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"So, what's the plan?"
I glance towards Ridge, who's sitting in the passenger seat of my car, an eyebrow arched in curiosity, his eyes reflecting the sunlight coming through the window making those brown eyes shine bright, almost as if they are hazel. Casually, he slips his hand into his hair, combing them with his fingers which makes him look ten times more attractive.
"Lydia, eyes on the road!" Ridge's desperate attempt at snapping me out of my thoughts works as he frantically waves his hands in front of my face.
My eyes snap to the front as I abruptly stop the car, taking a left on the side of the road as I see a dog crossing the road in a hurry, probably scared of the fact that it could've died if I hadn't pulled the breaks in time. I stop the car before it hits the tree on the side of the road and I jolt out of my seat on the impact but stay intact due to the seat-belt around me. My hands go straight to my face, massaging my forehead as I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. I realize what just happened, or what was about to happen. "Shit, I could've killed us and the dog."
Ridge removes his seat-belt and turns towards me in a swift motion, taking hold of my face in his hands. His fingers rub against my cheekbones, which have a calming effect on me. "But you didn't, okay? We are fine, the dog's fine. You don't have to worry about it now."
"But we could've died, Ridge! Died! Oh god, I would've killed you. What would-" Before I can freak out more, Ridge shakes my head and makes me look at him, right in those sparkling brown eyes.
"We didn't die, Lydia. The dog didn't die. Everyone's safe. Okay, so stop crying please." He whispers, his finger wiping a stray tear that had somehow made it's way down my cheeks. "I'm here, aren't I? I won't let anything happen to anyone."
I take a deep breath and put my hand on top of his, which is currently holding my face and bring it to my lips and place a feather light kiss on it. I don't know why I did that! I guess I just wanted to make sure that everything's fine. His eyes flicker at my lips when I do so but he doesn't do anything. He removes my seat-belt and pulls me a little close to him so that our foreheads are touching. I relish in the feel of his breath hitting my face and close my eyes. He cranes his neck up and places a soft kiss on my head, then on my nose. "Come on, I'll drive."
I open my eyes slowly and nod, because I don't think I can drive today after this. He lets go of my face and opens the passenger door and gets out of the car. I, however, stay rooted on my seat, my eyes stuck on the tree we could've crashed into if I hadn't stopped the car right on time. A knock on my window catches my attention. I look up to see Ridge looking at me with a concerned expression, waiting for me to open the door.
I oblige silently and open the door and step out and move across the car and sit in the passenger seat. Ridge sits behind the wheel and looks at me. "Are you fine? Do you want to go back? We can go on this date some other time, you know."
I take a deep breath, rubbing my sweaty hands against my dress and reply. "I'm not fine right now but I will be. Also, we are going on this date."
"Are you sure?" His lips press into a thin line.
I give him a nod and a brief smile. "Yeah, drive now. You don't wanna be late to what I have planned for you."
"Okay." He gives me a small smile. His right hand takes hold of my left one as he threads our fingers together and places our joined hands on his thigh. The warmth of radiating from his hands, or the way his finger makes circles on the outside of my hand sends shivers down my whole body. It has a calming and soothing effect on my racing heart. It feels comforting.
He steps on the gas, after giving me another look of concern and zooms on the road. Thank god that we were on a deserted road or else us stopping would've been a very big problem. He doesn't say anything, nor do I. He just focuses his attention on the GPS system as the operating voice gives us the directions to our destination.
When we reach our destination, Ridge stops the car to look at the big sign board beaming with red neon lights - Barney's Theater. Thick pine trees surround the vintage looking building casting a shadow over it. The building is donned with white fairy lights and flowers are planted on both sides of the driveway which leads to the parking lot down the basement. Ridge looks at me with his brows furrowed up in question.
"Park the car." I reply, not revealing anything at the moment. He doesn't say anything and does as I say, taking the car down the basement which moves in a spiral. The basement is filled with cars, probably because it's Sunday today. He finds a spot immediately, and parks the car, turning off the ignition, taking the keys out. Removing his seat-belt, he gives me a look. "Are you going to tell me what all this is now?"
"Nope." I shake my head.
He sighs, removing his hands from mine to run it through his hair. Without saying anything else, he gets out of the car and hastily struts across to open my side of the door. He opens the door, giving me a smile. "Come, on."
I offer him a smile and take hold of the hand he has laid out for me along with my bag. When I'm out of the car, he shuts the door behind me, after locking the car with the lock button on the keys. We walk, hand in hand inside the lift which takes us to the main hall.
He swings our joined hands up and down. "So, will give me a hint?"
"No."
"Then tell me what we will be doing!"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" He gives me cheeky grin, which almost makes me spill it all out.
But. "No."
He groans in frustration, grumbling. "You are so stubborn. I thought girls dig that phrase."
I laugh heartily, giving him a kiss on the cheek, but do not respond.
The lift pings and the doors open, revealing the aesthetic insides of the hall. The walls are painted deep red with frames of all the famous actors and singers of all time. On the ceiling, hang bulbs tied to ropes, illuminating the surroundings. It's surreal, beautiful. On our left is the main desk where a man sits, reading a magazine. To our right is the staircase that leads to the rooms, probably.
We head straight to the man and I tap on the glass desk to capture his attention. He looks up from the magazine, giving us a friendly smile. Putting the magazine down, he nods. "Hello, welcome to Barney's Theater. How may I help you?"
I give him a smile in return. "Hey, I have a room booked under the name Lydia Herrington."
