's freaking adorable. He seriously hasn't planned a real date before and this is the cutest little display of nerves I'm witnessing right now.

"So," he begins. "We're going to make our own pasta and then go home and cook dinner with it." His voice curls up at the end like he's turning the idea into a question to feel out if I'm down with it.

And, oh my gosh, am I down with it. "Are you kidding? That sounds so fun," I tell him, dragging him toward the bakery entrance.

Danny jumps ahead of me to grab the door and when we get inside, we're greeted by Sal. It's loud and warm as usual as his voice comes booming toward us from the back room.