Do you believe in soulmates? Peyton once asked me as we were both curled up on our beat-up couch watching The Notebook in the first apartment we had leased together off-campus. At the time, my answer was a straight-up no. Now, as I sit next to Connery in the white Honda he rented while he drove to the restaurant where we would be having dinner my answer looks a little bit different.
Connery, he's like nobody else I've come across in this lifetime. When I'm around him, it's like I'm split in half. Part of me sets itself on fire when I'm missing his touch. On the other hand, the other half of me is serene and gratified because I know that years may pass us by and he will always be the one for me. His arms are powerful enough to hold on to every fear, every beautiful shattered piece of me. He doesn't just make me feel complete, it's quite the contrary actually, he completes me.
"What are you thinking about?" Connery grabs my hand as he places a gentle kiss on the top of my hand. "You look distracted."
My lips break into a smile. "It's nothing bad I promise, I'm just thinking about what I'm going to order when we get to the restaurant."
Connery instantly breaks into laughter. "I honestly don't know why I even asked, I should've guessed."
"I was only kidding for the most part." I chuckle. "I was thinking about what my order would be, but the main thought clouding my mind right now is how happy I am that I'm here with you."
Connery's lips curve into a smile. "I'm happy that I'm here with you too preciosa. I can't wait to show you what I have planned for us tonight."
"I can't wait to find out what it is since you insisted to be secretive about it," I say and Connery rolls his eyes at me making me laugh.
"Has anyone told you how much of an impatient person you are Everest Green?" Connery asks.
"Multiple times," I pause. "But I don't see how you're any different Matthew Connery. I have to take trips to Victoria's Secret almost every week because someone who won't be named rips my underwear almost every time because he can't wait for me to take it off."
Connery's reaction was priceless. "So, what were you thinking about ordering?" I couldn't help but laugh. Two can play this game and I played it better this time around.
The drive to the restaurant was a twenty-minute drive from the hotel we were staying at. After teasing Connery for a few minutes, we talked a little about today's meet and how his post-meet interview had gone. Connery is very outgoing (more outgoing than I'll ever be, that's for sure) but when it comes to post-meet interviews, he gets a little nervous and stressed out. More than he would like actually.
How the media portrays him as an athlete plays an important role in his career. A bad day can lead to a whole domino effect of bad press. This is why he's always extra careful when it comes to the way he answers the questions he's asked. Sometimes they would throw him the bait to see if he falls for it, but at this point, he's a pro at it. With the nerves and all, you could tell that he was made for this.
When we pulled up to the restaurant I was in awe, it was so simple yet beautiful at the same time. It had this rustic exterior design painted green and white. House of Tricks. I've lived here in Arizona most of my life and I never came across the restaurant even though I have driven through Tempe many times. "It's beautiful Connery,"
"I'm so glad that you love it, wait until we get inside, it gets even more breathtaking." Connery smiles as he inter-whines his hand with mine. I smile at him and pull myself closer to him as we walk inside the restaurant.
A very nice hostess greeted us with a smile when we walked inside. "Good evening, how are you doing on this beautiful night?"
"We're doing great, thanks." I smile at the hostess.
"I'm Savannah, it's a pleasure to have you with us tonight." She pauses. "Do you guys have a reservation?"
"Yes," Connery replies. "The reservation is under Matthew, Matthew Connery."
"Ah yes, you have a reservation for two." The hostess says as she taps on her small tablet. "I will lead you guys to your table and one of our waiters will be with you soon to take your order."
"Thank you," Connery and I both smile as we follow the hostess to our table. He was right, it even more breathtaking from the inside.
"These are our menus," The hostess hands us two of the four menus she was holding. "If you need anything else I can help you with, let me know. If not, I'll leave so you can take your time going over our menu. Have a nice evening."
"I think we're good for now," I tell her. "Thank you."
And with that, the hostess walked away. Connery and I started to go over the menu almost instantly. My eyes landed on the Vera Cruz Style Grilled Salmon. Additionally, it came with roasted tomato-olive salsa, toasted Orzo, and jalapeño cream sauce. I looked over the other plates in the menu but they had me at Vera Cruz Style Grilled Salmon and nothing else looked appealing to me.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Connery staring at me. "What?" I ask. "You're looking at me weird Connery."