Ridge doesn't say a word, just stands by my side, a little too close to me. His eyes roam around the room, taking everything in. The man types something on his computer and then after a few seconds, looks up to meet my eyes. "Yes, ma'am. We have a booking under that name. One of our employees will take you to the room." He tells me, then rings the bell kept on the side of the computer.
A minute later a young girl, probably 18 or 20 comes from the door behind the reception desk, giving us a calculative smile. The man says something to her, and she nods, walking towards us. She stands in front of us. "Hey guys, I'll take you to your room."
She walks ahead, assuming that we are following her. I pull Ridge with me as we walk up the stairs. Ridge nudges me in the side to gain my attention. "Why have you booked a room, sweetheart? So eager to sleep with me?"
As if. "No, shut up."
"Then, a personal strip show?"
"No."
"Opera?"
"No." I roll my eyes at that one.
"Then, a--"
Before he can complete his sentence, I cut him off. "No, no, no. God you've turned me into a negative person. I keep on saying no!"
He laughs loudly. "You are so cute when you are all frustrated and annoyed."
Before I can come up with a reply, the woman stops and gestures towards a wooden mahogany door, opening it with the master key in her hand. "This is your room. Hope you enjoy your time."
With a formal smile, she walks away, leaving Ridge and I alone. I twist the door knob and and open the door for Ridge. "Boys first."
He shakes his head, giving me one of his stupid dimpled smiles. As soon as he takes a step inside, he stops. I take the moment to observe my surroundings. The room is dimly lit with white fairy lights covering the walls. A projector hands in the middle of the room from the ceiling. The room has a big king sized bed, a black leather couch and a fort made out of pillows and bed sheets.
Slowly, he walks inside, his eyes taking all in. He looks at me, giving me a crooked grin and his eyes twinkle with excitement. "Are we going to watch a movie?"
I giggle. "Yeah. And guess what movie?"
"A chick flick? Rom com?"
"The Fight Club."
"What?!" He exclaims, his mouth opening and closing. His eyes turn a shade darker. "You remembered?"
My lips stretch up in a big smile. "Of course I did."
He walks towards me in long strides, until he is right in front of me. His arms wrap around my body as he lifts me up, crushing me in a hug. I giggle and wrap my arms around his neck tightly. We stay like that for a while before he puts me down, steadily on my feet. Before I can say anything, he smashes his lips on mine, one hand on my cheeks, other holding my neck almost possessively. I respond immediately, kissing him back, fisting my hands in his hair.
We break apart after a few seconds, to fill our lungs with oxygen. He places his forehead against mine, his lips curling up in a full blown grin. "You are the best."
I bite my lip to stop my lips from smiling too much. "I know."
He chuckles, then pulls away, leaving a kiss on my forehead. He takes my hand and leads me to the pillow fort. We get comfortable on the soft linen sheets. I grab the remote kept on the duvet of the bed, pressing play. The wall in front of up, springs to life, illuminating the room as the ,movie starts.
We watch the movie in silence, laying on the sheets comfortably. Sometime through the movie, Ridge slips his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. I savor the feel of his body close to mine, running my fingers up and down his muscular arm. Soon, our appetizers arrive, and then the champagne. We eat and watch the movie. To say the least, it turns out to be one of the best day of my life.
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"So, what do you wanna do now?" Dinner?" I ask Ridge as we make ourselves comfortable in the car. I sit behind the wheel, after persuading him that I'll be okay driving. He was recalcitrant at first, but after a few attempts of reassurance, he obliged.
"Pizza, then Scoops?" He suggests, a smile on his face. My mind reels back to the ice cream parlour and the time that we spent there. Such a refreshing day it was.
"Sounds perfect!"
I peel out of the occupied parking space and head to our next destination. When we reach the pizza parlour we give our orders and finish our dinner talking about random things. Then, we head to Scoops and order the same thing as last time.
Now, here we are, outside Ridge's house. "So, did you enjoy the date?" I ask him, a hopeful smile playing on my lips.
"I loved this date. Thank you so much." He whispers, his eyes turning a shade darker than they already are. "But, next time I'll be the one to take you out and make sure that my wallet is intact in my pocket."
I snicker at the expression on his face. Well, he's an idiot to keep his wallet in the pocket of his jacket rather than keeping it secure in the back pocket of his jeans. "Not my fault." I unbuckle my seat-belt and sigh, closing my eyes. Today was something else. Something different.
I hear shuffling on my side so I look to my right to see Ridge removing his seat-belt to get out of the car. He opens the door and steps out. I step out of the car too and close it behind me and walk to his side. He gives me a confused look, raising an eyebrow. "What?"
I shake my head. "Nothing, walking you to the door, princess." I give him a teasing wink. He doesn't say anything else, just grabs my hand as we walk towards his door. When we are right in front of the door, he stops and looks at me. I blink up at him, my tongue coming out to wet my bottom lip which doesn't go unnoticed by him.
He takes a step forward and captures my lips in a soft kiss. I move my lips against his, my hands wounding around his neck. This kiss feels different than the others we shared. This one feels more intimate. More capturing. More real.
We break apart after a few seconds. He takes a step back, giving me a charming smile. "Good night sweetheart, drive safe." And then he walks away from me, in slow steps before he disappears behind the door.
I stand still, my eyes fixated on the door. My mind reels back to the events that took place today, our conversations, the laughs we shared, the words exchanged and the kisses. It all felt real. Like we were not pretending. Like he actually likes me. Like I actually might fall for him.
And that feeling alone scares the shit out of me.
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Holy hell! This was one hell of a chapter!
Did you like their date? I know it's not something grand but I wanted to write something real, something more intimate.
Hope you guys liked it as much as I did <3
Next update soon!
Till then,
Stay Happy!