I moved my plate to the side and leaned back into my chair.
"That was really good, I'd give you an 8.5 out of 10," I said smirking.
"Why not a 10?" he asked as he too pushed his plate aside.
"Haven't had dessert yet, so the meal isn't complete."
"Damn, well I guess I'll have to find something for dessert," he smirked.
He looked so perfect sitting there with his black long sleeve shirt rolled up to reveal his tattoos. He was sexy and confident as he smiled at me from across the table.
"What?" he asked breaking the silence that had fallen as I stared at him.
"Nothing," I smiled shaking my head, "you just look really good."
He smiled and leaned across the table, "So do you."
A flicker of light caught my attention in my peripheral vision and I turned my head only to hear a loud rumbling that shook the house.
"I love the sound of thunder and the rain," I sighed looking towards the sliding glass door.
It was dark out now, so I couldn't see anything except for when the sky would light up for a few seconds with lightning.
"It is nice," Michael said softly, "perfect weather to be inside."
"Yeah, cuddle weather," I said looking back at him.
"Let me clear the dishes and put the food away. Why don't you find us something to watch?" He asked reaching for my plate and stacking it on top of his.
"Okay," I said scooting my chair back and heading for the sofa.
I grabbed the remote and turned the tv on. I scrolled through his streaming apps and decided on Netflix. I looked at the "Continue Watching" list and smiled when I realized we were watching similar shows.
"I love Parks and Rec, have you seen all of the seasons?" I asked over my shoulder.
"It's hilarious, isn't it? No, I'm actually just starting the second season."
"Do you want to watch that? I don't mind watching reruns," I offered.
"Yeah, sounds good. I'll be there in just a second."
"Okay, I'm going to use your bathroom. I'll be back," I said setting the remote on the coffee table and heading down the hallway.
I closed and locked the bathroom door behind me and immediately checked my teeth for any food.
Good, I sighed.
I quickly peed and thanked God that I didn't have to deal with pooping at his house right now. I always feel so awkward pooping at other people's houses. I washed my hands and dried them on the towel when the light suddenly turned off.
I yelped and fumbled for the doorknob. I cursed myself for locking it and finally got the door to open. The lights in the rest of the house were out too. The rain must have caused a power outage.
"Bea!" Michael called from the living room. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark, but I couldn't see anything as I followed the hallway wall until it ended.
"Michael?" I called out.
"Hold on," he said as I heard drawers opening and closing.
Suddenly the room was illuminated by a flashlight and I sighed with relief.
"That was scary," I laughed, "I thought I was going to be murdered in the bathroom."
He chuckled and walked towards me. He grabbed the box of matches off of the coffee table and handed me the flashlight.
"Here," he said.
I held it so it shone on the box as he struck a match and lit two candles. He moved one into the kitchen and peered out the window.
"The whole street is out," he said closing the blinds, "must be from the storm."
"Yeah," I nodded retrieving my phone from my purse.
We both took a seat on the sofa and I illuminated my phone. There were several notifications one of them being a warning to stay off the roads if at all possible due to flash flooding.
"Shoot," I muttered to myself.
How am I going to get home?
"What's wrong?" he asked as he turned to face me.
"I, um, I don't think I can drive home. They sent out an alert to stay off the roads if possible."
"Damn. Okay, well you're more than welcome to sleep here. You can have the bed and I'll sleep on the couch," he offered.
"I don't know. My parents are pretty strict. I know I'm twenty-four and all, but I'm living under their roof, so I still have to obey their rules."
"But, Bea, if it's not safe to drive, surely they'd want you to just stay here?"
I shrugged and contemplated what to do.
"Okay, let me call them," I said unlocking my phone.
My mom answered after a few rings.
"Hello?"
"Hey, ma' so the power just went out at Michael's. Is it out at home too?"
"What? No, we have power here. Are you coming home?" she asked.
"Um, well the thing is, it's raining really bad outside and they've sent out an alert to stay off the roads due to flooding."
"Porca vacca," she hissed, "Okay, so you're going to stay at Michael's?"
"Well, dad won't like that," I said in Italian so Michael wouldn't feel awkward.
"Don't worry about your dad, I want you to be safe. Are you okay with staying there?"
"Yes, I'm fine," I said reassuring her I was okay with the situation.
"Okay, va bene. I'll see you in the morning then. TVB."
I hung up and awkwardly smiled at him.
"So," I paused, "I guess I'll be staying the night."
"Okay," he smiled.
"But, I can totally sleep here. Your couch is really comfy and I don't want to kick you out of your bed."
"Seriously, it's fine. Please. You take the bed," he persuaded.
I grumbled but agreed.
The house lit up with a flash of lightning casting shadows on Michael's face.
"Do you want to play a game or something?" He asked.
"Yeah. What do you have?"
"Um, what about 'Never Have I Ever'?"
"Sure," I nodded.
He jumped off the couch and took his phone with him as a flashlight as he ran down the hall. He came back moments later with a small box and flopped back onto the sofa.
"I didn't know they made an actual game, I thought it was just questions that you came up with," I said as he opened the game box and began to pull out the different cards.
"Really? Let me explain how it works then," he said dealing each of us a hand of cards.
"So we each start with 10 cards and the goal is put 10 cards in front of you. This deck," he pointed to the stack of cards in the middle, "is the Rule Cards. Which we have to draw each round. They say stuff like pass one of your cards and the other has to answer it. If you're guilty you keep the card and display it. Not guilty, then you discard it. Got it?"
"I think so," I nodded.
I picked up my cards and read them to myself as he did the same.
"Okay, I'll go first," he smiled flipping over the first Rule Card.
"Swap," he read aloud, "So we each swap one card and answer it."
"Hmm," I browsed my cards and decided on an easy one to start the game.
I passed him the card and he handed me one of his own.
"Never have I ever walked into a glass door," he said smiling and placing the card down in front of him, "I definitely have done that before."
"Never have I ever...tripped while walking and texting," I smiled and placed the card in front of me.
I flipped over the next rule card.
"Awkward moment. Answer one play card of another player's choice aloud and tell the story," I said, looking up at him.
"Hm," he looked at his cards mischievously and finally handed me one.
"Never have I ever...cheated on a test," I smiled and rolled my eyes as I placed the card in front of me.
"Yes, I've cheated on a test before in middle school. I forgot that we had a quiz and I didn't want to get a bad grade so my lab partner shared her answers with me."
He laughed and adjusted his position on the sofa.
"Did you feel bad afterward?"
"Yes, oh my gosh, I was so dumb I told my teacher and she gave me a zero and called my parents to tell them. It was so stupid."
"It sounds like you're still a little upset about it," he chuckled.
I sighed and told him to draw the next card.