Yours Truly ❁ n.k.h

• chapter thirty three •

A currant rimmed wine glass danced in my vision. Cabernet Sauvignon to be exact. Full bodied, more on the dry side, and bold.

The drink suited its captor. I found myself observing like this for most of the night. Drinking her in as she drunk from her own cup.

My wife's hair was tied in a claw clip behind her head, giving me full access to her face. Prominent cheekbones, calculating eyes, an all knowing smile. How could I resist her? How could anyone?

Warmth filled the restaurant in different ways. There were laughs, dancing, and arrays of pictures on the wall. Yellows, reds, and earth tones all over. Kumbala played on the speakers just to sweeten the deal.

I could almost taste the excitement on my tongue. I really wanted to just let loose and enjoy the night. Even though I wasn't going to drink much, I had all intentions to. I reached up to loosen my cuffs and roll them up to my elbows.

Dinah smiled at me from behind her glass.

"Are you hot?" She quirked. I shook my head, playing with my own glass of water.

"No, just getting comfortable." I pointed towards her menu before looking back at her eyes. I let go of my water to fiddle with my wedding band. "Are you excited for the food?"

"Yeah, I feel like we didn't eat all day, it's so weird. It's like I'm growing a second stomach." She turned her head, glancing around the restaurant. Her body was moving in her seat. "This song is so good, I wonder who they have on aux."

"I don't remember who it's by, Shazam it."

While Dinah fished out her phone to find the song, I spotted the server coming our way. She eventually saw him too. Her smile grew as wide as the sun. When the food was settled in front of us, she immediately dug in. After a few eye roll worthy bites, my wife pushed her bowl towards me to share some. I took some and offered her my ropa vieja in return. We alternated until we got to the main courses, of which we maintained for ourselves.

It wasn't until our plates were almost clear that the small talk faded away. And though things weren't serious by any means, I could still feel a swirl of something in my chest. An airiness, if you will.

"I'm having so much fun. I'm so happy we came out tonight." By how low her eyes were, I could tell the alcohol was making its way through her. "You look so good."

Her smile was sun splitting at this point, and her eyes were crinkly to match. I couldn't help but smile back at her with everything in me.

"Thank you. You look beautiful."

"I know." She pursed her lips before busting into light laughter. "I'm just kidding, thank you. I haven't gotten dressed up in so long! I feel beautiful. And this food is so good, I'm so happy."

"I'm glad. You deserve to be."

"I really do. It's been a lot lately and it's all been really upsetting. But for the first time in a while, things are just starting to feel better! You know?"

I thought for a minute about all that she said before nodding. "Yeah. Why are things starting to feel better?"

She shrugged a bit, grinning down at her lap. "I don't know. The house feels like a home again, Angel's doing really well in therapy, things are getting back to normal. Or, you know. Our new normal. It just feels nice."