"I'm not," He replies. "It's just that you're making that cute face you make when you're excited about food."
I let out a small laugh. What can I say? I love food. "I am excited, do you know what you're going to order?"
Connery nods. "The Smoked Korean Style Baby Back Ribs with spicy red chile paste are calling my name. It comes with their barely pickled cucumber salad so I think that's my final choice. And you?"
I smile cheekily. "The Vera Cruz Style Grilled Salmon is my final pick."
Before we could continue with our conversation a waiter approached our table. "Good evening, my name is Chelsea and I will be your waiter for the night. Are you guys ready to order?"
Connery and I both nod. "I'll be having the Vera Cruz Style Grilled Salmon for tonight."
The waiter begins to write down our order. "That's perfect, what will you be drinking?"
I look over the menu quickly. "The Margarita de la Casa and a glass of water please."
"No problem," She smiles. "Sir and you?"
"I'll be having the Smoked Korean Style Baby Back Ribs." Connery pauses. "As for drinks, I'll have the Bring Us a Shruberry."
"Perfect," The waiter smiles as she continues to write down the order. "I'll repeat the order for you guys. I have a Vera Cruz Style, Grilled Salmon, with a Margarita de la Casa and a glass of water for the young lady. For the gentleman, I have the Smoked Korean Style Baby Back Ribs with the Bring Us a Shruberry for drinks. Correct?"
"Yes," We both reply.
"I'll be back shortly with your drinks." The waiter says as she grabs the menus from the table. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to let me know."
"Thank you," I smile.
"I have a surprise for you," Connery pauses as he takes a small envelope out of his pocket. I look at him confused. I didn't know we were doing gifts and I'm empty-handed.
"Connery, I didn't know we were doing gifts." I frown. "I don't have anything to give you, you should've told me."
"I promise you it's nothing too big," Connery replies as he hands me the white envelope.
"Is there any special occasion?" I ask.
"You could say that," Connery pauses. "As you know, this is our first official date since we decided to give us a chance. I know we've gone out many times, but I wanted to do something special for you."
My lips curve into a smile and I grab his hand. "Precioso, that's so sweet of you."
Connery grins. "I knew I wanted to do something special, but I didn't know what to because I didn't know anything about Arizona for starters and that's where I wanted our special date to be. So, I asked your aunt for help."
"You did?" I ask surprised. "How did you get Aunt Claire's phone number?"
"I might've snooped around your contacts when you weren't paying attention," Connery replies. "I didn't even know how she was going to respond, but she was happy to assist me in the little adventure we'll be venturing on tonight."
"It's perfect so far," I smile. "So, out of all of the places in Arizona, why this restaurant?"
"Aunt Claire knew it would be the perfect place because of what is inside that envelope." Connery points at the envelope I was currently holding in my hands. "Go ahead, open it."
I was curious to see what was inside the envelope. What could be so special about this place that Aunt Claire said it would be the perfect choice? At that moment, many possible answers crossed my mind, but I never would've guessed what I saw once I opened the envelope. It was a picture of my parents, right around when they were Connery and I's age, in this same restaurant. Written on the back was a message that recorded the date of their first date. Our first date. February 27, 1992.
"Where did you get this? Did Aunt Claire mail this to you?" I ask. "I have never seen this picture ever before. I didn't even know they had their first date in this place. Thank you. This made the night even more special."
I leaned in and pecked Connery's lips. Seeing that picture made me feel so many emotions, but just the fact that Connery wanted our first date to be here as well, made me feel things I honestly can't describe. This boy, oh how incredibly happy he made me.
Connery and I spent the rest of our time at the restaurant having many conversations whilst we waited for our food to be served. He told me a lot of stories about him growing up (the ones that weren't tainted with pain) and I shared my fair share of stories from growing up. On the contrary from his, mine was utterly embarrassing. Once our food was delivered, he kept on telling me more about his life while he grew up and how life was after Conrad walked into his family's life. Even if I despise that poor excuse of a man, from what Connery told me I could tell Conrad was kind of a father figure for him. He looked used up to him. To the idea of the man, Connery thought Conrad was.
