"This is your table and the view that you requested for, Mr. Takahashi. Please take a seat." The waiter said, leading us to our table.
The table was placed on a balcony, accompanied by a beautiful scenery of Duomo Di Milan. You could see the people walking around and the bright lights that showed the church, but one thing caught my eye and that was the candle that lit the table.
'This is a bit romantic..'
I looked at Ran and he probably thought the same thing since he was looking at the candle with a bashful demeanor. He cleared his throat and avert his gaze from the burning object towards me. He gave a smile then went over to my side. He pulled the chair and motioned me to sit. I gave out a chuckle and sat myself down.
"I feel like a princess.." I teased.
"First time?" He joked as he went to the other side to sit down in front of me.
I just laughed but I thought;
'First time I was treated like one..'
I shook the thought and focused what was happening now rather than thinking of something or someone stupid.
"It's beautiful.. I can't stop looking at it." I said looking at the cathedral.
"You are.." I heard him mutter.
"W-what?" I stammered, looking at him.
"I-I mean it is! It is beautiful! I always see it and I always think 'WOW.. So beautiful!' HaHa ha.." He exclaimed as he fixed his collar, avoiding my gaze.
Before I could say anything, the waiter suddenly came in with a bottle of wine.
I peaked over at Ran to see him exhale a sigh, as if he was thanking the Gods for the 'perfect timing'.
'Cute.'
"Excuse me, Signore and Signora.. would you like to see the menu for the aperitivo?" The waiter asked handing us the menu.
Ran and I nodded our head, grabbing the menu from his hands. I wasn't an expert when it comes to wine so I looked at the menu with uncertainty.
"Should I choose for you?" Ran asked.
I hesitated but nodded in the end.
"Do you want red or white wine?" He asked as he flipped through the pages.
I looked at the menu again and noticed that they have something that I knew and liked.
"Is it okay if I can get Prosecco?" I looked at him with innocent looking eyes.
'I hope he doesn't know that fizzy alcohol drinks can make a person get drunk faster.. I love Prosecco too much.'
"No. You get drunk faster with fizzy alcohol drinks and also you get drunk easily so.." He explained, making me pout.
'Damn it.'
"If you like Prosecco then I'll get you white wine. It's not the same but you know.." He continued as he faced the waiter.
I nodded my head like a kid, just accepting what he said.
"Posso avere un bicchiere di vino bianco poco alcolico? ?(Can I have a glass of white wine with a low alcohol content?)" Ran spoke to the waiter.
The waiter and I looked at him with astonishment.
"C-Certo, Signore. (O-of course, sir.)" The waiter stuttered, shocked at the Japanese speaking Italian.
'Since when did he speak so well?'
The waiter and him were talking, pointing out which one he should take.
"Poi per lei sceglierò questo e il vino rosso che mi hai suggerito. Grazie. (Then for her, I'll choose this and the red wine you suggested. Thank you.)" Ran smiled, the waiter writing it down.
The waiter smiled back, taking the menu from us. As the waiter left with out order, I faced Ran with a shocked face.
"Look at you! Multilingual.." I said, impressed.
He giggled as he scratched the back of his head.
"I'm learning.." He said bashfully.
After a few moments, the waiter came back with two bottles of wine and two wine glasses. He set it down in front of us and poured our respective wine. Once he had served us our wine, he left us with a smile as he head back to the kitchen.
I took a sip of the wine and immediately felt the burning sensation slide down my throat. The wine made me feel warm in the middle of the cold windy night.
"That's nice.." I said as I set my wine down.
I looked up to him and noticed that he also placed the glass down, agreeing with me in process.
After a while, the waiter came back with another tray that was filled with various cured meats, olives and cheeses. He set it down and left us alone again.
"These looks good!" I beamed.
"Yeah.." Ran agreed, his eyes sparkled.
I chuckled at the man in front of me.
"You're like a kid.." I laughed, covering my mouth to quiet down the noise.
He rolled his eyes but laughed with me anyways.
The night was filled with laughter and a calm atmosphere that was comforting to the both of us. It felt like the whole world was just watching and we were living a night that could be unforgettable.
All I could think about at this moment was;
'I feel so happy right now..'
-----------------------------------------------
After dinner, Ran decided to take me somewhere before we ended the night.
Of course, after saying that I could pay half of the bill but before we even sat down, he already left his card with the waiter. So in the end, he paid for everything.
