Chapter 10 #2
After she told him what she wanted, Sage made the call to the restaurant.
He could’ve used one of the food delivery apps, but it seemed the restaurant had their own delivery drivers, and they definitely knew Sage.
Whoever he was speaking with seemed to know him personally, because he laughed several times while giving his order.
He hung up and said, “It’ll take about thirty minutes or so for them to get here.”
“Sounds good.”
“And before you think I went overboard and ordered enough for twelve people, Teresa, the owner, was curious as to why I was ordering two dinners instead of one tonight, and when she heard I was on a date, she got all giddy and told me she was going to ‘take care of us.’ I’m a little afraid of what that means, but most likely it’s probably extra bread, meatballs, and possibly even a side dish or two thrown in for free. ”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Zita said, secretly more pleased than she wanted to admit that it seemed as if Sage dating wasn’t a normal occurrence.
“You want to start the first movie while we wait? They’re kind of long.
I thought we’d start with the original movies, even though technically they aren’t the first ones in the chronological series.
The timeline of the films is a little confusing, but my favorites are still the old school ones.
They aren’t as full of CGI, and they’re where I learned my love for the franchise. ”
“Whatever you suggest.”
“Again, the movies are longish, around two hours each, and we won’t be able to get through them all tonight, but hopefully you’ll enjoy what we get through enough to want to continue watching the others later.”
“I’m sure I will. I’m easily entertained, although I don’t have a lot of time to watch movies, or read, or catch up on the shows that are so popular these days.”
“Same. I like my sleep too much.”
Zita grinned. “You too?”
He returned her happy smile. “Definitely. And luckily, I’m a good sleeper. Meaning, I fall asleep fast and can almost always sleep through the night.”
“That’s awesome. I’m the same. Except maybe after some especially gnarly calls.”
He sobered. “Yeah. Sometimes when I get home from a mission that either went sideways or someone got hurt or almost ended badly, I’m the same way.”
Zita was having a hard time wrapping her mind around how compatible she and Sage seemed to be. But what was the old saying? Opposites attract? If they were too alike, did that mean they would have issues if they actually tried to take a serious shot at dating?
She shook the thought off. It was too early for that. She and Sage were simply getting to know each other tonight. Not planning their wedding and how many kids they wanted.
“Pick a seat and I’ll get us some drinks. I’ve got lemonade, water, coffee, and various flavored teas.”
“Oh, I’d love a tea. Surprise me.”
He nodded and turned to flick on an electric kettle on the counter, which had been hidden behind the air fryer.
Zita wandered into the living area and looked around. She could choose the love seat or one of the oversized chairs. Both had pros and cons.
She decided on the big chair…because all she could picture was her and Sage sharing it.
When he entered the room with two mugs in his hand, she smiled at him and asked, “Can these oversized chairs hold two people?”
He grinned back before saying, “I don’t know. I’ve never attempted it.”
His words made Zita feel all warm and fuzzy. Knowing he hadn’t snuggled with another woman in either of his chairs meant something to her. “Shall we find out?”
“Hell yes,” he said under his breath. Then he held out one of the mugs to her. “Try this, see if it’s to your liking. If not, I can brew something different.”
Zita took the cup from him and inhaled the steam coming from the tea. “Mmmm. This smells great.”
“Vanilla almond. It’s one of my favorites.”
Taking a sip, Zita almost moaned. “It’s delicious.”
His smile grew, and Zita felt all tingly inside. He put his cup on a small table next to the chair where she was sitting. “Scoot over to one side. We’ll see if we both fit. If it’s not comfortable, when dinner arrives, we can change the seating arrangement.”
It was a good idea. This was basically a trial run, which Zita liked.
She scooted over, and Sage lowered himself onto the cushion next to her. Surprisingly, they fit perfectly in the chair. Her thigh was pressed up against his, but the chair was wide enough to accommodate them both comfortably. Sage’s body heat seeped into hers, and he smelled really good.
Letting herself relax, Zita leaned against him. He put his arm around her shoulders, which made their position even more comfortable. They both drank their tea and instead of starting the movie immediately, they talked about nothing in particular for a while. It was…nice.
Before they knew it, they’d both finished their tea, and Sage finally reached for the remote. “You ready for this?” he asked with a grin.
“As ready as I’m going to be,” she told him.
He clicked quite a few buttons, and then the first movie started.
Zita wasn’t much of a sci-fi fan, which was why she’d never bothered to watch any of the franchise, but to her surprise, she found herself getting sucked into the storyline.
