"Hey, Bri. We're going to get a drink after work, wanna come?" My coworker, Haley, said as I sighed.
"I have to go home and take care of my siblings." I said and focused on the silverware I was rolling in front of me.
"Cmon! Let loose a little!" She said with a laugh. "I have to take care of them, they have nobody else." I said with a frown.
"What about your supposedly hot ass boyfriend?" She asked causing me to laugh. "I have to take care of him, too." I said as Austin walked over.
"What are you gorgeous ladies talking about?" He asked and slung his arm around our shoulders. "Bri's hot ass boyfriend." Haley said as Austin sighed.
"He really wasn't THAT hot." He said with a dramatic tone.
"Oh, please. Kate said if she hated Bri even a little bit she would do anything to steal her boyfriend." Haley explained as I pursed my lips.
"Ouch." I said as she shook her head. "She wouldn't do that because she loves you. We all do, which is why you should come get a drink with us." She said and nudged my shoulder.
"It's the least you can do for working a week before leaving us for a month." Austin said as I nodded.
"I had a seizure while driving and broke my hip. It wasn't on purpose" I said with a frown. "Damn, Billy didn't tell us that. He just said you needed to take a leave." Austin said as I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm just glad I was able to come back." I said then finished what I was doing. "Is there anything else we need to do?" I asked and looked around.
"Nah, the night crew has the rest covered." Haley said as I nodded and pulled out my phone to text Colby.
"Tell your boyfriend you're coming to get a drink with us." Haley said and pouted her lip. "Next time, I promise." I said and held out my pinky. "I'll hold you to that." I said as my phone vibrated.
Colby: Already outside, sweetheart.
I smiled at the text then looked up at my coworkers. "I'll see you guys tomorrow?" I asked then went to grab my stuff.
"I'll be here, Austin won't." Haley said as I nodded. "See you when I see you." I said then waved. "When we go get drinks!" Haley called out as I started to walk towards the back door.
"Sure." I said then left. It felt good that they wanted to include me in their after work plans, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to get out and party just yet.
Alcohol could very easily trigger my opioid addiction and being intoxicated in public was scary. Having my guard down at all was scary.
"Hey, babe." I said as I got in the car, noticing he was wearing a button up shirt with black dress pants.
"What's with the outfit?" I asked and narrowed my eyes as he reached into the backseat and grabbed a paper bag.
"Go back inside and get changed into this." Colby said and handed me the bad. "First of all, I'm not going back in there. Second of all, tell me what's going on." I said as he chuckled.
"I'm taking you on a date, Jules." He said simply then shooed his hand so I would go back inside.
"It's embarrassing." I whined as he chuckled. "Fine. We'll stop somewhere on the way so you can get changed." He said then set the bag in my lap and put his hands back on the steering wheel.
"Where are the kids?" I asked as he started driving. "At home." Colby said nonchalantly. "With...?" I asked as he chuckled and took my hand. "Themselves." He said as I shook my head.
"Nope. Take me home. They aren't staying by themselves." I said and pulled my hand back.
"Jules, it's fine. I ordered them a pizza and waited for it to come so they don't have to answer the door. The security system is on and the doors are locked." He explained and took my hand again, pulling into a hotel parking lot.
"They're too young to be staying by themselves, Colby." I said quietly. "I think you were raising them at Carter and Jenna's age." He reminded then brought my hand to his lips.
"It's just for a couple of hours. They'll be alright, sweetheart." He said gently.
"What if something happens though?" I asked with a frown. "They have my number. Now the longer you argue the longer we'll be away." He said as I nodded. "Okay, yeah." I said then went to get out of the car.
I knew that Colby was even more stubborn than I was and that I would lose this argument so the quicker I got dressed the quicker we could go on our date and the quicker we could be home.
I ran inside and went into the bathroom so I could change out of my work clothes and get into the black dress that Colby packed for me.
It was his favorite one so I wasn't surprised when I pulled the tight dress out of my bag along with a pair of heals.
Once I was dressed I pulled my hair out of the ponytail it was in and tried to make it look a little presentable. I didn't have any make up with me so I couldn't touch up but it looked fine enough.
When I was ready I made my way out of the hotel and back to the car.
"God damn, you're beautiful." Colby said as I got in the car. "My hair and makeup look like ass but thanks." I said and buckled my seatbelt.
"Nah, you look amazing." He said then took my hand before starting to drive away.
We drove for a while before we pulled up to a marble building with ivy covering the front of it. I didn't even realize that there was a place so fancy here, but I wasn't surprised that Colby found it.
He always loved doing such luxurious things since he had enough money to fund a small country, but I was always pretty uncomfortable with that fact.
Growing up poor and not having much experience with fancy things made doing stuff like this a little harder.
Obviously my time with Colby made it easier to grasp but since being in this normal space, we haven't done anything fancy or luxurious.
"You look scared." Colby said as he pulled into the parking garage. "It's so out of my element. I just don't belong in fancy places." I said as he laughed.
"Yeah, you've always struggled with that. It's just for one dinner and it should remind you of the banquets we used to attend." He said then chuckled.
"This time there will be no blood or gore though. I promise." He said causing me to laugh. "Well I would hope so." I said as he parked the car.
"Don't move." He said then went to get out of the car. I smiled, watching him walk around the car as he put his suit jacket on, buttoning the buttons.
When he got to my door, he opened it and held his hand out. "Darling." He said causing me to smile and take his hand.
"You're extra mushy today." I said and let him help me out of the car. "Yeah, well. What can I say? I'm a romantic." He said then cupped my cheek and gave me a gentle kiss.
I smiled at him, looking into his eyes for just a moment before he took my hand and led the way to the restaurant.
I didn't know what I did to deserve such a romantic night but I was excited to see all the things he had planned.
It had been a while since we have had any real time to ourselves.
Sure, we had our days away from the kids but we haven't gone on a date in what felt like forever.
When we got to the front door of the restaurant, a man in a suit opened the door for us and a woman with a bitchy face was standing behind the desk.
"Reservation?" She asked as Colby chuckled. "Under Robert." He said and tilted his head cockily. The woman shot a judgmental look at us before looking down at the book.
I assumed we were younger than most people who ate here due to how expensive it was.
"Josephine, table two." She said then handed the girl next to her two menus. "Follow me." Josephine said then led us through the extravagant dining room.
Colby snaked his arm around my waist as we followed the timid hostess. I couldn't imagine working at a place like this, and I don't think I would ever want to.
"Can I offer you our wine menu?" Josephine asked as Colby pulled out my chair for me. "That would be great." Colby said with a charming smile as I sat down and pulled myself closer to the table.
"Wonderful. Your server will be right with you." Josephine said then set down the wine menu and walked away.
"This place is so fancy." I said as Colby sat down, unbuttoning his jacket. "I just wanted to treat you." He said with a grin and reached his hand out so I could take it.
"It's nice." I said quietly and took his hand.
I loved the way that Colby would make an effort to keep the romance alive in our relationship.
Life has been so stressful that it felt good having someone look out for me, making sure I could escape from the parenting of my siblings.
I just had to wonder what he had in store for us tonight.