Page 73 of Meet You Half Way
It had been a while since I’d taken a boy out on a date but Mateo had never even been on one. So whilst I recognised my own nerves for the night ahead, I could only imagine what he was feeling. Especially as I’d let him choose the destination and he’d shocked the hell out of me by suggesting a nice Italian restaurant on the high street of Esperance. Meaning this date would be in full visibility of the people Mateo knew in a place where he would likely run into at least someone he knew.
No wonder I was nervous.
I’d dressed in a pair of nice black pants and a blue button down for tonight. I had a jacket in the car but I wasn’t sure if I’d need it tonight even though the air had turned cool. WhenI knocked on Mateo’s pink front door and found him on the other side, I knew I’d chosen right. He was enough to ensure the heat would always be turned up high as my eyes traced down his gorgeous body, mouth drying out completely and kicking my nerves back into gear.
Would I ever get sick of looking at this guy, him standing there with his ashy blonde hair slightly mussed and those dark, inky eyes full of some kind of emotion. He was wearing a white linen shirt which he’d left unbuttoned at the top, displaying a lot of that smooth olive chest beneath his usual gold chain. He had a cobalt blue tweed jacket on over the top of a pair of taupe pants, tight where it counted and making me thank the higher powers for blessing me with this man.
“Wow,” I managed to say, looking up to see the way he was watching me, a nervous tilt on his face. “You’re breathtaking. For you,” I added, pulling the baby pink gerbera from behind my back.
His eyes lit up before he laughed, taking the gerbera from me and sniffing for the scent. Maybe I shouldn’t have picked the one completely scentless flower but it had caught my eye with its breathtaking visage and I knew it was the right one for him. Reminded me a lot of someone I knew in fact.
“You got me a flower?” he asked, that big smile that was making a lot more appearances of late on his face.
“Get used to it, darling,” I told him. “It’s all part of the wooing and stuff you agreed to. You look amazing by the way. Absolutely gorgeous.”
He glowed at my words and I chuckled inside. For someone as gorgeous as Mateo he sure needed a lot of reassurance. Now that I knew him better, I knew where that need for attention and assurance came from. He had never had the love and acceptance he needed while growing up. So that was on me now, making sure he always knew how amazing and wonderful he was.
“Well now I’ve gotta go find a vase,” Mateo said, like it was a burden. But I knew better now. I knew he liked little gifts like this and I walked into his house behind him, watching the way he carefully filled a vase with water and set the lone flower in it, eyes lingering with a soft smile playing on his face.
“No Rob tonight?” I asked, eyes skirting the empty living room.
“No. He has a hot date with Kat,” Mateo told me.
“Good for him,” I replied, hoping Rob got lucky tonight because that would mean Mateo’s house might be empty later on. “Ready?”
“Ready,” Mateo nodded, pulling in a little intake of air as he placed his hand into my waiting one. I walked us out to my car and held his door open for him. He didn’t even roll his eyes once, just a little smile tugging at his lips instead which I took as a win.
I held his hand as I drove us all the way into Esperance, feeling his nervous energy rise as I pulled up out the front of the sweet Italian restaurant he had chosen. I hadn’t asked but I suspected this was a place Mateo had been many times before and I squeezed his hand as he let out another deep exhale.
“You okay with this?” I asked.
“Yep. Let’s do it,” he nodded. He waited while I opened the car door for him and then we walked the few steps up to the restaurant door. I hovered beside him, not quite sure whether to touch him or not but deciding I would leave that up to him. I would never force anything on him and if he wanted this date to look like we were just two friends out for dinner, I was okay with that too. This was already way more than I had expected from him.
As I had anticipated, the girl on the front desk knew who Mateo was and she smiled broadly at him before her eyes dipped curiously to me. I just smiled back as she led us to a table set fortwo near the front window where we could see people walking past on the street. Presumably they could see in too.
I ordered us a bottle of Shiraz and then Mateo sat back in his chair, eyes looking around at the fairly full restaurant around us. I could tell he knew quite a few people as he nodded in acknowledgement at a couple of them before turning his attention back to me.
“So? Not as scary as you thought it would be?” I asked, gentle smile on my face.
“Not scary at all,” he replied. His hand came up to the table then, creeping forward until he clasped onto mine as shock and delight filtered through me. I twisted my hand around, letting him entwine our fingers together as I felt like all my dreams were coming to life. Mateo here, looking more beautiful than the setting sun, claiming me as his in front of everyone he knew. There was a slight tremble to his hand, belying his claim that he was not scared, but I squeezed him tight, wanting him to know how much this meant to me.
“You’ll be getting one hell of a reward later tonight for this,” I murmured, dipping my voice low.
Mateo pretended to gasp in shock. “Why, Mr Waverly. Do you think I’m going to be that easy after just one date?”
I laughed, the sound vibrating around the restaurant and causing a few eyes to swing our way. I didn’t pay them any mind, eyes only for the gorgeous man on the other side of the table.
“I certainly hope so,” I returned, running my eyes suggestively down his chest.
“You know, someone keeps telling me I’m not just my body,” Mateo said thoughtfully, head cocked to the side.
“Well maybe that guy should learn to shut his mouth,” I laughed. “But hey, I can love the whole man whilst still enjoying all the benefits he has to offer.”
“So how do you see these benefits playing out?” he asked, resting his chin on his hand.
“Well, I’m hoping your friend Rob has his own luck tonight,” I told him, leaning in closer. “So we can be as loud as we want. I was hoping to take you back home to your place as it’s much closer than mine and the way you’re looking tonight tells me I won’t have the patience to drive all the way back to Sorrento.”
“Hmm. Go on.”
