“You’ve all done marvelously. It appears everybody did as they were instructed, and now if you don’t mind, you may wash your hands and take off your aprons before going upstairs and letting us prepare your dishes. It should only take about fifteen to twenty minutes. We have many heat lamps up there, though you may also want to take your coats just in case you get chilly,” the chef said, and the sous chefs came around and took away our creations.
Bentley and I both grabbed our coats, with only two guys opting not to, before we walked up the four flights of stairs to the roof, which was lit up with string lights all around the edges and ceiling, even lacing around a pergola.
“This is beautiful,” I said as we picked our table, all of them for two.
“Look at the lights,” another woman said to her date.
I looked out over the edge, seeing the park lit up, as traffic flooded down below and the restaurants in the area were crowded with people spilling out onto the sidewalks.
“It’s a good thing you had this idea. I can’t imagine being down there right now,” I said.
“Yeah, imagine being on the street down there waiting for a table. This is much better,” he said.
“And we had a lot of fun. I know we haven’t tried our creation, and for all we know it will suck, but thank you for picking this for our first Valentine’s Day, Bentley. It’s something I’ll always remember,” I said.
“I’m just happy you’ve enjoyed it. I was worried you wouldn’t and that I’d mess things up. I’m glad you like it, though. Many more to come,” he said, raising his glass.
I picked mine up and raised it before clinking it against his and taking a sip. His foot rubbed against my leg under the table, and I looked at him square in the eye and felt nothing but a warmth deep inside my stomach keeping me warm on this chilly, icy roof. Sometimes all you need is a bit of love at night to keep you warm, after all.
After not too long, the waiters started to bring the food up and set it down in front of us. Steam billowed up from the appetizer, stuffed egg roll-type things that we didn’t make. I picked one up, it warm in my hand, before I dipped it in the Asian-like sauce and took a bite. It was an explosion of flavors, unlike anything I’d ever had at a Chinese restaurant, as the bite of the vinegar in the sauce danced perfectly with the crunch of the cabbage and carrots inside.
“This is great,” Bentley said, picking up another piece.
“I could eat these all night,” I said.
The two of us polished off the appetizer before anybody else, and a waiter came by and took away the plate. The entrees came only moments later.
“Here you are,” the waiter said, setting my plate down in front of me.
“Wow,” I said as I mulled it over.
It was so strange to see something we prepped become something that looked like this. This was like amazing restaurant quality, and we prepared it! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Maybe we’d have the skills to do this at his place sometime, though I was almost all cooked out for a while. You can’t just take a cup-of-noodles girl and thrust her into this big, crazy luxury food preparation just like that. I needed time to ease into it.
I closed my eyes as I took my first bite. It was just as good as that expensive restaurant he first took me to. The sauce coated my tongue with each and every bite. I must’ve devoured that thing even before Bentley did, and he ate fast. I wasn’t even that hungry, at least not starving. It just tasted that good.
We sat around for ten minutes after finishing, the waiters coming by periodically to refill water and wine, before they took away our plates and brought out the dessert. A scoop of ice cream sat in the middle of a brownie, sauces drizzled all over it. I noticed a large, thin piece of something sticking out from the top of it. It was like caramel, dried into the shape of a giant squiggle. I carefully took it out and set it to the side of the bowl.
There were two spoons, so Bentley and I each took a side and savored every bite a bit more than we did our entrees and appetizer. The chill of the ice cream made me shiver a little bit, as I reached up and felt my nose. The tip was cold and Bentley said a little red, though I didn’t let it stop me from finishing this dessert.
Not much more was said, the two of us just enjoying each other’s company, and not feeling like we needed a conversation to enjoy the moment together. Just sitting here, eating a world-class dessert while looking at the lights was enough. It might not have been for everybody, but it was for us, and that was all that mattered.
Chapter Seventeen
Bentley
My first real Valentine’s Day since Candice was now in the books as possibly the best one I’d ever had. Maybe next year I could top it and do something even better, hopefully with Anna, but I wasn’t sure I could top this. This was by far the best.
The dinner ended and Anna and I shook hands with the chef before talking with him and the group for about five minutes. They had a lot of classes, some for anniversaries and just general cooking classes, including romantic ones, though he said the Valentine’s Day one was the most requested and hardest to get into. I had no problem getting in, but I think I’d just called at the right time.
I helped Anna put on her coat before she grabbed her purse and we walked outside into the softened chill of winter.
“Want to walk around a little?” I asked after putting another two quarters in the meter.
“Yeah, that sounds nice. It’s a nice evening,” she said.
“Who knew it could be like what, forty degrees, in the middle of winter?” I asked, grabbing her hand and lacing her fingers within mine.
We walked across the street into the park, where the lights made me think we were back in the Christmas season, even though they weren’t holiday-related. Couples sat on benches, some of them trading kisses and loving stares, before we walked over to an open one and sat down ourselves, with me against the armrest.
I put my arm around her, her coming in closer and pressing her body against mine, before I put my hand on her shoulder. She looked at me, the lights above twinkling in her beautiful green eyes, before she came in and gave me a soft, slow kiss. There was magic every single time we kissed, as if the world stopped, time stopped, and we were the only things that mattered. I knew it sounded cheesy, but it was the truth.
“There are so many people out,” she said, looking around.
“It’s still pretty early. Hell, some of these people probably haven’t even eaten yet. I called a place before making the dinner class reservations and they said people usually wait one to two hours before even being seated, let alone served. It’s nuts,” I said.
“I’m so much happier that we did what we did. I think it allowed us to be silly while also having a really nice dinner. Plus, we didn’t have to sit and wait around. You did good, kid,” she said.
“Kid? I’m older than you!” I said.
“I know,” she said, giggling.
I nuzzled up to her cheek, kissing it softly, as she laughed even more. I felt her beginning to get cold, so I took off my scarf, wrapping it around her. She tried to refuse, saying I’d get cold, but I reassured her I’d much rather she be warm than me. I’d give her my coat right now if I knew it would keep her warm and comfortable.
“Want to walk around a little more?” I asked.
“Yeah, that sounds like a nice plan,” she said, standing up and grabbing my hand.
Another couple took our bench as we walked slowly away, the main street of this beautiful college town filled with brick buildings that must’ve been a hundred or more years old. They were all different, none of them modern in the slightest, though the interiors were a mix of old and new. I liked that kind of style, the rustic type that’s popular these days. Maybe I needed to just sell my house and get some kind of loft like that somewhere. I was sure there was something like that out there.
We walked across the park to the other end, where an older gentleman all bundled up was selling individual roses that were all wrapped up and gorgeous.
“Flower for the young lady?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, pulling out my wallet.
I handed him five dollars, which was outrageous for a single rose, but I figured romance doesn’t have monetary limits and she was worth the couple extra bucks.
“Thank you so much, babe,” she said, sniffing it and smiling.
“Only the prettiest flower for you,” I said, and she wrapped her arm in mine and walked closer to me.
We took our time, forgoing the rush that some others took, with one couple even looking very pissed at one another as the woman walked much faster, like she didn’t want to be around him anymore. Couldn’t say I hadn’t been there, with a date being pissed at me. I’d like to think I’d changed those ways, though. I hoped I had.
“What else do you want to do?” I asked, as we seemed to be making our way back to the car.
“I’m fine going back to your place and just spending time together,” she said.
“I think that can be arranged. Movie?” I asked.
“Definitely,” she said with a smile.
We walked back to the car, where the meter was about ten minutes from being empty, and I opened her door and helped her in. I got in my side, letting traffic pass before I got in, and started my other baby up as she purred like a giant kitten for me. She never let me down.