Thursday, 14th February 2019
True to his word, Scott texted Christine just as she climbed in bed in her pyjamas. It was an hour after midnight. Tye and his group of friends had consumed so much alcohol that it was no wonder most of them ended up drunk. The only reason Christine hadn't left earlier was because she didn't trust Tye enough to not take advantage of Ruby. The thought was enough for her to endure her position as third wheel while Ruby shamelessly made out with him in public.
When they left the bar, Ruby was so drunk that Christine had to be the one to drive her over to her home. Luckily, Ruby's parents were sound asleep and Christine had gotten in and out without any uncomfortable confrontations. When she had gotten to her own home though, it was to see her older sister, Maria in the living room, watching TV. She didn't reprimand her though. She was always telling Christine to get out more.
Christine stared at the simple Hey an unknown number had texted her. Instantly, she knew it had to be Scott. Going against her initial decision of ignoring the text since she was so tired, she sat up on her bed and typed a reply.
Christine: You do know this is an odd hour to text someone, right?
Scott: But you replied 😏
Christine rolled her eyes as she typed: Lucky you and pressed send.
After a string of laughing emojis, Scott switched up the conversation.
Scott: So, about tomorrow. There's this restaurant I've wanted to try out, but haven't had anyone to accompany me. I thought it'd make a great venue for a first date.
Christine: Who said it's a date? 🙄
Scott: I am, rn😉
Christine: You're delusional
Scott: I know. But what do you think? Or do you have something else in mind?
Christine: I think it's a good plan. It involves food after all 😋
Scott: 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Scott: Guess I'll have to improve my culinary skills as it seems food is the way to your heart.
Christine: It won't be that easy
Scott: I'll take my chances
Not having anything to say to that, Christine kept quiet. Scott sensed that, and asked her for her address so he could pick her up. She assured him there was no need for that, and agreed to meet him at the restaurant he picked at 4 pm later on in the day.
Before she drifted to sleep, Scott texted her : Good night my valentine ♥ and she slept with a smile on her face.
"I wonder where you're headed to, dressed so nicely," Maria said from the kitchen where she was stirring a pot on the stove as Christine walked in.
Christine had decided to dress for the day by wearing a red lace gown which ended just above her knees and a pair of black heeled sandals. For accessories, she held a black clutch and had on her usual rings and a simple charm necklace. She had done nude makeup so it wouldn't seem like she was trying too hard.
"I'm just heading out with a friend." She said simply as she dipped her finger into Maria's pot which earned her a slap on the wrist.
"I wouldn't happen to know this friend, now would I?" Maria asked her with a skeptical eye as she massaged the place which had been slapped.
"No, you don't. I met him just yesterday, actually."
Her elder sister raised an eyebrow. "It's a 'him' then. You should have just told me you were going on a date."
"It's not a date," Christine quickly said, earning an eye roll from her sister.
"That's what we all say. I would know. After all, I've been your age before." She returned her undivided attention to what she had been cooking. "I won't want you to keep the boy waiting. Don't let me keep you longer than necessary."
"See you later." Christine took a cookie from a tray on the table which seemed like Maria had just baked before she headed out.
She got a taxi, which took her to her destination. When she got into the restaurant, she spotted Scott just as the host welcomed her in.
"Do you have a reservation?" he politely asked her.
"I've already seen him actually," she said with her head pointed in Scott's direction.
"In that case then, I hope you have a nice time with us. Happy Valentine's day." The host literally bowed as she walked away with a smile.
Scott smiled at her as she walked to him, and stood up when she was before him. He greeted her with a hug and she couldn't help but notice how nice he smelled. She wished she could stay longer in his embrace without seeming like a creep. When they drew apart, he held out her chair for her and seated himself after her.
"You look nice," he complimented her.
"Thank you," she smiled. "You're not looking so bad yourself." His attire actually deserved a compliment better than that. He looked good in his white shirt with the top button open, flannel trousers and brown loafers.
"Did I keep you waiting too long?" she asked upon noticing the already opened bottle of wine and half filled glass in front of him.
He shook his head. "You weren't long. I just drank a little to calm down my nerves."
Christine raised a brow at him and was about to pose a question, but was interrupted by a waiter who showed up and asked her what she would drink. When she told him she would have what Scott was having, he took their food order and walked away.
"This is a very nice place." Christine said. "It's even better on the inside."
"Guess that means I've managed to impress you." Scott smirked at her as he poured some wine into the glass in front of her.
"Don't let it get to your head. I was just thinking out loud. By the way, I prefer street food to this. Mostly because I hardly get the opportunity to dine somewhere this fancy."
Scott's face fell at her words. "You should have told me. I have no objections to street food."
Christine began to apologise to him when she noticed the look on his face. "Don't get me wrong. I like the idea of eating somewhere this nice, but I usually prefer comfort. I'm not that good with cutlery. Who invented all these other spoons and forks?"
Scott chuckled at her words. "I could teach you."
Their food was served, and they dug in. Throughout the meal, they maintained a light and easy conversation. Christine didn't feel like she had to force anything, it just flowed naturally between them. She didn't know if it was because they just clicked, or if he was just that good at conversation. She was hoping on the former.
They stepped out of the restaurant about an hour later, Christine's hand around Scott's arm. They were currently arguing over movie genres.
"You'd have to be a complete psycho, to watch horror movies at night, lights off, all by yourself," Scott was saying. "I mean, who does that? I think the guy who invented horror movies was looking for an excuse to have his crush wrap her arms around him during movie night."
Christine countered by saying, "Oh please. What a stereotypical way of thinking. Not all girls jump into a guy's body during spooky scenes. Some of the scenes aren't even that scary in the first place."
"You clearly haven't watched The Shining. Stephen King's brain should be examined."
