OOPS

Chapter 50

"Dave, this place is so nice!"

"I know," he grinned. "It's the best."

Each table had a thin white candle, a tiny flame to set the mood. "I hope it isn't too much," he asked worriedly.

"No, not at all! If anything, it's... Perfect! Dave, I didn't know you were so romantic."

"Well," he chuckled. "Yeah, I am. I'm the definition of 'don't judge a book by its cover' according to Junior."

"He would say that."

"He has, multiple times."

"Can I take your order?"

A young guy, probably about our age greeted us with a smile. "Yeah, I think so, are you ready, Bella?"

I nodded. "I'll have the lemon ginger shrimp, please."

He scribbled it down. "And you, sir?"

"I'll have the raspberry glazed pork chops."

He nodded and took off with our orders. "He's a fan," I stated.

"What?"

Dave looked at me above the rim of his water glass. "He knows who you are, I can tell."

"A lot of people know who I am. They also know I can be a jackass, so they tend to not push it."

"That's not a bad thing."

He shrugged. "I like being treated like everyone else."

I rested my chin on my hands. "You amaze me sometimes."

He seemed surprised at my confession. "I'm just a guy."

I smiled softly. "That's why you amaze me."

"Bella-"

"Here you are", the waiter returned, placing our dishes on the table. "Enjoy!"

We both thanked him and turned back towards each other. "20 questions, go!"

Dave caught me completely off guard. "Um, ok... What makes you nervous?"

"Ooh, hmm, good one. Being caught in a large crowd doesn't make me feel that great. Ok, what's the longest you've gone without sleep?"

"Probably one night. I need rest."

"I can only imagine why you didn't sleep that night..."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah yeah, my turn now. Are you a clean or messy person?"

"I'm clean. What's your favorite type of flowers?"

"Daisies. That was sly."

"What? I need to know."

After many more questions, we finished dinner. Dave left a generous tip, to my surprise. "Dave, that was really nice."

He shrugged. "I just left a tip."

I grabbed his hand, catching him off guard for a moment. "Thank you for dinner, it was amazing. You're so sweet."

"Me? Nah."

"Mmhmmm."

"Sshhh," he teased. "You'll ruin my reputation."

"I'd never do that."

"I know, I'm teasing."

He opened the door for me and I slid into the passenger side. "Next stop, your place," he winked. "Damn, I'd make a good taxi driver."

"I don't know, you make a pretty good rockstar."

Before I knew it, he had pulled up into my driveway. "Here's your stop, princess."

"Why thank you, kind sir", I winked as I hopped out. I closed the door and took step, only to have my heel break. "Ah," I exclaimed, balancing on one foot like a flamingo.

In an instant, Dave was there, his arm wrapped around my waist to steady me. "Better here than anywhere else," he pointed out.

I clung to his chest. "Just balance me, and I'll hop."

"I don't think that's going to work, you'll bust your ankle."

"What else is there to do?"

"I'll carry you."

"You can't do that, my dress is too short."

"Not my problem," he wittily returned, scooping me up without warning.

"Dave, no, not like that!"

He rotated me in his arms so we were face to face. I wrapped my legs around his waist. "Is that better?"

I nodded, even though I could feel cold air on my bum. He opened the door for me, expecting me to jump off.   I didn't, though, and he seemed puzzled. "Bella, are you ok?"

I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Never been better."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm."

He raised an eyebrow. "You know you're a little close here..."

"I know. You don't like it?"

"I never said that," he protested, tightening his grip on my waist, pulling me closer.

"So, you don't mind?"

He shook his head. "Not at all."

I gave him a small peck on the lips. "Thank you for being such a sweetheart."

His cheeks turned a light crimson. "No problem, anything for you."

We looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and then I hopped down. He seemed almost disappointed. "Do you want to stay? Have a drink?"

"Thanks, but I should probably be getting back. I had a great time tonight."

"So did I," I agreed, stepping forward so I could look up at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," I smiled. "I look forward to it."

He kissed me on top of the head and closed the door, leaving me head-over-heels for him.