After we were done eating dinner, Connery wanted to take me wine tasting. We drove over to the Carlson Creek Vineyard here in Scottsdale. It's no secret that I have an obsession with wines. I keep a secret stash of my all-time favorites in my closet. Why a secret stash? If I were to stash them on our kitchen cabinets, I would have to make weekly trips to the store because of my amazing best friend.
When we entered the wine tasting room, the host greeted us very sweetly and showed us to our table. To start the wine tasting, the host brought to our table several samples of wine. Like most if not all vineyards, they began by offering samples of dry white wines. After pouring the samples of dry white wines, they moved along with the dry reds. And finally, they saved the best for last. My favorite kind of wines, the sweet ones. I was having a blast, Connery on the other hand wasn't the biggest fan.
For the dessert portion of our date, Connery drove us to a cute little french pastry in Phoenix called Paris Rendez-vous. Paris has always been at the top of my must travel places. Connery is very aware of that because in the many conversations we've had I can't seem to shut up about it. And after watching Emily in Paris, it's safe to say that Connery heard me talk about Paris more than five times a day. He told me that he couldn't book a flight to Paris, so he decided to bring a little bit of the closest thing of it to me. I had a fine time stuffing my face with macaroons. Connery thought it was cute.
After dessert, Connery wanted to go for a stroll on Civic Center Park. We walked past the Her Secret is Patience art installation and it was beautiful. In the few hours that we had spent together so far, the happiness I was feeling was unmeasurable. We had been walking around for a good few minutes when he decided to make a stop in front of the big fountain in the park.
"Have you enjoyed our special date so far?" Connery asks and I nod.
"I have, so much." I smile. "Thank you for putting so much thought and heart into it. I'm so happy that I get to walk through life with you everyday Matthew Connery."
Connery pecks my lips. "You came into my life in a time where I truly hated who I was and who I'd become Everest Elaine Green. I was broken and damaged, filling the holes my father had burned in me when I was twelve with lust. But you fought your way into my heart. The shy girl that walked into the pavilion on freshman year and left me breathless. The very opinionated girl that wasn't afraid to speak her mind and sat at the back of the auditorium in Emerson's class. It was unexpected."
Connery paused and I couldn't help but get emotional over what I was hearing.
"I truly did not expect you or the effect you had on me. My heart, my mind, my feelings. You were the calming sound of the light, pitter-patter of drizzle, on an April Sunday morning, in my brutal destructive hurricane." He was quoting Emma Susanno.
"I could get lost in all the little ways you carry love, and carry light, and hold so much goodness in your being. You are a golden thing in this heavy, heavy world, and everything feels new when I look at you." Butterflies rising.
"I knew I wasn't good enough for you Ev, and every day I work towards being the man I know you deserve. We agreed to take things slow and slowly but surely we've been building back up the trust that was once broken. I want to keep walking through this messy at times but still amazing life nonetheless with you." Connery grabs my hands as he pauses. "What I'm trying to say is, would you want that too Ev? Would you be my girlfriend?"
They often say that actions speak louder than words. At the moment, I was feeling so many emotions that I couldn't quite put into words a simple yes. I was in awe. I smiled at Connery before I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
"My heart is so full of you I can hardly call it my own Matthew Connery." I quoted one of my favorites, Liana Râdulescu.
We walked around the park a little more before we headed back to the car. Connery told me we had one last stop before heading back to the hotel. I was confused because I didn't know where we would go next until I saw the all too familiar road that leads home. I have been telling Connery how much I've been missing my family lately these past weeks. Getting the news that our first stop in the road to the finals was going to be Arizona, I was beaming with joy because I knew my family could drive over to ASU and I would get to see them.
Unfortunately, my Grandpa Willy hasn't been doing very well these past few days. They have taken him to the doctor and many tests have been run but nothing conclusive has come up. Being away from home didn't make things easy because I knew that my grandparents weren't getting any younger as time passed by. It at some point had made me question if going away for school was the right decision, especially since Grandpa Willy hasn't been doing that well lately. But seeing his face light up when he saw me walk through the front door, for a moment made all of my fears fade away. Even if it was for just half an hour, getting to hug them and see the happiness on their faces was more than enough.