"So annoying.." I grumbled.
I heard him heave a chuckle as he made a turn to a dark path. The street lamps were long gone so the headlights of the car was the only source of light, beaming on the road for us to see.
"Uhh.. Where are we going?" I asked, feeling a bit skeptical with my surroundings.
"Hmm.. Somewhere.." He mumble suspiciously.
I turned my head towards him, expecting to see a smile or hear a small giggle from him but his face said otherwise. It turned into a serious, dark aura, making me swallow a lump in my throat. I subconsciously held onto my seatbelt, turning my head towards the road.
There were no cars, no houses, no buildings, and no people. It was dark but the head lights showed trees and dirt. I looked over my window, praying that I won't see anything but darkness.
"Ran, seriously.. Where are we going?" I asked once again, my nerves starting to creep up on me.
He didn't say anything and continued to drive as if I wasn't there. I started getting scared but reminded myself that it was just Ran being Ran and he was probably pulling a prank on me. Even though I was holding on to that thought, my nerves got the best of me.
All of a sudden, the car's headlights turned off, making the surroundings even more eerie than it was.
"R-Ran.." I stuttered, feeling scared.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as the darkness enveloped us completely. Panic began to rise within me, and I fumbled for the door handle, desperate to escape this ominous situation.
But just as I reached for it, a soft glow began to illuminate the interior of the car. I turned to see Ran holding up his phone, its screen casting a gentle light around us.
"Relax, it's just a little detour," he said, his voice surprisingly calm.
"Where are we, Ran?" I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves.
"We're almost there. Just a little further." He grinned, the tension dissipating from his features.
With his phone as our only source of light, Ran guided the car down a narrow path until we emerged into a small clearing. As the headlights revealed our surroundings, I realized we were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dense forest.
Ran parked the car and turned off the engine, leaving us in silence punctuated only by the sounds of nature. He stepped out of the car and extended a hand towards me.
"Come on," he said, his voice soft. "Trust me."
Despite my lingering apprehension, I took his hand and followed him out of the car. We walked a short distance until we reached the edge of the clearing, where the night sky stretched out before us in all its glory.
I gasped in awe as I looked up at the countless stars scattered across the darkness. It was a sight I had never seen before, so far removed from the city lights that usually obscured the night sky.
"Pretty amazing, right?" Ran glanced at me, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
I couldn't help but smile, my fears forgotten in the beauty of the moment.
"Yeah, it is." I smiled at him.
I turned my head back to admire the stars. I was about to sit down on the dirt but Ran suddenly stopped me.
"Wait.. Let me get something for you so you don't have to sit on the dirt.." He muttered as he started to walk back to the car.
I was about to protest but was too late to do so.
He came back holding a big picnic mat on one arm and a small bag on the other. I took the small bag from him so he can set up the mat with ease. I peak through the bag and saw some snacks like chips and sweets.
'When did he get these?'
"Done~" He smiled goofily.
I chuckled at the man in front of me and sat down with the small bag laying on my lap. He followed, propping his hands behind him as we both look up at the stars.
There was a comfortable silence as we just admired the stars. I rummaged through the small bag and looked for something sweet. There was chocolate wafers and chocolate chip cookies. I opted for the cookies, placing the small bag in between the both of us. I bit the cookie and moaned in delight. I then heard a chuckle behind me.
"You and your sweet tooth." He mumbled with a smile.
I stuck my tongue out and continued to munch on it happily.
"I don't even know if you like the stars or the cookies more.." I smiled teasingly.
I turn towards him with shock plastered on my face.
"I like both, excuse me.." I huffed out, "but the cookies are so good.." grabbing another bite.
He laughed heartily and completely laid down on his back facing the stars.
After finishing my cookie, I laid back down as well, joining him.
We pointed and laughed at a few constellations, commenting on some that looked a little bit off and complimenting the ones that twinkled beautifully.
As the night progressed, I found myself growing more and more tired. The peaceful atmosphere, combined with the late hour, made my eyelids heavy with sleep. I closed my eyes, a contented sigh escaping my lips, finally falling into slumber.
Ran glanced over at her, a fond smile playing on his lips. He could see the exhaustion creeping into her features, and he felt a surge of affection towards her. Carefully, he adjusted his position so that he could better admire her without disturbing her rest.
"Just what are you doing to me.."