Treasuring Trayce

Chapter 5

A 'wow' escapes my lips as I step out of the car and turn directly towards the restaurant. I see Trayce come closer to me in the corner of my eye and shift my gaze to look at him.

I don't even notice the large smile that's plastered on my face until Trayce smiles back at me and gently places his hand on the small of my back as we walk towards the restaurant.

The hostess greets us with a warm smile and says, "Hello, welcome to The Paper Lantern do you have a reservation?"

I look over at Trayce and he says, "Yes under Thompson." The hostess looks down at her reservation list and her eyebrows lift in recognition. She grabs two menus and says, "Alright, right this way Mr and Mrs. Thomspon."

My eyes widen in shock and I ever so gracefully start to choke on my own spit while Trayce's cheeks grow redder by the second.

After my aggressive coughing fit, I open my mouth to correct her but nothing comes out. She looks at us both quizzically and then comes to an abrupt understanding and says, "Ohmygod I'm s-sorry, my mistake...uh I just assumed a-and...!"

She looks absolutely horrified and continues to muddle apologies. Trayce is staring at me intently but I focus my attention on her, trying to reassure her with a calm smile and say, "It's alright, it was an honest mistake."

She gives me an embarrassed smile out of appreciation and says, "Uhm...follow me."

I turn back to look at Trayce and giggle at the silly situation. His face softens at my attempt to ease the tension and I send him a wink before following the waitress.

She guides us towards a wooden table at the end of the outdoor balcony and places the menus on both sides of the table.

Trayce pulls the chair out for me and pushes me in after I sit down. I grin at his chivalrous action and watch as he sits down.

The waitress steps back a bit and I catch the subtle smile that is tugging at the corners of her mouth. She then says, "I'll let you guys look over the menu, my name is Carol and I will also be your waitress so let me know if you need anything."

Once she leaves, Trayce and I both receive waters and I sip on mine while I study Trayce's alluring features as he looks over the menu.

A warm breeze begins to stir in the air and I close my eyes and take in a deep breath. As soon as I open my eyes I find Trayce staring at me. The unexpected action startle me a bit but once I recover I notice that he's zoned out.

Did he just zone out staring at my face? Ouch!

I try to gain his attention by calling, "Trayce" but he doesn't budge. I call his name again, still nothing. I sway my body from side to side hoping the movement will attract his attention and I succeed in doing so.

He shakes his head as he comes back to reality and I chuckle and ask, "Are you alright?" He diverts his eyes from mine in a shy manner making my smile grow even wider.

I gently place my hand on top of his causing him to look down at our hands then look back up into my eyes. I notice his breath hitch as our hands connect so I ask again, "Are you alright?"

After a moment or two, he seems to have calmed down a bit although he hesitates before saying, "Yes I'm fine." I give him a reassuring look when suddenly Carol comes back with a pen and pad to take our orders.