Page 172 of One More Kiss

Phoenix

I WASIN MID-SENTENCE WITH Mr. Felix when Tori entered the room. I was caught off-guard and couldn’t seem to recover what I was saying. Damned the words, and damned the conversation, because I only had eyes and ears for Tori. She was beauty personified and I wanted to let her know how pretty I thought she was. It was by far the first time I’d seen her walk into the room as if confident, but I could see how quickly her confidence faltered the longer I chose not to say a word.

She wore a long, rhinestone blue dress, which fit snugly over her tiny frame. Her hair was pinned up, showcasing her delectable neck, causing my body to tighten by the thought of wanting to trace my lips along her skin. Her face was covered in a light sheen of makeup, causing her features to pop, such as the bright blue of her eyes. This was the one time I’d ever seen Tori wear makeup this light and it looked great on her.

Before I could voice my thoughts, Mr. Felix beat me to it. “My God. You’re quite beautiful, Tori.”

His eyes seemed to mist as he glanced upon his daughter. Tori walked over and allowed her father to embrace her. He sniffled and then pulled her back. His hands gripped her shoulders as he said, “now, be good. Don’t do anything your mother and I wouldn’t do, and above all, enjoy your night.”

Tori dabbed at her eyes with the napkin her mom provided both of them. “I will. Thanks, Dad.”

Sally yelled in the room, “okay, y’all. Picture time.”

I still didn’t get a chance to talk to Tori, to compliment her, or even to touch her because everyone else seemed to be interrupting our moment. But I allowed it to happen because eventually we were going to spend all of our time together. So, I allowed the craziness to happen.

Sally maneuvered us for photos. Tori and I stood together in the middle as her mother stood behind Tori and Mr. Felix stood behind me. We took another photo with the parents swapping sides. Then, Sally told her parents to move aside and took photos of just me and Tori. After that, Tori took photos with her parents together and separately.

Finally, we were waved off, driving toward our first destination. The silence was a welcoming act inside my Bronco. Yes, I chose the Bronco even though I could’ve afforded a nicer ride. I liked my vehicle and was pretty sure Tori didn’t mind riding inside of the thing, she never complained. Tori also didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would demand a luxurious ride for a dance. That by itself was a good trait to have.

I watched her through my peripheral while still keeping my eyes on the road. Surprisingly I was nervous. That was usual because I’d always been the straight-forward and confident person. Tori seemed to be causing my stomach to ache. I knew I was nervous because I wanted her to be happy and like everything I had planned for us. She was worth every second of my time, and every penny I earned.

There was so much I wanted to say to her. You’re beautiful, you’re stunning, my gosh I’m a lucky guy to have you as a date, but none of those words spilled out. I kept my mouth shut literally the entire drive to our destination, which was Gordon’s Photography. You would think a simple compliment would exit my lips and grace her ears, but I couldn’t seem to be confident enough to give her that.

Gosh, I was by far a failure during this date already. I wasn’t known to be the depressed type but the way I was handling things wasn’t looking good at all. We made it to Gordon’s, and I pulled the Bronco into the closest parking spot near the front door. After shutting the engine off, I opened my door, ran to her side, and helped Tori out. If there was one thing I could do, that was to hold the door because to me, chivalry was not dead.

“Thank you,” Tori mumbled, eyes cast downward.

Just by her words and her body language, I knew she was as nervous, if not more so than I was. I had to change this night, or it was doomed to fail before fully starting. Tori meant so much more to me than I figured she thought she meant. It was rare when she showed her confidence. It was a treat and one I looked forward to dragging out of her.

We were only ten minutes from being late but damned the tardiness. Tori needed my words and my movements. I grasped her elbow, slowly putting pressure on it so she would look into my eyes. Hers seemed to speak to me, asking what I wanted. There was so much I wanted, and it included all of her.

“You’re absolutely breathtaking. Even as I drove us here, I couldn’t seem to stop staring at you out of the corner of my eyes,” I revealed, baring my thoughts. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world having you by my side.”

Tori’s eyes shifted as if trying to understand if the words I spoke were true. She must’ve felt as if they were because her face seemed to light up, causing her to become even more beautiful. Geez, this woman was magnificent. I couldn’t wait for the dance to be over, so we could just spend time together, just her and I.

She seemed to gain more confidence. “Thank you. I think you’re quite dashing yourself.”

I winked, “are you hitting on me, Tori? Because it’s not like I’ll stop you.”

She laughed. Her shoulders visibly sagged as if her nerves were no longer keeping control of her. “I’m sure you don’t mind. And what if I was hitting on you?” Her eyebrows waggled, indicating her playfulness.

“Well, we’ll have to remedy that later on,” I promised, I then took the initiative and pecked her quickly on the lips.

She gasped as if surprised, my movement was that bold, and that’s the exact response I was going for. I wanted her to be shocked and uncertain of my motives because tonight, I wanted to taste her lips much longer than last time.

I squeezed her elbow slightly again, initiating my movements to walk toward the entrance of the building. She seemed to understand what I was doing and followed suit.

We walked inside the building, met the photographer, and took the photos I requested. He snapped five poses just in case some pictures didn’t come out the way we wanted. Once we picked the shots, we were promised we’d receive them within a few weeks. We left the building, got back to the Bronco and headed to the next place on the list.

I pulled into the parking lot of ‘Decadence’, a high-end restaurant catering to those who were wealthy. I wasn’t swimming in dough, but I did put money aside for this night. I guided her to the front door, which was metal shaped like a lotus flower. This door mimicked a screen door to the main door. It was a maroon red, with a gold-colored handle. I opened the door for Tori, and then followed her inside.

By the noises exiting Tori’s lips, I knew she was impressed, and so was I. I’ve only been inside this place once before, and that was to celebrate my cousin’s graduation. My parents were close to him, and he wanted them to celebrate with him. This place was nice, and I wanted Tori to experience a genuine restaurant. Even if she didn’t agree to being with me, I was content knowing she had experiences under her belt. This was a night for Tori to remember, I wasn’t naive to think I wouldn’t be basking in the experience of it as well.

The hostess greeted Tori and I separately and then indicated for us to follow her. The entire place screamed, you can’t afford a damn morsel, but I knew I was prepared. The lighting was low, setting the atmosphere with lanterns on the wall next to each table. White table clothes covered the tables and chairs. A band played soothing music assisting in the setting of the place. White orchids adorned the middle of the tables. Tori looked absolutely stunning as she walked gracefully to the table we were guided to.

I hurried to Tori’s side and pulled out her chair. She sat, then I scooted her in before going back to my side of the table. Tori nodded in thanks and then smiled. I knew she was nervous; I could tell as she fidgeted with her rolled napkin.

“I don’t want to seem out of place,” Tori admitted, “but, there are too many utensils. I don’t know which one to use for what. I was never taught these things.”

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