Alicekai'd 1.25: Date Night

 

     "Yes, I have a dinner reservation for two under the name Landgraab." We're at the restaurant, and Geoffrey is talking to the hostess.

 

      This is great. When he came to pick me up, the way his eyes raked over me in this dress made every cell in my body come alive. Carlie has a babysitter, and I felt Geoffrey watching me as I finalized things with her. So simple. It wasn't anything really... except that it was. Just from a look? Dayum. 

     "Yes, sir," the lady says, messing with her screen. "Ah, here we are. Right this way." We follow her for a bit to a cute, little table tucked away behind a kind of partition.

     Geoffrey immediately starts perusing the menu. I'll look at mine in a minute. Right now, I'm sitting here and letting all this soak in, telling myself this is really happening. In a game. Answering my thought, I wonder what if it isn't just a game? What if this is just a different kind of reality? And what if The Sims is just a way to access that reality? Whether this is 'actually' happening or not is a moot point. I FEEL like it's happening, so that's enough for me. I don't feel as if someone is controlling me. Hm, perhaps others, but not me. Am I a townie?

     "The lobster here is exquisite," Geoff says, pulling me out of my reverie.

     "Oh," I reply brilliantly and finally get out my menu.

     As I stare at mine, Geoffrey stops looking at his and instead starts looking at me.

     "Lobster, huh?" I need to get him talking.

     "Yeah." He won't stop staring!

     "Geoff, I can't read this with you staring at me like that." I don't even have to look up to know he's smiling.

     "Why shouldn't I stare at you? You know I love that dress, and I'm just sitting here hoping that's why you wore it."

     "It is." I close my eyes. He's not even touching me. How is he doing this? I'm jittery.

     He lets out a happy sigh. "I'm glad. It accentuates your femininity in all the best ways." There's a pause. "I just wish this damn plant weren't in the middle of the table blocking my view."

     I smirk. "Oh, I don't know. The plant makes it more of a challenge." I'm saved from his rebuttal by our server arriving at the table to take our order.

     We each order lobster but fixed in different ways. The server takes our order then relieves us of my one distraction, the menus. It's like my shield gets taken away.

     He laughs nervously like the same thought just occurred to him. "I'm so happy right now, Alice. If it weren't for this damn plant on the table, this would be perfect."

     "Oh, well, then, good thing the plant is here. I'd get nervous if things were TOO perfect." I have no idea where this conversation might go, and I'm about to jump out of my skin from nerves. This is a big deal. Sitting across from me is the one person I've really felt a connection with since getting stuck here.

     His eyes open, and he hits me with a playful stare. "And what's wrong with TOO perfect?"

     How did I never see it? He adores me. Maybe I chose not to see it because it scares the shit out of me. "When things are too perfect, I worry they're not real."

     "Oh, this is definitely real." His eyes slowly move down the dress... or rather, me.

 

     "What if it's all a dream?"

     "Then I pray we never wake up. I want this to last forever."

     I smirk again. "You want us to sit here at the restaurant forever? How is that perfect?"

     He grins, having the time of his life, looks like. "No, I don't want to stay at the restaurant forever; although, if it's with you, it wouldn't be so bad."

     "Oh, well good to know it wouldn't 'be so bad.' I'd hate to bore you."

     "'Bore' me? Now, that is something you could never do."

     I love this, this back-and-forth we're having. Mark would've already made a sexual comment of some sort, but Geoffrey doesn't have to. I'm not saying it's not there, but he's wittier about it. "I don't know. I might," I reply, implying that I could certainly bore him.

     "Never. For one, sometimes I have no idea what's going to come out of your mouth next." His eyes hide nothing. He's not even touching me, and I feel alive.

     "I think if we sat at this restaurant forever, you'd figure me out pretty quickly."

     His smile grows. "Doubtful. Because it's so much fun throwing things out there just to see what you'd say."

     I give him a half-smile. "Like what?"

     His eyes tell me he's glad I asked. "Well, that dress, for example. Yes, I love it, but do you want to know why?" He sees my expression tells him to explain. "Because I'm dying to run my tongue along the fabric."

     I almost fall out of the chair. I think because of the shock of it because I think sometimes I see Geoffrey as some level of sexually immature, meaning not as knowledgeable or something like that. It probably has to do with the lack of obvious innuendo, which is what I'm used to. I could not be more wrong. In this moment, I'M the baby here.

     I'm saved from responding by the arrival of our food.

     Then I get an idea. "Well, here's something else to entertain your tongue."

     He replies quietly, "Not nearly as good." Then, he turns to our server. "Would you please remove the table decor? I'm finding it blocking my view."

     Our server smirks. "Certainly, sir. Will there be anything else?"

     "Not at the moment, thank you." And again, I lose another shield.

     I have to comment. "First my menu and now the plant. I'm starting to feel exposed."

     Oh, he liked that. With a burning in his eyes, he lifts his wine glass in a toast. "Here's to your exposure then." He takes a drink, his gaze never leaving me.
     It's like I may as well be sitting here naked. I love it. I WANT him to find me attractive, and I start to wonder how this night will end.

     As we eat, Geoffrey turns the conversation toward our children. Bruno has a new bicycle, which he loves reminding Geoff that it's just one step away from a motorcycle. I tell him that Carlie has finally started sleeping through the night. He doesn't take the hint and continues to keep the conversation platonic.

    We finish our meal, pay, and leave the restaurant. Then he turns to me, takes my hand and tells me how he doesn't want to take me home yet. I smile and let him lead me to a bench near the water.

 

     "This has been wonderful, Alice. I admit there are moments when I wonder if it's real, and I'm so glad it is." He's glowing. Why couldn't this have happened sooner?

