SugarCOAT

4. Rock the Boat 🛥️

Before I could respond, he pressed on the gas and we went from zero to 1000 in half a second. I felt like I was having an outer body experience.

"Tell me something about yourself." Zeke drove as we glided across the road.

I shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

"Are you a risk taker or do you follow the rules?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out," I admitted.

Zeke nodded his head. "My whole life, people wanted me to be an artist like my dad and my brother, but I knew I didn't have a passion for it. I love music, but I'm no singer or rapper."

I asked, "Are you the hype man?"

Zeke glanced at me. "You can say that. I was often the wingman. Until, I got tired of being that guy that everyone sees, but no one knows why he's around. That's when I enrolled in film school."

"You went to college?" Oh, Jamie! So much for not judging. "I mean, that's good that you went to college."

Zeke added, " I wrote my first screenplay six years ago. Then, I got connected with Netflix. One movie turned into three."

"That's amazing."

"Do you really want to be a singer?" He slowed down at the red traffic light.

I replied, "Yes. It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do."

Zeke looked at me. "Answer this. There's two books in front of you. One looks good and it's new on the outside, but it doesn't have any words in it. The other one is old and plain-looking on the cover, but it's full or words and stories. Which one would you pick?"

He was getting all the checks on my Perfect Boyfriend List. Now, he has the good nerve to be a philosophical thinker. At this point, I don't care where we go as long as we're together.

"I promise it's not a trick question," Zeke told me.

The light turned green, and he put the pedal to the metal.

"I would choose the nice book cover that's empty inside."

"Why?" He questioned.

I thought before speaking. "Because... because I would want to fill the pages with my own story."

"Believe it or not, no one that I've asked has ever said the new book. They always say the old book. I know it's because they want to be perceived as intellectual, but they don't fool me. Look! There's your surprise over there."

I looked out the window to see the location. "I know this place."

"You've been here before?"

"When I was a kid, my dad took my mom and me."

"Your parents took you on this gondola?" Zeke pulled into the parking lot.

I smiled, "They couldn't get a babysitter. Besides, I barely remember it. I did say I would love to go on a date here."

"Today is your lucky day." Zeke got out of the car. He walked over to the passenger's door and helped me out.

"Thank you."

He took my hand in his and locked the doors. We made our way past the building.

"Umm, that's where we have to go to pay." I pointed at the building that he continued to walk away from.

"Everything's already taken care of," he informed me as he led me to the water where a man, I mean a gondolier stood next to the gondola.

Butterflies were in my stomach, and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. We were greeted and helped into the boat. There were two covered plates in front of us as we took our seats.