Page 74 of Pride
“That sounds intriguing,” I replied, wondering if his words were a euphemism for something else.
What new thing did he want to try?
“Buckle up,” he mused. “And just enjoy the ride.”
We drove at speed through country lanes, eventually emerging into the town. All the time, I kept one eye on the road and the other on the way his tattooed hands gripped the steering wheel in a way that did things to me that I secretly loved. We made small talk as he navigated the nighttime roads, and I half expected him to pull into an underground car park or pull up outside a fancy restaurant that he would probably claim wasn’t fancy at all. But when he pulled into a familiar car park, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“McDonalds? Really?”
He shrugged and didn’t miss a beat when he replied, “I’ve never tried it. But I hear the quarter pounder here is to die for.”
Still laughing, I teased, “I call bullshit. I don’t think anyone in this day and age can say they’ve never had a McDonalds.”
“I can,” he stated with a straight face to show he meant what he said. “When I was younger, my mother refused to let me try it. Everything we ate was cooked by our chef. Then, as I got older...” He shrugged. “I just never got around to trying it.” He turned to face me as he pulled into the drive-through to join the queue. “You can’t say I haven’t surprised you, though.”
“You’ve definitely surprised me. I wouldn’t have guessed for one second that the great Alex Kingston would bring me to McDonalds for our first date.”
He leaned across the console, moving closer to me.
“You think I’m great?” he asked, unable to hide the smug way his eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Everyone thinks you’re great.” I shook my head, then smiled as he sat back with pride.
“And on a first date, she’s giving me compliments,” he mused.
“As first dates go, it’s certainly memorable,” I replied.
“It is for me, and we haven’t even started yet.” He gave me a wink as he moved the car forward. “What would you like?”
We both decided to go for quarter pounder meals with milkshakes, mine chocolate and his strawberry. He insisted on buying a couple of apple pies as well, as he’d heard so much about those, too. Seeing him order the food like a kid in a sweet shop was endearing. If any other guy had brought me to McDonalds, I might have raised an eyebrow. But it was something completely different with Alex, because I knew he was telling the truth. He hadn’t done the things most of us had because that wasn’t who he was. Or who he'd been made to be. This was all new to him. New and exciting. Which made it the same for me, too.
“Are we going inside to eat or are we staying in the car?” I asked, pointing across the car park and adding, “There’s a space over there if you want to park up.”
“No,” he replied. “We’re going somewhere else. I’ve reserved a special area for us to enjoy these legendary burgers.”
He put the food and drinks in the footwell, then drove out of the car park and headed down the street. After a few minutes, he pulled into a side road and then into another car park beside Merivale’s local park. He found a space to pull into, then turned the engine off.
“Come on,” he said, taking the bags and drinks as we opened our doors. “It’s just over there.”
I frowned at him as we walked into the darkness of the park, taking the path that led to the little lake I knew was at the bottom. Then, as we turned a corner, I gasped.
The trees were lit up with fairy lights, and outdoor heaters were set up to keep us warm. The area had a golden glow, magical in fact, and there, beside the lake on the grass was a picnic, with a blanket, cushions, a hamper, and a champagne bucket with ice and two glasses.
“Alex.” I sighed. “This is stunning.”
“You didn’t really think it’d just be a McDonalds drive-through, did you?” he replied with a twinkle in his eye as he watched me take it all in.
“I wouldn’t have minded if it was, but this, it’s... everything.”
He smiled, took my hand in his, and led me to the blanket. I sat down, letting go of his hand as he placed the food we’d brought beside me. Then he took a lighter out of his pocket and began to light various candles in glass jars that were placed around the edge. Once he was happy that everything was perfect, he took his phone out, tapped away at the screen, and then slow, soft music began to play.
“I’ve made a playlist for tonight. I hope that’s all right,” he said, and my heart melted a little more. He’d taken the time to make a playlist, for tonight, for us. He’d sat and thought about every little detail.
“Of course it’s all right. You’ve thought of everything.”
He smiled, reached for the champagne and took it out of the ice bucket. Then he popped the cork, and I held the glasses as he poured the champagne.
“I think champagne and milkshake go well together,” he joked placing the bottle back into the ice bucket.
