Well, today was the day. The day. The big date.
Naturally, Ollie wouldn't give me any hints as to what we were doing or where we were going. I knew the whole thing was going to be a surprise, so I wasn't expecting him to tell me anything that would spoil it, but I was hoping he would at least give me a little clue as to what I should wear.
I took a chance and confided in Simone about the date. Even though she didn't know what he had planned for us, I was hoping she could at least help me with picking an outfit. She was more than happy to help, and pointed out that she had gotten to know Ollie over the past few months and had a pretty good idea of a few possibilities of what he had planned.
So my date outfit ended up being a dark blue dress that was suitable for a nice dinner, but it also had a summer-y vibe to it. I just hoped Ollie liked it. Speaking of, I was sitting at the counter in the warehouse, picking at some fruit while I waited for him to get back from running an errand. I was a little confused as to why he wanted to run an errand right before we went on a date, but then again maybe he was just as nervous as I was and needed a little air.
I wouldn't blame him if that was true. Yeah, I was the one who brought up the whole idea of going on a real date, but I was also extremely nervous. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Frowning, I slid off the stool and walked across the hardwood floors to answer it. Maybe it was Simone. But she also knew what today was, so why the hell would she be stopping by right now?
Reaching for the knob, I turned it and opened the door. "Ollie?" He was standing in front of me looking very, very good. He was wearing a black dress shirt with a pair of matching dress pants. Just like the romantic dinner we had not too long ago, his hair was slicked back with a little gel. "Why are you standing out here?"
When he gave me a wry smile I realized he had his hands behind his back. "This is a date, isn't it? I'm picking you up." Then he extended his right hand out to me and offered me a single red rose. "For you."
I always thought the whole single red rose on a date thing was a little cliche and overused. But in this moment, it was anything but. I took the flower from him and smiled like an idiot. "Thank you."
As if he'd been using all his restraint to keep his hands to himself, he reached for my waist and pulled my body flush against his. Then there was the amazing feeling of his lips pressing against mine. I sighed into the kiss and my body melted against his.
"You look so beautiful," he murmured when he pulled away.
"Thank you. I was hoping you'd like the dress. And that it was appropriate for whatever you had planned for us today."
With a charming smile that made me weak in the knees, he brushed a piece of my hair out of my face. "It's absolutely perfect. You ready?"
"You have no idea," I replied softly before getting in the passenger side of his car. Ollie got in the driver side, and once he got the car started, he reached over to lace his fingers with mine. "Still not going to tell me anything about our date, huh?"
"Nope. Trust me when I say it's going to be worth the surprise."
The scary part was, I did trust him. Completely. It's been a long time since I've felt that way about someone who wasn't included in my inner circle of close friends and family. Ollie got under my skin and I had no idea how to get him out.
Even though my eyes took in the sights of trees and buildings and people as we drove to our destination, I wasn't really paying attention to any of it. As excited as I was about the date we were going on, I couldn't help but wonder if he had ever taken a girl where we were going.
"Something on your mind, beautiful?"
I offered him a smile, hoping it was good enough that he wouldn't see right through me. If he started asking me questions, I was worried it would ruin the mood and the date. That was the last thing I wanted. "Not at all. Just excited for the date."
It was the truth after all. But the look he threw my way told me I was as sublt as a bulldozer.
"Lovette, I can almost hear your thoughts from here." His tone softened, as did his expression. He let go of my hand to gently stroke my cheek. "I promise you that I have never taken a girl on a date like this one. I've never taken them to where we're going. Even better, I've never even been on a date with a girl in Paris before."
My heart squeezed in my chest at his words. My first instinct was to ask him how he even knew what I was thinking. It would be useless, however, because the truth was the truth. He just knew me.
With my mood instantly lighter, I continued to try to guess where we were going. I assumed it would be the normal fancy dinner kind of date. Or perhaps something to do with a museum or art gallery. But to my surprise, it wasn't any of those things.
My mouth dropped when I saw the sign for Bois De Vincennes. I did a quick run through in my mind of all the previous conversations Ollie and I had since we met. Never once did I mention the place that I wanted to visit most if I was ever in Paris.
"How did you know?" I asked in a very surprised tone.
He didn't look at me as he found a parking spot and pulled into it. There was a subtle tension in his body and I had a feeling I knew the reason behind his sudden discomfort.
"Your mom mentioned that this was one of the places you really wanted to go if..."
Reaching across the car, I stroked the side of his face. He was worried about upsetting me at the mention of my mom. A couple weeks ago, just the mere mention of her would've probably had me packing my bags and taking off. But I felt something different now. Yes, the pain was still very much attached to her memory, but it felt a little bit...easier to talk about her now.
"It's okay," I assured him. "I can talk about her."
He seemed surprised by my statement. "Well, it was one of the nights Lanie threw a party. Your mom cornered me and was trying to figure out more about me. She was also telling me things about you. Mainly about things you wanted to see and do in Paris." He shrugged one shoulder. "This was one of the places I wanted to bring you when you walked into that warehouse and decided to stay with me. So when we agreed to go on this date, I felt like it was the right choice and that you would...like it."
Ollie's words touched something deep inside of me. I've had plenty of boyfriends over the years. Most of them were short-lived relationships, but still. None of the men I dated have ever shown such thoughtfulness and care for me.
I couldn't help but wonder if men like Ollie were the reason my best friends went all love struck every time they saw their men. Obviously I didn't know Jackson, Nate, Ayden, and Ryan as well as my best friends, but I knew enough to know they were good men.
Just like Ollie. I knew he was a good guy the moment I met him in that coffee shop. But the more I've gotten to know him the more I've come to realize that he was so much more than just a good guy.
My eyes dropped to his lips. "Kiss me," I murmured.
Leaning towards me he cupped my face before softly pressing his lips against mine. The kiss was slow and sensual. A kiss shared between lover's. It was just want I needed. What I wanted. And as per usual, Ollie knew and delivered.
"So," he said when he pulled back, "did I pick a good place for our date, beautiful?"
With a sly smile I repeated the same words he used when he picked me up for our date. "Absolutely perfect."
He returned my smile. "Then let's go, baby. Let me show you an amazing evening that you'll never forget."
Sounded good to me.
***
Sorry for not posting as much over the past few weeks. I've been moving and then went on vacation for a few days, but I should definitely be getting back to my normal schedule now. Thank you all for your patience! I hope you guys are enjoying Jamie and Ollie 🖤