Experimental Magic ✔

My Cherie Amour

Scottie led Misty through the garden, making sure not to get too far ahead again. The path was long and windy, but eventually, they reached their destination, a private table for two underneath a gazebo covered in twinkling lights. 60s love songs played from an antique record player, filling the air with a sweet and cozy melody.

Misty had to stop for a second to take it all in. Scottie noticed her slight pause and looked for her reaction. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he swore he saw a faint sparkle in her eyes and a tiny upturn of her lips.

Whatever it was, it was quickly dashed as Misty shook herself out of her daze and marched over to the dinner table. She reached for the chair, but Scottie jumped to step in.

"Allow me," he said, rushing to the chair to pull it out for her.

"Oh," Misty said, somewhat taken aback by the unexpected gesture. "Thank you."

"Of course," Scottie said as he smiled. A simple thank you didn't seem like much, but it was a start, an opening to turn the night around. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Do you have Pinot Grigio?" Misty said without skipping a beat.

She certainly wasn't going to turn down a drink.

"I got something you'll like even better," Scottie said as he hopped over to the drink cart.

He pulled out a bottle of Dom Perignon for Misty and a bottle of scotch for himself. He poured up their drinks and then handed Misty her glass. She accepted with a polite smile as Scottie grinned from ear to ear.

"Oh, I love this song," Scottie said excitedly as the first verse of My Cherie Amour played. He turned it up and danced along as he grabbed his glass. He danced his way over to the table, doing a little spin move before taking a seat.

"Cheers," he said and clinked his glass against hers.

Scottie took a sip of his scotch and waited for Misty to try the champagne. Underneath his watchful eye, she gave in and took a small sip. It had barely hit the back of her throat before Scottie jumped in to get her approval.

"It's good, right?" he asked eagerly.

The champagne left behind a gentle tingling sensation as it slid down her throat. It was her first-ever glass of champagne, so she didn't have much to compare it to, but to her displeasure, she actually enjoyed it.

"Mmhmm," Misty hummed softly with a slight nod of her head.

It wasn't quite the validation he was looking for, but it was something he supposed. It wasn't like she spit it out in his face or anything, so she couldn't have totally hated it. Still, he wanted more.

"You know, Princess Diana drank that exact champagne on her wedding day," he added, hoping that would score him some extra points.

But Misty didn't bite. Instead, she set the glass down on the table and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Must you be praised for everything you do?" She asked as she sat back in her chair and stared him down.

"Why yes, yes I must," Scottie admitted without hesitation.

He gave her a smile to let her know that he was (mostly) joking, but her face remained just as unamused as ever. He continued smiling as she squinted at him with narrow eyes. She refused to crack even the tiniest smile.

"Oh come on," Scottie said, trying to provoke a response. "You're honestly going to tell me you don't like praise?"

"I've learned to get along without it," Misty said with a shrug.