     "I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this point," I say, staring at the fountain in front of us.

     He chuckles.

     "I'm not aiming for apologies here," he tells me, still smiling.

     "Hm? Then what ARE you aiming for?" I playfully ask as he scoots closer.

     "You keep distracting me."

     "I thought you said you like my distractions."

     "Oh, I do, but once again, I mean to say something then you make me lose my train of thought."

     I lean closer and whisper, "Then maybe you don't need to talk."

     He leans back, his hand reaching up to cup my face--to stop me. "You don't kiss on a first date, Alice."

     Instead of getting mad, I crack up laughing, even though my face doesn't move. "How old fashioned are you?"

     He shrugs. "Moderately, but I'm not going to kiss you. I have to find SOME way to leave you wanting." He pulls his hand away, but I'm not giving up.
 

     "Is that your game?"

     A little too serious, he replies, "I'm not playing games."

     Dammit! My face falls. "I know. I was just..." I can't explain it.

     He smiles kindly and takes my hand, and we start walking back to my house, not speaking.

     What did I do wrong? I'm not playing games, either. I was just kidding around. I grow into a full pout by the time we reach my front porch.

     The babysitter has the television going in the living room, and I assume I'm just going to walk in there, pay her, and then go cry under my covers. But then Geoffrey stops me, trying to pull me into his arms.

     "Alice," he says in an attempt to get me to look up at him. Nope. Not gonna. If he doesn't want to kiss me, what's the point? "Alice, look at me." He tries to pull my arm around him. I resist that too.

     "No." I stubbornly focus my gaze on the handkerchief thing in his coat.

     "What did I do?" He sounds like he really has no idea why I'm acting like this.

     I close my eyes and take a deep breath in order to keep myself from screaming and punching his chest. "I'm not playing games, either."

     He lets out a long exhale like he's thinking, 'well, shit.'

 

     "I know that. I wasn't saying you are." He holds my chin, but I won't budge. He lets out a huff. "I just wanted to make my position clear. We kid around so much, and I love it. I do, but I want you to know I'm NOT kidding around now."

     Nope. Still mad. "Fine. You're not kidding around. Got it. Good night, Geoffrey." I move to leave him standing alone on the porch.

     "No." He struggles. I try once again to get to my front door. "Alice." His arms hold me tighter. "Wait." Dammit, why does he have to be stronger?

     "If you're not going to kiss me, what's the point of the whole front porch thing?" I glare at him as he holds my head.

     He wraps his other arm more securely around me. "The point is I'm not letting go of you yet. Just LISTEN to me, Alice." We're so close, and he knows it. His breathing picks up speed, and I can feel every expanding and contracting of his chest against my own. All I'd have to do would be to lean in a few inches, and I've got him. But I want it to come from him.

     "I'm listening," I tell him quietly as I watch him fight himself, his eyes remaining closed.

     The hand on my head switches from squeezing a fist around my hair to running his fingers through it. "I'd always imagined this differently, not as a result of a spat."

      I reach my left hand up and lightly run a nail down his cheek. "Then how did you imagine it?"

      "Lots of examples: in front of a fireplace, moonlight, stars, and so on."

      "Sounds romantic." I keep tracing his cheekbone.

      His eyes still closed, he smiles. "It was! I can be really good at that if given the chance."

      "I believe you," I say, and he opens his eyes.

      "Alice..." But he doesn't let himself finish.

     I can't believe I actually jump in surprise, but that doesn't stop him. No, now that he's started, he's not letting go, and even though there's a desperate determination in the way he kisses me, it's also unhurried, slow, letting us feel every bit of the other's lips. Every once in a while, he pulls back only to take a breath and kiss me again. He never once uses his tongue, even though I do my best to tempt him. The message is clear: simple, keep it simple. But I know so much more boils underneath the surface.

     He pulls back again and rests his forehead against mine, his hand holding mine. Even though it was so simple, that was probably the best kiss of my life, in this world and the real one.

     "I love you, Alice Dyer." He says it so simply, as if that's his typical way to exhale.

     I want to reply in kind, but I also don't want to sully his moment. He's worked hard enough for it, after all.

     He's not done. "I love you so much. You are the most precious person in my life, and I can finally tell you. I love you. I've never been more certain of anything. I want us to be together. Always." He wipes a tear away I didn't even feel I shed.

     I lean down and kiss his fingers, and he takes his turn to be surprised. The hand on my face flies off, doing I don't know what at his side. So I kiss him again, and his breathing gets shaky. Bet no one's ever done this to HIM. I kiss him again, thinking that's probably what has him so shocked. It's usually the other way around. I dart out my tongue on one of his knuckles, and he quickly pulls our hands away.

     We stand here and stare into each other's eyes. It's time for me to tell him.

     "Don't say it," he quickly interjects.

     I scowl. "Why not?" Why the hell would he stop me?

     "Suffice to say that I know."

     "Geoffrey, that's not fair." I try to understand, but I can barely grasp why he would stop me.

     A tiny smile shows up. "No, it's not."

     He holds my face, his thumb stroking my cheek, and he whispers, "Just let me be the one today."

     I give him a small nod. "Would you like to come inside?"

     There's a slight pause before he replies, "Yes." But then he stops me from moving to the door. "But I won't." He smirks. "I wasn't even supposed to kiss you, Alice."

     "I'm glad you did."

     He looks at my lips. "Me too." He kisses me again quickly, pulling back before I have a decent chance to respond. "Good night, Alice." He kisses my hand, smiling like he's thinking that's all he was 'supposed' to do.

     "Good night." I watch him walk down the stairs before I turn to go inside and pay the babysitter.