At least until there was a knock on the door.
Sage paused the movie then extricated himself from the chair and went to answer.
Zita met him at the table, and when he started to unpack the paper bags full of food, she could only inhale in appreciation.
“Oh my, it smells heavenly.”
“Wait until you taste it,” Sage told her with a small smile.
He was right, the Italian food was some of the best she’d ever had. And the owner obviously had a sweet spot for Sage, because there was so much extra food it wasn’t funny. She’d even thrown in some cannoli for dessert.
After she helped Sage package up the leftovers, he asked, “Ready for more Star Wars?”
“Definitely.”
“You’re enjoying it?”
“More than I thought I would, if I’m being honest.”
“Good. You want to sit with me again or take the other chair or couch?”
“With you,” Zita said without hesitation.
They got resettled in the chair, and this time, Zita asked if he’d mind if she put her legs over his. He agreed, and that’s how she found herself snuggled into the crook of his arm, feeling full and warm, and safer than she’d felt in a very long time.
As the movie restarted, Zita was quickly absorbed in the plot again. When Obi-Wan Kenobi showed up, she lifted her head and turned to look at Sage with a huge smile…only to find he was sound asleep. His head was resting on the back of the chair and his mouth slightly open.
Zita chuckled to herself. She’d been enjoying the feel of his body against hers and wondering if they’d end their night with more kisses, and he’d fallen asleep. It was kind of hilarious. But she didn’t mind. He’d been working extremely hard both on set and at his regular job.
Besides, he’d seen the movie probably hundreds of times.
Okay, maybe not that many, but certainly dozens.
Not to mention the chair was comfortable as hell, and he’d pulled a blanket over them both so they were cozy and warm.
They’d had large amounts of carbs, and if she wasn’t as interested in the plot as she was, she would’ve been asleep from a food coma herself.
Putting her head back down, Zita let him sleep.
She could rib him about the character he was named after when the movie was over.
She curled even closer to him and sighed in content.
Honestly, this was her ideal date. Not Sage falling asleep on her, of course, but good food and being alone with him, instead of being around tons of people as she was most of her days.
As the credits began to roll, Zita was anxious to start the next movie.
She needed to know what happened. But she wasn’t sure how to operate the complicated remote sitting on the small table next to Sage, and she really didn’t want to watch it without him anyway.
So instead…she closed her eyes. Tonight had been great, even though Sage slept for most of the movie.
She should wake him up, but she hated to disturb his rest.
She decided to let him sleep just a little longer. She’d sit there and rest her eyes for a moment…
She wasn’t sure what woke her. All she knew was that the TV was on and she felt disoriented.
“Zita, are you awake?”
“Mmmmm,” she mumbled.
“I fell asleep.”
Memories returned. Sage. His apartment. The movie. She’d obviously fallen asleep in his arms. “What time is it?”
“One.”
Zita frowned. “In the morning?”
He smirked. “Yeah.”
“Oh shit!” she exclaimed, sitting up. But Sage kept his arm around her, holding her so she couldn’t immediately leap up from the chair.
“Easy. It’s okay. You want me to take you back to the motel now? Or do you want to go back to sleep? I have to get up in a few hours and head to base for PT, but when I get back, we could go out for breakfast or something. You don’t have to be on set today, right?”
She was still half asleep, but it was hard to believe Sage was inviting her to stay in his apartment while he went to work out. For two people who hadn’t planned on anything but a simple movie date, things sure were moving quickly.
“I might go by the set later to make sure everything’s okay as they’re packing up, but no, I don’t have to be there at the regular time.”
“So you’ll stay? You can stay here in the chair, or you can sleep in a guest room.”
“Here,” she said, then yawned.
“You want me to get up?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry I missed the movie.”
“It’s okay. But I want to see the next one.”
“And the next Star Wars junkie has been created.”
“Maybe. I’m reserving judgement.”
“Thanks for being so cool about this. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”
“It’s okay. You were tired.”
“Yeah. You comfortable? Too hot? Too cold?”
“Perfect.”
“Good. Close your eyes and get some more sleep. I’ll probably wake you up when I have to leave, but just ignore me and go back to sleep.”
“M’kay.”
Zita swore she felt Sage’s lips on her forehead, but she was too tired to open her eyes to see for sure. All she knew was that she was warm and comfortable. She fell asleep with the scent of Sage in her nostrils and a feeling of contentment in her soul.