"Thank you for this amazing day," I say wrapping my hands around Connery's neck. We were currently standing in front of his hotel room door. "I had the best time."
"Baby girl, you deserve this and so much more." Connery pecks my lips. "Do you want to come inside?"
"I would love to, but isn't O'Connor inside?" I ask and Connery shakes his head. Sneaky little bastard.
"I told him to go over to Dant's and Becker's room," Connery smirks. "So, is that a yes then?"
I nod and Connery opens the door pulling me inside. He slammed the door behind us and pulled me in for a kiss. It was passionate. Not wanting to break our lips apart we slowly made our way to the bed. "I've been wanting to rip that little black dress off of you ever since you walked into the lobby."
I smirk at him as we landed on the bed. He ran his hands all over my body making me shiver. The way his fingers trailed over my skin made me impatient. I wanted him. I wanted him now. Connery kicked off his shoes, he began to leave kisses on my thighs and calves working his way down to my heels, taking them off. He tossed them to the other side of the bed and he roughly smashed his lips into mine. I took off his bomber jacket alongside the black v-neck he was wearing and tossed them to the side.
I began to trace my fingers over his bare skin, making my way from his broad shoulders to his toned stomach. Connery smirked. He kissed my jawline and stopped at my neck leaving a few marks. Then he pulled me up gently so he could unzip my dress. If it weren't Peyton's dress he surely would've just ripped it off. I let my dress fall and his eyes widened when he noticed I wasn't wearing any underneath.
Let's just say I anticipated this was going to happen and I wasn't about to lose another pair of underwear.
He took off his pants and underwear off. Then he kissed my lips, my neck, and collarbone. Slowly making his way down, I let out a moan when his teeth nicked my bare skin. His hands continued to roam all over my body giving me goosebumps. Not wanting to waste any more time, he ducked one finger, then two into my core making me moan. I dug my nails into his shoulder blade, the pleasure was too overwhelming.
"Connery, baby." I panted in his ear. "I want you. Now."
He smirked and pecked my lips before pushing himself inside of me. He let out an uncontrollable moan and so did I. Gripping the white silk sheets, I kept my eyes from shutting as I met his gaze. "Baby girl, you feel so good."
My nails are digging into his bare skin, making their way down his toned back. His lips slam mercilessly into mine. I could feel my second orgasm building back up. "Fuck!"
"Ev, I'm tied to you like the buttons on your little black dress."
We met halfway. I was his and he was mine. When he grabbed me and ran his hands all over my naked body, I felt all of the sparks. It was the kind of electricity that could light up an entire blacked-out city. In that exact moment, something moved inside me, the very unfamiliar feeling of being loved back.
Love. It won't ever ask you to be any less of who you are. On the contrary, it will always ask that you become more and more yourself. Because oh how beautiful it is when someone wants to know and explore all of the worlds you grasp inside of you.
lengthy author's note :)
Hey guys! I feel so happy to be able to say that again, it's been a while. I have so many things to tell you guys, but first, off I wanted to say that I hoped you enjoyed reading today's chapter and it made up for the time I've been away.
I wanted to say apologize for the lack of updates, I know I have kept you waiting for way too long. So many things have passed during these weeks I've been away. My classes and my job unfortunately were consuming most if not all of my time (the amount of all nighters I've had have messed up my sleep schedule completely 😅) I also turned 20 on the 27th of February! What is life? I have to admit that I had my fair share of breakdowns because I realized that I'm not getting any younger hahaha
Being away I tried to reply to your comments as much as I could and I realized how much our little family has been growing lately! It made me so happy and it honestly was the motivation that kept me going through my hell weeks! I always say it but I never thought CG would grow as much as it has grown and it's all because of you guys. Thank you, for your never-ending support, for everything 💛
I'm so happy to be back, bringing you guys along for the ride of a story that I love writing so much. I will try to stick to my updating schedule going forward as much as I can! Thank you for being patient with me and I hope you stick along for the roller coaster that is CG ❤️
paulina,