"He's just a mad genius." This earned Christine a scowl from Scott.
They stopped walking and Scott said, "I don't want this moment to end."
Christine looked up at him. "Neither do I." With a mischievous grin on her face, she pulled him along as she said, "Come on, I have an idea."
"Shouldn't I get my car for that?" Scott asked.
"That's absolutely out of the question," Christine declined. "We'll walk. That way, we'll spend more time together."
Scott looked unconvinced as she dragged him along, but he followed her without posing any questions. They continued walking, till they reached a park.
"Tada!" Christine said, as though she was doing a grand reveal.
Scott looked questioningly between her and the gate of the park. "The park? This is your genius idea? What are we going to do here?"
"I am deeply offended you would say that. It's the perfect place to be right now. We'll take a walk, talk about a load of random stuff and get to know each other. We could even watch the sunset."
"Okayyyyy," Scott said with a little of hesistance laced in his voice. But that seemed to be enough for Christine, because she beamed at him and dragged him in with her.
She waved at the guard by the gate, and he waved back at her while Scott stood in the middle, not knowing what to do. That was till the guard called out his name.
"Scott Cage." He rushed to him an excited look. "I'm a big fan. Would you mind signing an autograph for my son?" He was already rummaging in his pockets for pen and paper before Scott could reply.
"Sure," Scott said as the guard handed him a pen and an empty page on a notebook.
"Christine, you didn't tell me you were into football players," the guard said to her as Scott scribbled on the paper.
"Uhhhh..." was all that came out of her mouth. She was into him for sure, but she didn't know how to say that out loud without feeling like she'd inflate his ego.
Scott saved her when he handed back the notebook and pen saying, "She must have forgotten to mention it."
"Thank you," He said to Scott and waved to them both as they walked away.
"Look at who's enjoying himself right now," Christine playfully bumped into him.
He ran his hand through his hair and chuckled. "The attention still takes some getting used to, but I'm handling it better now than I did before."
They continued to walk in silence, each just admiring their surroundings.
"Since it's your first year, I'm assuming you live on campus, right?" Scott broke the silence.
"Yeah, I do. Ruby is my roommate. But we both decided to come home for this weekend. I wanted to spend Valentine's day with my family." At this point, she was swinging her bag in her hands.
"I'm guessing I ruined your plans."
She looked up at him. "No, not really. Don't get me wrong, I do like spending time with my family, but it would have been nothing major. If it makes you feel any better, I'm having fun." She put her hand around his arm as though to confirm her words.
"I'm glad to hear that," he said with a smile. He located a bench and led her to it. Once they were seated, he looked at the sky. "The view of the sunset from here is breathtaking."
The view is even better from where I sit, Christine thought to herself as she watched him watch the sun. The colours of the sunset reflected off his perfect complexion, making him look more handsome, if that was even possible. Before she could look away, he turned around and caught her looking at him.
"Enjoying the view?" he asked with a smirk.
Not wanting to accept defeat, she playfully scowled. "You wish."
"You mentioned your family. How many siblings do you have?" He asked her.
"One. My older sister, Maria. She's a fire cracker and such a free spirit. We couldn't be any more different. What about you?"
"I wish I had a sibling. I'm an only child." A sad look fell over his face as he said this. "My parents try to make up for it the best way they can by getting me everything I want, but I still wish I had had that companionship from childhood."
Christine took his hands in hers in an attempt to comfort him. "Siblings can make you get crazy from time to time. Sometimes, you wish you never had them. Yet, you always find yourself coming back to them."
"Sounds like a perfect relationship to me."
"When you put it like that, yeah. It really is the perfect relationship."
They stared into each other's eyes for some time but were interrupted by the sound of a violin. Scott looked up, searching for the source of music.
"That's just Larry. He plays at the park every now and then."
"We should totally go find him." Scott stood up and gave her his hand.
"Hope you've got some cash to spare," she said as she accepted his hand and rose to her feet as well.
They rounded the corner, and saw several people already gathered around the source of the music. As they got closer, they saw the guy playing the violin was dressed as Cupid, and even had a bowstring slung behind his back. People threw him some money into the violin case he had opened by the floor. With a look from Christine, Scott tipped him too.
They waited by his side till he was done with his number, and Christine spoke to him.
"Hey Larry. What's up?" She hugged him.
"You know, the usual. Trying to make some extra money." He had on a wide smile as he spoke to her. Then he noticed Scott and winked at Christine. "Your boyfriend's cute."
"He's not my boyfriend." She quickly interjected.
"Not yet," Scott said, which made Christine turn around in surprise. She was met by his intense gaze, which immediately made a blush creep up her cheeks.
Larry chuckled. "Guy knows what he wants." This earned him an eye roll from Christine. This didn't deter him, as he continued, "Well, since I'm dressed for the part, why don't I be the matchmaker in your love story? This one is for you two."
Before Christine could interrupt him, he began to play the notes of Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran.
"Come on, it'll be fun. I'll sing for you," Scott said as he pulled her into a dancing posture. He put her left hand on his shoulder while taking her left hand in his right hand, and put his left hand on her waist. And they began to twirl together. "It could even be our song."
"How presumptuous of you, mister. Plus, isn't this song sort of a cliché already? Everyone uses it."
"Clichés make the most romantic stories, milady," he smiled at her while saying this.
He pulled her closer into his embrace so her head was now on his shoulder, and softly sang the words to the song in her ear as they moved together:
"When my legs don't walk like they used to before
And I can't sweep you off of your feet
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks
And darling I,
Will be loving you
Till we're 70
And baby my,
Heart could still fall as
Hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how
People fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just a touch of a hand ..."
A/N : Thank you for reading 🙏🏻. Please, vote comment and share if you are enjoying the story.